Brazilian lightweight fighter Matheus Camilo pulled off one of the biggest upsets at UFC Fight Night 280 after defeating home favorite Nazim Sadykhov via first-round technical knockout on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The highly anticipated lightweight bout took place at the National Gymnastics Arena, where thousands of local fans gathered to support Sadykhov.
Camilo stunned the crowd just one minute and 34 seconds into the opening round when he landed a powerful right hand that dropped his opponent to the canvas. The Brazilian fighter quickly followed up with a series of ground strikes, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the contest.
The stoppage sparked controversy inside the arena as Sadykhov immediately protested the decision after getting back to his feet. The fans in attendance also expressed their frustration and booed loudly after the referee’s intervention.
Despite the backlash from the crowd, Camilo defended the stop during his post-match interview.
“We train everything and are ready for everything,” he said. “I think it was clean shots and he had no movement. I think it was a very good stop. Many thanks to Nazim. Big respect to him.”
The win improved Camilo’s professional mixed martial arts record to 11-3, while Sadykhov suffered the third loss of his career and now has a record of 11-3-1.
The result is being described by many MMA fans as one of the biggest surprises of the event, with Camilo emphatically silencing the home crowd.
