Tahir Abdullaev made an immediate statement in his UFC debut — and MMA Series director Fedor Ryzhov believes it was no surprise.

Abdullaev, an Azerbaijani welterweight, defeated previously unbeaten Brazilian Jefferson Nascimento by third-round TKO on June 27 at UFC Fight Night 280 in Baku. Nascimento entered the bout with a 13-0 record, but suffered the first loss of his professional career.

“Tahir picked up an important win in his debut against an unbeaten Brazilian,” Ryzhov said. “Once again, a fighter who came through MMA Series proved his level on a major stage.

“We weren’t able to give him as many fights in MMA Series as we would have liked. But he earned three stoppage wins with us and left a strong mark on the history of the league. We wish him success in the UFC.”

Before signing with the UFC, Abdullaev competed in several Russian and international promotions. Nicknamed “Tank,” he went 3-0 in MMA Series, finishing every opponent. One of his standout performances came at MMA Series-62, where he stopped Nikita Severov by first-round TKO.