Highlights! Bogdan Grad shines in Octagon debut with punishing elbow TKO | UFC Saudi Arabia

Dan Hiergesell is an expert voice who serves as MMAmania.com's weekend editor, covering mixed martial arts (MMA) for more than 15 years, getting featured on programs such as Countdown to UFC and SiriusXM Fight Club, among others.

Bogdan Grad made good on his official Octagon debut earlier today (Sat., Feb. 1, 2025) at UFC Saudi Arabia live on ESPN+ from inside anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, stopping fellow featherweight Lucas Alexander with a blistering second-round TKO (elbows and punches).

Alexander, who missed weight by a few pounds on Friday, came into this fight as a slight betting underdog despite possessing more UFC experience. That’s because Grad came into Saturday with a 14-2 professional record and a three fight win streak, which includes a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series back in Aug. 2024.

After a fairly competitive back-and-forth first round, Grad took over in the second. He was able to utilize his grappling to gain full mount and started to blast Alexander with heavy elbows to the side of the head. The referee was watching closely so once Grad opened up just a little more and landed a few additional clean punches the fight was waved off. Alexander was left dazed and confused and had little to dispute.

Check out the video highlights in the above player.

Grad, 29, is now 4-0 since late-2023 and makes a huge splash in an already crowded UFC featherweight division. Alexander has shown significant holes in his game throughout a handful of UFC appearances so Grad may need to do more his second time around to really stand out at 145 pounds.

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MIDDLEWEIGHT MAYHEM! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads back to ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sat., Feb. 1, 2025, with an important 185-pound main event featuring former division champion, Israel Adesanya, taking on fast-rising French sensation, Nassourdine Imavov. In addition, undefeated hometown hero, Shara Magomedov, looks to defend his home turf against savvy striker and former Bellator MMA bruiser, Michael Page, in UFC Saudi Arabia’s hard-hitting co-headliner.

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