UFC Fight Night 53 results: Zubaira Tukhugov pounds out Ernest Chavez in first round

STOCKHOLM – Ernest Chavez‘s (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) drops from lightweight to featherweight did little to help him with the strong fists of Zubaira Tukhugov (17-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

After an initial feeling-out process from the strikers, Tukhugov took control of the fight with a series of hard, effective and varied punches to score a first-round victory.

The 145-pound bout kicked off today’s UFC Fight Night 53 preliminary card. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass from Ericsson Globe in Stockholm.

Once he got going, Tukhugov proved too much for his opponent. The Chechnyan found his range early and bloodied Chavez’s eye. He then followed with a nice array of combos and spinning back fists until he finally dropped Chavez and continued unloading punches, not allowing him to recover. As Chavez finally collapsed against the cage and was forced to cover up from the extended assault, the ref halted the action.

The stoppage came at the 4:21 mark of the opening round.

Tukhugov, who earned a decision victory over Douglas Silva de Andrade in his UFC debut, has now won eight straight fights. Chavez, who defeated Yosdenis Cedeno in his promotional debut, has dropped two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 53 results include:

• Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ernest Chavez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:21

For more on UFC Fight Night 53, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report while on site in Stockholm.)