VIDEO | Tahir Abdullayev bit opponent en route to UFC Baku KO

UFC Baku winner Tahir Abdullayev is at the center of one of the promotion’s latest officiating controversies after his win.

Welterweight debutants Tahir Abdullayev and Jefferson Nascimento treated fans to one of UFC Baku’s most exciting undercard fights, but it wasn’t without controversy.

Abdullayev made a huge first impression with a third-round TKO win over Nascimento during the UFC Baku prelims. The former Fight Nights Global standout put on a show in his debut before finishing Nascimento with brutal ground-and-pound strikes late in the fight.

But a controversial moment earned the attention of fans and pundits on social media as Abdullayev secured the win. Mid-fight, and during a grappling exchange, Abdullayev appeared to bite Nascimento’s ear right in front of referee Jim Perdios, but the fight wasn’t stopped, and Abdullayev wasn’t handed a point deduction or disqualification.

WATCH: Tahir Abdullayev appears to bite opponent’s ear during UFC Baku win

Watch the incident in question during Abdullayev vs. Nascimento below.

A fighter on yesterday’s UFC Baku card BIT his opponent’s ear, and the ref didn’t even notice 😬pic.twitter.com/spkyYMvKpG

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 28, 2026

The incident was a huge talking point during UFC Baku, with many fans calling for Perdios to be removed from his MMA officiating role indefinitely. As of this writing, neither Abdullayev nor Nascimento has commented on the mid-fight moment.

Abdullayev’s potential infraction wasn’t the only controversial moment during UFC Baku. Middleweight star Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov poked Michel Pereira in the eye and grabbed his hair without referee Herb Dean deducting any points, prompting strong reactions from Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall.

Pereira has repeatedly called for significant officiating reform since his heavyweight loss to Ciryl Gane earlier this month at UFC White House. The former UFC light heavyweight titleholder has teased potentially retiring if changes aren’t made.

As for Nascimento, UFC Baku was the first loss of his career after a successful tenure in LFA. Abdullayev might have a bright future in the UFC, but his debut created more questions than answers.

What was your favorite fight at UFC Baku? Let us know in the comments!