Krylov’s Last-Second Right Hand Denied Bukauskas the Final
Nikita Krylov knocked out Modestas Bukauskas at 4:57 of the third round on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324. Their light heavyweight preliminary contest at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ended just three seconds before it would have gone to the judges.
Kicks and clinch work established Krylov’s early approach
Krylov weighed 205.5 pounds and Bukauskas 204. The matchup offered Krylov a chance to end consecutive defeats while Bukauskas pursued a position among the division’s leading ranked contenders.
Both began with kicks before Krylov moved into the clinch. An inside trip briefly put Bukauskas down, but he quickly returned to his feet and continued working.
Bukauskas found counters without stopping the pressure
Krylov kept advancing during the second and third rounds, sometimes meeting straight punches as he closed the distance. Bukauskas had moments of success but struggled to sustain a higher output.
The veteran’s kicks to the body and head continued creating problems at range. Repeated forward movement forced Bukauskas to defend and counter rather than consistently dictate the exchanges himself.
The decisive counter arrived in the final seconds
As Bukauskas advanced late, Krylov landed the right hand that dropped him. The referee stopped the contest with only seconds remaining in the scheduled fifteen minutes.
The knockout returned Krylov to the win column after his two-fight skid. He then called for a rematch with Jan Blachowicz, having closed an otherwise distance-bound assignment through a precisely timed right at the very end.
Sources
- UFC: official scorecards and stoppages
- UFC: January 24 Las Vegas event and weights
- Cageside Press: trip, kicking exchanges and final counter
