UFC 216 results: John Moraga KOs 6-1 favorite Magomed Bibulatov with vicious left hand

Against an unbeaten flyweight prospect who was a 6-1 favorite, former title challenger John Moraga didn’t have many people picking him to beat Magomed Bibulatov.

But Moraga (18-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) took Bibulatov (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) out with a massive first-round knockout, then dealt with the emotions of what was a crucial win for his career. Moraga got the stoppage at the 1:38 mark of the first round thanks to a vicious left hand and bounced Bibulatov from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 216 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FX and a main card on pay-per-view.

Moraga kicked low early, then followed with another one. Bibulatov tried to answer with a kick to the body, then went high. When Moraga threw a third low kick, Bibulatov caught it and rollwed him over. Seconds later, Bibulatov just missed with a high left kick, but stayed in the middle to land a right hand.

But Moraga stayed calm and patient, and moments later he found his opening. He landed a right hand over the top and hurt Bibulatov. He followed it up with a high kick that just missed. But when Bibulatov tried an uppercut, Moraga landed a left hand that may have been the best of his career.

The left was right on the button, and Bibulatov was on the canvas in a hurry. Moraga dropped down with him and it took only a couple punches to finish the previously unbeaten prospect.

Moraga now has back-to-back wins following a three-fight skid. Bibulatov suffered the first loss of his professional career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 216 results include:

• John Moraga def. Magomed Bibulatov via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:38
• Brad Tavares def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

For complete coverage of UFC 216, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Simon Samano contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)