Rinat Fakhretdinov Ruins Kiss With Devastating KO at UFC Paris

Rinat Fakhretdinov was all about friendship at the UFC Paris weigh-ins. It was a wholesome moment when the Russian leaned in with a head kiss for his opponent, Andreas Gustafsson, before stepping into the octagon. But that friendly gesture wasn’t a sign that ‘The Gladiator’ planned on taking it easy. Once fight night came, he was fired up and ready for war.

From the opening seconds, the Swedish striker came out swinging with wild overhands—a loud statement of intent that caught everyone’s attention—and a few even landed. Still, Fakhretdinov stayed calm and collected, weathering the early storm. Then he found the pocket—landing a punishing body shot that immediately turned the tide. Soon after, he unloaded a heavy flurry against the cage that dropped Gustafsson, sealing the fight with a spectacular, referee-stopped TKO at just 54 seconds into round one.

With that finish, Rinat Fakhretdinov extends his UFC win streak to seven, putting him on par with fellow welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov and just behind the champion, Jack Della Maddalena. Now, the Russian finds himself in a prime position to face bigger names in the division—possibly even cracking into the top 15 next.

So far, UFC Paris has been all fireworks! Sam Hughes kicked things off with a slick second-round rear-naked choke victory over Ireland’s Shauna Bannon in their strawweight clash. That was followed up by Rinat Fakhretdinov’s thunderous knockout of Andreas Gustafsson at welterweight. And after flattening his opponent, the Russian wasted no time silencing the critics who claimed he couldn’t score knockouts in the UFC.

Rinat Fakhretdinov silences doubters after UFC Paris performance

Fakhretdinov has quietly been making waves with his impressive run inside the octagon, beating names like Bryan Battle, Carlos Leal, and Nicolas Dalby. Still, fans were quick to point out that the Russian lacked knockout power, suggesting he wasn’t as dangerous as the hype made him out to be.

To be fair, ‘The Gladiator’ had just one knockout win in the UFC before Paris—his 2023 finish over Kevin Lee. So, after spectacularly stopping Gustafsson, he made sure to call out his critics directly. Speaking to former middleweight champion Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview, Fakhretdinov said, “In the first round, we let him throw punches, exhaust him, and then we went to do what we do best. So, anyone who said I had no finishes—where are those people now?”

Well, that was a short but very impactful statement. After such an impressive performance, Fakhretdinov will be facing another tough opponent in his next fight. Sitting on a seven-fight winning streak and coming off a stellar knockout, he’s in prime position to create that magic again. If he keeps this momentum going, there’s a good chance Dana White and the UFC brass could target Kevin Holland as his next matchup.

With that said, what do you think about UFC Paris kicking off with back-to-back finishes? Could the night get even better as Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov are still set to rock the stage? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.