A UFC prospect torched his own title moment — and possibly his roster spot — with one reckless knee. UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos, held Saturday night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, saw the men's "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 34 bantamweight final end in disqualification just 2 minutes and 19 seconds into round one.

Ilimbek Akylbek and Mahammadali Osmanli were trading position on the mat when Akylbek was dropped to the canvas. As he went down, Osmanli followed with a knee strike to his grounded opponent's head — a strike explicitly barred under the unified rules of mixed martial arts, which prohibit any knee to the head of a fighter with a hand, knee or any part of the body other than the soles of the feet touching the canvas. Referee Kerry Hatley halted the action immediately, and after a review, the promotion issued its ruling.

"ILIMBEK AKYLBEK DEFEATS MAHAMMADALI OSMANLI BY DISQUALIFICATION DUE TO ILLEGAL KNEE TO A DOWNED OPPONENT." — OFFICIAL UFC RESULT

A Costly Mistake

The loss snapped Osmanli's nine-fight winning streak coming into the bout, according to LowKick MMA's report on the finish. Akylbek, meanwhile, picked up his third straight win and became the first fighter from Kyrgyzstan to capture a "Ultimate Fighter" tournament, per Yahoo Sports' coverage of the card. The finish spread fast online, with MMA fans and outlets noting the strike likely cost Osmanli far more than the fight itself — a UFC roster spot that had been his to lose.

The DQ overshadowed what was otherwise a breakout night at the APEX. In the show's headliner, 21-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. — once the youngest fighter ever signed by the UFC — rallied from adversity to stop Raoni Barcelos by TKO at 1:38 of the fifth round, notching his first main-event victory and sixth consecutive win. Earlier on the card, Tina Black finished Melissa Amaya by TKO in round two to win the women's TUF 34 tournament, becoming the first Brazilian woman to do so.

Illegal-knee disqualifications have a fraught history in the UFC — including bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling's 2021 title win over Petr Yan under nearly identical circumstances. As of Sunday, the UFC had not announced any further action regarding Osmanli's contract status, and neither fighter had issued a public statement beyond the official result. Akylbek is expected to be formally introduced as the newest addition to the UFC bantamweight division in the coming weeks.