Watch Top Flyweight Ali Bagautinov Get KO’d Right At The Bell In His First Fight Outside The UFC

Hardcore mixed martial arts fans let out an audible sigh of frustration when the UFC decided not to resign top flyweight contender Ali Bagautinov after his contract ran out. The promotion has been making heavy cuts to its roster since WME-IMG bought the company halfway through 2016, and the choice to let Bagautinov go (who fought for the 125 pound strap in 2014) was a sign that the company wouldn’t hesitate to drop highly ranked talent.

With more and more talent being let go by the UFC or just enjoying the free agent lifestyle and never signing to begin with, fighting outside of the top promotion in the world doesn’t guarantee those top names are going to have an easy time, either. Bagautinov learned that the hard way in his first fight outside the UFC this weekend by getting knocked out by Tyson Nam in Russia at Fight Nights Global 64.

The fateful headkick that laid out Ali on the canvas came literally at the last second of the fight: 4:59 of round three. Check it out from two angles care of MMA recapper extraordinaire Grabaka_Hitman:

Nam was almost in the UFC himself before getting mired in a contractual tug of war with Bellator that resulted in him fighting for neither and taking his talents back to the international stage, competing in Brazil, Hawaii, Canada, and now Russia where the sport is exploding in big ways. Ironically, that explosion has been largely fueled by people like Bagautinov. As usual, MMA is a harsh mistress and no matter how talented the two fighters are stepping into the cage, one of them is going to lose.