By:  | June 12, 2022 8:44 am

Maheshate made it a UFC debut to remember in Singapore this morning. Only the most hardcore of fans would have been familiar with the Chinese lightweight ahead of the event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

But Maheshate’s name will be on a lot of lips after his performance at UFC 275. He knocked Steve Garcia out cold with a perfectly timed right hand less than 90 seconds into the opening round:

Perfect start

It was the perfect start to Maheshate’s UFC career. He had earned his spot on the roster after impressing at Dana White’s Contender Series. earning a decision win over the previously undefeated Achilles Estremadura last November.

This time Maheshate got the job done much, much quicker. Garcia is also a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran and was competing in the octagon for the third time.

But it was a morning to forget for the American. He lunged in looking to land a left hook but left himself wide open for Maheshate’s right hand which found the target and finished the fight.

It was a perfectly timed counter strike from the 22 year old who made his MMA debut back in 2019. Maheshate lost that fight but he has not lost since and is now riding a seven fight winning streak.

Lucrative win

It would take something extraordinary to happen with the remaining fights on the card for Maheshate to miss out on a $50,000 USD performance bonus. It looks set to be a lucrative win for a fighter who was still competing on the regional Chinese circuit last year.

Maheshate’s compatriot Na Liang wasn’t so lucky. She was knocked out by Silvana Gómez Juárez earlier in the morning but UFC 275 will have at least one Chinese winner.

Of course all eyes will be on former strawweight champion Weili Zhang. She rematches Joanna Jedrzejczyk later on this morning and will have enjoyed seeing Maheshate restore Chinese pride after Liang’s devastating defeat.