Mansur Abdul-Malik looked like he was on the verge of an upset loss in the opening round at UFC Fight Night 252 , but he showed major perseverance to defeat Nick Klein . Klein (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) nearly pulled off a shocker in the opening round of the middleweight bout at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle when he landed a vicious spinning back elbow that rocked Abdul-Malik (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and had the betting favorite of more than 12-1 on skates. Abdul-Malik survived the round and in the second, confidently took over by pushed Klein to the mat then battered him with punches until the referee stepped in at the 3:24 mark of Round 2. Check out the replay below (via X ): This spinning elbow from Nick Klein #UFCSeattle pic.twitter.com/RN1bh3qCjq — UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2025 After the win, Abdul-Malik expressed disappointment with getting caught in the first round but promised to return better in his next performance. “That was not a good performance by me – period, point blank,” Abdul-Malik said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “But I’m grateful.
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UFC Fight Night 252 video: Mansur Abdul-Malik rallies for TKO of Nick Klein – MMA Junkie