Shamil Gaziev made waves at UFC Saudi Arabia with a jaw-dropping walk-off knockout against Thomas Petersen that had everyone buzzing. But what should have been a celebration of Gaziev’s genius, turned into UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking strays from YouTuber, MMA Guru.
It should be noted that Gaziev has become a cult figure amongst the masses on MMA Twitter, who love joking about him being the greatest of all time. Of course, the GOAT debate inevitably brings Jones into the conversation. So when Gaziev pulled off that insane KO, MMA Guru joked that Jones had never been able to achieve anything this spectacular.
“I just want to remind you guys that even while failing the most amount of PED tests in the history of the sport #UFCSaudiArabia. Jon Jones has never done this to an opponent.”
I just want to remind you guys that even while failing the most amount of PED tests in the history of the sport #UFCSaudiArabia
Jon Jones has never done this to an opponent https://t.co/nZiyWLgctn
— THE MMA GURU (@THATBOYMMAGURU) February 1, 2025
Jones will not be too worried though. He might not laugh at the joke, but that’s fine too; primarily because he sits on 28 wins, 1 loss, and 1 no-contest in a 17-year-long career in the UFC. Out of these victories, 11 have come by knockout, his latest having come via a spinning heel kick to Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. So he’s not sweating over one little Gaziev KO.
It is also worth noting that Jones has a walk-off submission win to his name when he choked out Lyoto Machida and nonchalantly walked off as if it was just another day in the office. But let’s not allow that to take the limelight away from Gaziev. What he did today was the epitome of cool. And he plans on doing it again. And again!
Gaziev makes a promise
After suffering his first loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a lackluster fight earlier in March 2024, Gaziev had gone into a bit of a hiatus. But he has since returned, fitter and more ferocious than ever before.
Determined to get his career back on track, he has bounced back strong with two straight wins. However, his comeback fight against Don’Tale Mayes went to submission resulting in some serious flak from fans on social media. So going into the fight against Peterson, he was determined to make a statement.
And what a statement he made!
During his post-fight in-octagon interview, he reflected on his decision to win over Mayes and admitted it wasn’t his best performance, attributing it to an injury that left him with a broken hand. Now healed and healthy, Gaziev claims that he has more of these first-round finishers in his bag.
At 34, he hopes to keep climbing the heavyweight rankings and these wins will certainly help him get there.
