Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev | Active, Successful, And Hungry For More

He has good size and mobility for the division, moving fluidly inside the Octagon, and while his grappling is his strongest suit, he’s formidable on the feet as well. Training both with the team at MMA Nuernberg in Germany as well as alongside former founder member of The Blackzilians, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante at the Fight Sports Deerfield Beach, Yakhyaev is not only surrounded by outstanding coaches, but quality training partners as well, including UFC vet Marc-Andre Barriault, undefeated rising star Thad Jean, and fellow DWCS grad Rafael Tobias.

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Those considerable skills were on display — albeit briefly — against Lorenz when he picked up his contract, and again as Yakhyaev rampaged through Rafael Cerqueira last November when he needed just 33 seconds to collect his first UFC victory. Back in April, “The Hunter” had to work a little harder to earn his second win, besting Brendson Ribeiro in a touch under three minutes, which came with his taking more punches than the game plan called for that night.

“First fight is 100 percent,” Yakhyaev said. “Second, I get a little punched — plan was no getting punched; just knockout or submission.”

Officially, he was punched eight times, which isn’t much at all in a two-minute and 52-second fight, but it’s also seven more punches than he absorbed in his previous two fights combined.