Tahir Abdullayev, head-and-shoulders portrait
Tank

Tahir Abdullayev

Welterweight
Team Alpha Male
10 first-round finishes
Record Record: 20-3-0
Wins
20
Losses
3
Draws
0
11KO/TKO
7Sub
2Dec
View full record ↓

Vitals

Height, reach, and career background.

Age29
Height1.78 m
Reach185 cm
NationalityAzerbaijan
TeamTeam Alpha Male
Weight classWelterweight
Active2015-present

Record

Tap any fight for the breakdown.

WinTKO
Opponent: Jefferson NascimentopunchesR3 4:28
UFC Fight Night 280 - Fiziev vs. Torres
27 Jun 2026
WinSUB
Opponent: Siavash Dadrasguillotine chokeR2 4:40
GFC 33 - Georgian Fighting Championship 33
25 Oct 2025

That timing matters because it shows he did not need a quick start to find the stoppage once the fight turned in his favor.

Key moments

  • The fight lasted deep into round two rather than ending in the opening minutes.
  • Abdullayev closed the show with a guillotine choke at 4:40 of the second round.
  • It was his second straight submission win.
WinSUB
Opponent: Alimjon Shadmanovshoulder chokeR1 3:23
NGF 5 - New Generation Fighting 5
13 Sep 2025
WinSUB
Opponent: Shokhruz Rakhmatovnorth-south chokeR1 4:12
Fight Nights 127 - Vartanyan vs Aliev
16 Aug 2025
WinTKO
Opponent: Oleg KosinovpunchesR1 1:04
Ural FC - Vinnikov vs. Safari
14 Jun 2025
LossDEC
Opponent: Khotam BoynazarovunanimousR5 5:00
UAE Warriors 55 - Abdullaev vs. Boynazarov
22 Oct 2024

Boynazarov handed Abdullayev a clear five-round decision loss in a fight that appears to have doubled as a regional title setback.

Key moments

  • Boynazarov beat Abdullayev by unanimous decision after five rounds.
  • The bout followed Abdullayev's split-decision win over Yuriy Ermolenko in July 2023.
  • Abdullayev answered the loss by winning his next five fights.
WinTKO
Opponent: Shakhban AlkhasovpunchesR2 4:35
UAE Warriors 50 - AlQaisi vs. Bark
18 May 2024

The result mattered because it gave him another stoppage against experienced regional opposition rather than another narrow decision.

Key moments

  • Abdullayev stopped Alkhasov by TKO at 4:35 of the second round.
  • The finish followed the split-decision win over Yuriy Ermolenko.
  • It set up the October 2024 five-round fight with Khotam Boynazarov.
WinDEC
Opponent: Yuriy ErmolenkosplitR3 5:00
AMC Fight Nights 121 - Makhno vs. Bikrev
14 Jul 2023
WinTKO
Opponent: Nikita SeverovpunchesR1 3:00
MMA Series 62 - Tarasov vs. Bobryshev
22 Feb 2023
LossDEC
Opponent: Josh TogounanimousR5 5:00
UAE Warriors - UAE Warriors 33
17 Sep 2022
WinTKO
Opponent: Daniel SkibinskipunchesR1 0:45
UAE Warriors - UAE Warriors 24
29 Oct 2021
WinSUB
Opponent: Alexey Lyapunovguillotine chokeR3 3:00
MMA Series 28 - Time of New Heroes 15
20 Mar 2021

Lyapunov forced Abdullayev deeper than many of his other opponents, but Abdullayev still found a late guillotine in the third round. The result mattered because it showed he could carry his finishing threat into the late stages of a fight rather than only early scrambles.

Key moments

  • Abdullayev submitted Lyapunov with a guillotine choke at 3:00 of round three.
  • The finish followed the July 2020 first-round TKO of Kishvar Khudoyorov.
  • It was Abdullayev's first recorded win beyond round one since 2019.
WinTKO
Opponent: Kishvar KhudoyorovpunchesR1 1:15
MMA Series 10 - WKG & M-1 Online
18 Jul 2020

Abdullayev got back to quick violence against Khudoyorov, finishing him inside 75 seconds.

Key moments

  • Abdullayev stopped Khudoyorov by TKO at 1:15 of the first round.
  • The finish came a little over a year after the submission of Makhir Aliyev.
  • It maintained Abdullayev's pattern of stacking early finishes.
WinSUB
Opponent: Makhir AliyevarmbarR2 3:57
M-1 Challenge 102 - Rakhmonov vs. Varejao
28 Jun 2019
WinKO
Opponent: Dmitry BerezinkneeR1 1:30
Hooligan Fight Show - Battle for Tula 2
28 Sep 2018
LossSUB
Opponent: Roman Bogatovarm-triangle chokeR2 1:21
M-1 Challenge 90 - Kunchenko vs. Butenko
30 Mar 2018

The result mattered because Bogatov later proved to be a serious regional lightweight, and Abdullayev responded well by ripping off another long winning stretch.

Key moments

  • Bogatov submitted Abdullayev at 1:21 of round two.
  • It was Abdullayev's first loss since 2017 and remains his only loss inside the distance.
  • He answered with wins over Dmitry Berezin and Makhir Aliyev in his next two bouts.
WinTKO
Opponent: Kewei XupunchesR1
The King FC - The King Fighting Championship
19 Feb 2018
WinSUB
Opponent: Alexey Balyberdinheel hookR1 2:46
OFG - Orion Fighter 3
9 Sep 2017
WinTKO
Opponent: Movsar Muhammedovcorner stoppageR2 1:10
Moscow Pankration Federation - International Festival of Pankration 2017
9 Apr 2017
WinTKO
Opponent: Sahib MurodovpunchesR1 3:13
OFG - Orion Fighter 1
7 May 2016

Abdullayev beat Murodov for the second time in less than two weeks, this time finishing him in the opening round. The result mattered because it showed the first win had not been a fluke and reinforced how quickly Abdullayev could overwhelm the same matchup once he solved it.

Key moments

  • Abdullayev stopped Murodov at 3:13 of round one.
  • It was his second win over Murodov in April and May 2016.
  • The rematch finish came faster than the earlier second-round stoppage.
WinTKO
Opponent: Sahib MurodovpunchesR2 3:51
OF - Orion Mixfight
24 Apr 2016

The first Murodov meeting ended with Abdullayev stopping him in the second round, setting up a quick rematch only weeks later.

Key moments

  • Abdullayev stopped Murodov at 3:51 of round two.
  • The fight followed the 2015 decision over Rasul Mansurov.
  • It led directly to a rematch with Murodov less than two weeks later.
WinDEC
Opponent: Rasul MansurovunanimousR2 5:00
Jash-Kuch Fighting Championship - JFC 2015 Fight Night
19 Sep 2015
WinSUB
Opponent: Azhibay AkylbekovarmbarR2 2:05
Kyrgyzstan MMA Federation - People's Friendship Cup
4 Apr 2015

The Read

Style, strengths, and defining traits.

Abdullayev is a compact welterweight who wins fights by forcing ugly exchanges and then finishing the scramble before opponents can reset.

The recent run is exactly why the UFC moved on him in 2026. Abdullayev lost a five-round title fight to Khotam Boynazarov in October 2024, then answered with five straight wins, four by stoppage, before stopping Jefferson Nascimento late in his UFC debut in Baku.