New Zealand's Shane Young has had a rough return to the Octagon, falling to a first-round defeat against Ludovit Klein at UFC 253 on Sunday (NZ time).
Coming into the fight as a late replacement for Nate Landwehr, after the American tested positive for COVID-19, Klein's patented left head kick found its mark early to send Young reeling, before an uppercut sealed the Kiwi's fate, forcing the referee to call an end to the bout just over a minute into the round.
The bout was the City Kickboxing product's first in almost 20 months, dating back to a win over Austin Arnett at UFC 234 in February 2019.
Making his promotional debut, the 17-2 Klein is the first Slovakian to fight in the UFC.
He also came in overweight at Saturday's weigh ins, meaning a percentage of his fight purse will go to Young.
The loss snaps Young's two-fight win streak and is the first time he's been finished in the UFC.
The 27-year-old is the first of four Kiwi fighters in action on 'Fight Island', with teammates Brad Riddell, Kai Kara-France, and Israel Adesanya also on the bill.
