Yizha’s Left Hand Ended Wilson’s Night in Thirty-Seven
Yizha knocked out Westin Wilson on August 23, 2025, at UFC Shanghai. The featherweight contest ended thirty-seven seconds into the opening round, producing one of the fastest finishes on a card filled with abrupt changes and early stoppages.
The opening exchange immediately exposed a target
Both fighters began from southpaw stances. Wilson approached with his hands low, and Yizha landed a long left hand before repeating the attack as the American failed to make the necessary defensive adjustment.
The initial blows forced Wilson backward toward the fence. Yizha continued punching and completed the knockout before Wilson could turn the exchange into a clinch or a grappling sequence.
A tournament winner returned to the win column
Yizha had won the second Road to UFC featherweight tournament, submitting Kaiwen by first-round armbar in the February 2024 final. A decision loss to Gabriel Santos later that year had interrupted his progress.
Shanghai supplied an emphatic rebound. Rather than needing another extended contest, he found a clear striking opening and secured the finish in well under a minute.
Wilson could not repeat his previous submission success
Wilson had entered after a first-round triangle-armbar victory over Jeka Saragih in June 2024. His grappling background offered a different potential route to victory, but the opening punches prevented him from developing it.
For Yizha, the result added a knockout to a UFC journey already marked by tournament submission victories. The brief contest rewarded immediate accuracy and follow-through, with the official finish confirming a successful return after his preceding defeat.
Sources
- Sherdog: southpaw opening and finishing punches
- UFC: Road to UFC title and preceding Santos result
- UFC: preceding Saragih submission
- UFC: August 23 knockout and official time
