Dominick Reyes Turns Back the Clock with Vicious Head Kick KO at UFC 333
Dominick Reyes delivered a vintage performance, stopping Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick TKO in the first round at UFC 333.
Dominick Reyes looked like the fighter who once pushed Jon Jones to the limit, stopping Azamat Murzakanov via first-round TKO with a head kick and punches at UFC 333 inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The finish came at 2:40 of the opening round.
Reyes staggered Murzakanov with a clean head kick that buckled the Dagestani fighter, then swarmed with punches until the referee stepped in. It was a clinical finish from a man many had written off after a brutal stretch of losses earlier in his career.
The win improves Reyes to 17-5 overall and gives the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger back-to-back victories after his split decision over Johnny Walker at UFC 327. At 36, Reyes is showing he still has the explosiveness and timing that made him one of the most dangerous strikers in the 205-pound division.
Murzakanov, who entered the fight at 16-1, had his own experience with head kicks. He was stopped by Paulo Costa via third-round head kick back in April, per MMA Sucka, making this the second time in 2026 that a head kick ended his night.
For Reyes, the performance was a reminder that the talent never left. The light heavyweight division is deep, but a Reyes fighting with this kind of confidence and precision is a problem for anyone in the top 15.
I am not going to pretend I saw this coming. After the losing streak, after the knockouts, a lot of us figured Dominick Reyes was on borrowed time in the UFC. Credit where it is due: this man is proving everyone wrong.
That head kick was the old Reyes. The same explosiveness, the same timing that had Jon Jones looking mortal back in 2020. Two straight wins now, both convincing, and the split decision over Walker at UFC 327 looks even better in hindsight.
Murzakanov getting stopped by head kicks twice in one year is tough. But do not let that take away from what Reyes did here. He walked into Abu Dhabi at 36 years old and finished a dangerous fighter in under three minutes. The light heavyweight division should be paying attention.
