Kiwi Dan Hooker has become the latest victim of the surging Islam Makhachev, suffering a first-round submission defeat in their showdown at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (NZ time).
The Aucklander couldn't withstand the suffocating grappling game of Makhachev, who scored a quick early takedown then expertly worked his way to a brutal kimura to force Hooker - unable to defend with his other arm trapped beneath him - to verbally tap before any serious damage was done to his limb.
Backing up as an injury replacement just 35 days after his win over Nasrat Haqparast in Las Vegas, the defeat to the rising Russian should do relatively little damage to Hooker's stocks.
One of the UFC's hottest properties, Makhachev extends his win streak to nine to further strengthen his case for a shot at the lightweight belt.
Cornerman, training partner and close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov - arguably the greatest fighter in history - was one of the first on hand to congratulate an ecstatic Makhachev, who should leapfrog the sixth-ranked Hooker into the division's top-five.
Makhachev now looms as a likely opponent for whoever emerges from the rubble of next weekend's mouthwatering clash between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Champion Charles Oliveira will try to defend his belt against Dustin Poirier in December.
Now 21-10 in his professional career, Hooker will now return to Las Vegas, where he'll reunite with his family for the indefinite future.
After his win last month, the 31-year-old passed up his MIQ voucher to stay in the US and accept the fight against Makhachev.
He'll help City Kickboxing teammates Kai Kara-France and Brad Riddell prepare for their upcoming bouts in Las Vegas.
Riddell squares off with Rafael Fiziev on December 5, while Kara-France takes on Cody Garbrandt at UFC 269 the following Sunday, December 12.
In the main event, 42-year-old Brazilian Glover Teixeira scored an upset second-round submission win over Jan Blachowicz to win the light heavyweight title, becoming the second-oldest champion in promotional history.
Teixeira used his wrestling to win the first round and both men landed heavy punches in the second, before the Brazilian brought Blachowicz down to the mat and trapped him against the fence.
Teixeira quickly took his opponent's back, before applying a rear naked choke that forced a quick submission from the Pole halfway through the second round.
"I'm breaking the rules at 42 years old, and I'm gonna keep breaking those rules," Teixeira said in a post-fight interview.
The only UFC champion older than Teixeira is former fighter Randy Couture, who was heavyweight champ at the age of 45.
