Azamat Murzakanov made deliberations easy.
The undefeated Russian leveled Matheus Scheffel with punches in the first round of their light heavyweight attraction on Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Murzakanov (10-0) closed the show 3:00 into Round 1. He was one of five competitors—A.J. Fletcher, Joanderson Sa de Brito, Victor Altamirano and Carlos Candelario were the others—who were awarded Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts during Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Operating behind a three-inch reach advantage, the 6-foot-2 Scheffel (14-7) tried and failed to keep his counterpart at bay with body kicks.