Islam Makhachev defeats Gleison Tibau by KO/TKO (punches)
Makhachev vs Tibau · UFC 220
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Tibau entered his return from a two-year suspension against the rising Makhachev.
Makhachev found the decisive opening with an overhand left that dropped Tibau where he stood.
The knockout came 57 seconds into round one, giving Makhachev his fourth UFC win.
- Official UFC resultsUFC 220 final results
Watch
The full fight.
More videos · 2 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Analysts
No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.
Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 14-1-0
- Record
- 32-12-0
- 8-0 last 8
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 34
- Age
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- 1.78 m
- Height
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- 179 cm
- Reach
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- Southpaw
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- 67%
- Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
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- 5
- Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins
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- 13
- Wins by submissionSub wins
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- 2.63
- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 1.55
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- 61%
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- 91%
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Russia
- Nationality
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Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Makhachev
Makhachev's advantage was his ability to pressure Tibau into a compact exchange and punish the first opening with straight, accurate power.
Case for Tibau
Tibau needed to use his size and experience to make the fight physical, force clinches and deny Makhachev the clean striking lane that appeared in the opening minute.
What We Were Watching For
- How Makhachev manages the larger lightweight's pressure.
- Whether Tibau can force a clinch before Makhachev sets his feet.
- The short fight's decisive punching exchange.
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