Nguyen scores 6 knockdowns to set UFC single-fight record

Featherweight prospect Steven Nguyen etched his name into the UFC history books Saturday with a dominant performance against Mohammad Yahya.

Nguyen broke the record for the most knockdowns in a single fight, dropping Yahya six times en route to a second-round TKO win in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Five knockdowns was the previous record, shared by Jeremy Stephens (who defeated Gilbert Melendez in 2017) and Forrest Petz (who defeated Sammy Morgan in 2006).

Nguyen dropped Yahya five times in the first round and once in the second. Referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight after the second round on the doctor's advice.

Yahya left the bout with a gruesome eye injury:

STEVEN NGUYEN GETS THE WIN BY DOCTOR'S STOPPAGE AFTER SETTING A UFC RECORD SIX KNOCKDOWNS AT #UFCABUDHABI 💥 pic.twitter.com/i8DPfrvLYa
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 26, 2025

All three judges gave Nguyen a 10-8 in the first round and a 10-9 in the second.

Nguyen, a 32-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, earned his first UFC victory, improving to 1-1 in the Octagon. Nguyen suffered a unanimous decision loss in his debut in March 2024 after signing with the promotion on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023.

Yahya, 31, who fights out of Dubai, suffered his second straight stoppage loss and fell to 0-3 in the UFC.