Damir Ismagulov might not be far off from a UFC return.

The veteran lightweight closed the show in style on Saturday at Alash Pride 100 in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, delivering a spinning kick knockout that left opponent Oberdan Tenorio frighteningly still on the canvas.

Watch the highlight-reel KO below.

Tenorio appeared to bite hard on a fake before Ismagulov spun his hips and unleashed the powerful KO strike.

This was Ismagulov’s second win since parting ways with the UFC in 2023. Ismagulov (26-3) ended his UFC run with back-to-back losses to Grant Dawson and Arman Tsarukyan, which dropped his record with the promotion to 5-2.

He began his UFC career with five consecutive victories, including decision nods over Guram Kutateladze, Thiago Moises, and Joel Alvarez. The 33-year-old scored the 13th knockout win of his career and his first since June 2018.

Tenorio (36-16-1) suffered his third loss in his past four fights. The Brazilian veteran stepped in on short notice for former UFC fighter Adriano Martins, who withdrew for undisclosed reasons.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz sealed a straight-set win against American Taylor Fritz to lead Team Europe to a 13-11 victory at the Laver Cup in Berlin.

Team World had led 11-7 going into the penultimate match in the first-to-13 competition.

But with three points available for each win on day three, German Alexander Zverev’s 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 10-5 win over American Frances Tiafoe reduced World’s lead to a single point and forced a deciding match.

Alcaraz, who criticised the congested tennis schedule on Saturday, completed the thrilling comeback with a 6-2 7-5 triumph.

“We came here with a goal, all of us, to win the Laver Cup,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m really happy. We are happy about reaching our goal.”

“It has been a tough one, we almost lost, but Sascha [Zverev] came with some really good tennis.”

On day one, Argentina’s Francisco Ceralundo set World on their way with a win over Norway’s Casper Ruud, but Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas hit back when seeing off Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Europe moved into the lead when Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov beat Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, however, the day ended level at 2-2 with American pair Fritz and Ben Shelton seeing off Alcaraz and Zverev in the doubles.

World claimed six of the eight points on offer during day two, opening up an 8-4 advantage.

Alcaraz was the only player to register a win for Europe on Saturday as Tiafoe and Fritz ran out winners in the singles, with Shelton and Tabilo delivering in the doubles.

The final day of action started positively for Europe, who lost 13-2 in 2023, with Ruud and Alcaraz combining to add three points to their tally in the doubles.

Shelton saw off Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in match 10 to put World on the brink of victory with only two points required to reach the target of 13.

Zverev found his groove at just the right time, winning his first match of the week to set up a decider.

And world number three Alcaraz, making his Laver Cup debut, held his nerve to get Europe over the line at the expense of US Open runner-up Fritz.

The inaugural Laver Cup took place in 2017 and Europe have now won five of the seven editions contested.

When Lucie Pudilova fights for Oktagon MMA, just about all seems to be right in her combat sports world.

When she’s in the UFC, it’s been a different story. But for now, the positive: Pudilova (15-10) on Saturday returned to Oktagon MMA and beat Cecilie Bolander (3-1) with a split decision. After the win, the promotion announced she’ll move on to a vacant women’s bantamweight title shot against Lucia Szabova (8-0) at Oktagon MMA 65 on Dec. 29.

🏆 New Bantamweight Contender

Lucie Pudilová 🇨🇿 defeated Cecilie Bolander by a thrilling split decision to move on to fight for the vacant belt in Prague.

Will she be able to beat Szabová and claim gold in December? #OKTAGON61

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📺 https://t.co/TVP7NaDRbZ & DAZN pic.twitter.com/ZGUKEKWBEg

— OKTAGON MMA (@OktagonOfficial) September 21, 2024

Pudilova, a 30-year-old from the Czech Republic, trains with Conor McGregor coach John Kavanagh in Dublin. She reached the UFC in 2017 and dropped her debut, but won two straight after that. She was cut loose after a four-fight skid to Irene Aldana, Liz Carmouche, Antonina Shevchenko and Justine Kish, but went on a 5-1 tear for OKtagon MMA and made her way back to the UFC.

But once again in the world’s biggest promotion, it wasn’t meant to be. Pudilova dropped decisions to Joselyn Edwards, Ailin Perez and Luana Carolina. The latter was in July, and Pudilova found herself quickly back in Oktagon – where she won her return and got her title shot Saturday.

Szabova, a 26-year-old from Slovakia, has six of her eight wins by stoppage.

Mikel Arteta’s side conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League last season and the Gunners pride themselves on their wall at the back.

With Leandro Trossard shown a second yellow card just before half-time, Arsenal set out to defend their 2-1 lead with everything they had in the second period.

“The space is not there in the team, they equalise the team. Kova [Kovacic] and Ruben [Dias] is destined for the shot,” said Guardiola.

“With Rodri it may have been different or maybe I put Ruben on the right. That’s why I delayed the sub for Kyle [Walker], but Kyle has a really good shot and crosses.

“Grealish created space. Raya made two, three or four saves [and] the second ball was not with us. It’s difficult.

“Congratulations to Arsenal, to be so strong mentally to block, it’s not easy but at the same time we were not easy to do it.”

It is a measure of Arsenal’s defensive discipline that they could spend so much time without the ball against a side of City’s quality and survive for so long, although not quite long enough.

They retreated into their area but such was their organisation, courage, numbers and willingness to throw themselves in front of anything, that seconds ticked down to what would have been their first victory here since January 2015 and Guardiola’s first home loss in the league since Brentford won in November 2022.

The champions got their goal – but only just.

City managed only one shot on target against Arsenal in March’s goalless draw at the Etihad. Plenty more came in here but keeper David Raya confirmed his growing stature and importance with confident command of his area and an ability to use all parts of his anatomy.

Arteta was rightly proud amid the pain, insisting his side had performed “a miracle” in holding out for so long.

“Absolutely I am proud,” he said. “The way the players performed in normal conditions was excellent.

“It was difficult, which is why they have not lost here for 40-something games. Then there is the context that we are thrown into playing with ten men for 55 minutes. That tells you the story and the character of our players.”

It was a display of defiance that would have brought tears to the eyes of those old Arsenal warhorses Tony Adams and Martin Keown, not to mention the suspicion among City fans that the dark arts of delay were being utilised as play was interrupted by injury breaks to Raya and others, infuriating the home support.

The time is coming to end the regular questions about the Gunners’ mettle, character and stomach for the fight.

Arsenal’s early fixture list handed them three hazardous assignments away to Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City. The first two were won in gritty fashion while they were only seconds away from what they could have rightly regarded as a landmark triumph in the third.

The Stones scramble prevented Arteta’s side claiming top spot in the Premier League and ensured City returned to the summit but everything on show here should give the Gunners, if it were needed, further confidence and self-belief that the ability to make the leap to champions is within their grasp.

It remains to be seen what wider significance that late concession of two points to the side they are trying to eclipse assumes for Arsenal but, in extremis, they showed again there is much to admire in what Arteta is building.