Ramiz Brahimaj returned to the octagon at UFC Vegas 34 for the first time since his promotional debut against Max Griffin — a fight that had seen his ear pretty much explode.
With his ear nearly falling off the side of his head, it wasn’t exactly the debut Brahimaj wanted, though it was a memorable one. On Saturday, however, he was looking for a better result against Sasha Palatnikov.
He absolutely got one.
Both fighters took the center of the octagon after a touch of the gloves to kick off the UFC Vegas 34 card. Brahimaj shot for a takedown almost and landed it. He was trying to set up an arm-triangle, but Palatnikov defended. Brahimaj transitioned to full mount very quickly and landed some nasty ground and pound. Palatnikov gave up his back, and Brahimaj locked up a rear-naked choke. Palatnikov defended the choke for about a minute, but it was under the chin, and he wound up going to sleep.
What a bounce-back win for Brahimaj, who made a fantastic second impression on Saturday.
With the victory, Brahimaj continues his first round submission streak. All nine of his wins to date have come via first round submission. Palatnikov has now dropped two straight after winning his UFC debut. He might just be fighting for his job the next time he enters the octagon.
Locked it in TIGHT 🔒😳@170Ramiz gets it done in RD 1 at #UFCVegas34! pic.twitter.com/Ar5uHLCNgd
— UFC (@ufc) August 21, 2021
Official Result: Ramiz Brahimaj def. Sasha Palatnikov by submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 2:33
