The second fight in the preliminary card of UFC on ESPN: Eye vs Calvillo followed up a quick finish. However, Tyson Nam had other ideas as he notched up an even quicker finish over Zarrukh Adashev in their Catchweight bout. 

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Tyson Nam destroys Zarrukh Adashev in the first round

The bout originally set for Bantamweight was converted into a Catchweight fight as ‘The Lion’ missed weight on Friday. He came in 2.5 pounds over the 136 lbs Bantamweight limit. 

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In his UFC debut, the Uzbek fighter began feeling his opponent and went in for the tried and tested formula of leg kicks. However, Nam wasn’t having any of it as he immediately nailed ‘The Lion’ with a right fist to his left cheek to send him crashing to the canvas just 32 seconds into the fight. 

It wasn’t an auspicious start for Adashev who headed into the fight after being fined 20% of his fee. But Nam was emotional as the decision was announced. He competed in MMA for 14 years in various promotions. However, he only got his big break last year and debuted in the UFC.

At UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Stephens he fell to Sergio Pettis. Earlier this year at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs Hooker he lost to Kai Kara-France. Both defeats came via unanimous decision. This could have been a reason Nam went for the quick finish. 

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At 36, Nam knows time is running out quickly for him to make a mark in the UFC. On the other hand, ‘The Lion’ suffered his 2nd overall loss but at 27, he will be looking to make a quick turnaround. 

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One of the things he will be looking out for is to defend against an opponent going for a quick knockout. However, despite Adashev’s relative inexperience, one can’t take away from Nam’s sweet finish.

What did you make of the fight?

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UFC on ESPN 10 Predictions: Jessica Eye vs Cynthia Calvillo

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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