Steven Nguyen, born in 1993 and standing at 6 feet tall, faced Mohammad Yahya, a year younger and two inches shorter. Both fighters entered the featherweight (145 lbs) bout with losing records in the UFC, the world's premier mixed martial arts organization.

In his UFC Fight Night debut in 3/2024, Nguyen lost a split decision to Dutch fighter Jarno Errens. Yahya's record was even less favorable, having lost to American Trevor Peek by split decision in 10/2023 and then suffering a ground and pound TKO loss to Brazilian Kaue Fernandes in 8/2024.

Vietnamese-American fighter Steven Nguyen defeats UAE fighter Mohammed Yahya by TKO at UFC Fight Night in the UAE on 26/7/2025. Photo: LLC

Vietnamese-American fighter Steven Nguyen defeats UAE fighter Mohammed Yahya by TKO at UFC Fight Night in the UAE on 26/7/2025. Photo: LLC

With both fighters' UFC contracts potentially on the line, the bout held significant weight. Despite having home-field advantage, Yahya's courage and persistence were no match for Nguyen's dominance.

In the first round, 47 of Nguyen's 59 strikes landed on Yahya's head. He knocked Yahya down just 10 seconds into the fight and repeated the feat four more times in the round. Despite these knockdowns, referee Jason Herzog allowed the fight to continue.

Yahya showed incredible resilience, surviving the first round and landing a right hand to Nguyen's head early in the second. However, that was the extent of Yahya's success against a technically and mentally superior opponent.

Nguyen knocked Yahya down three more times in the second round, though two were ruled slips and didn't count toward the official total. Yahya bravely lasted the full five minutes of the second round, but his left eye had swollen significantly. The doctor stopped the fight, awarding Nguyen his first UFC victory.

Mohammed Yahya's left eye is swollen shut after his fight with Steven Nguyen. Photo: LLC

Mohammed Yahya's left eye is swollen shut after his fight with Steven Nguyen. Photo: LLC

Nguyen set a new UFC record for most knockdowns in a single fight, surpassing the previous record of 5 held by Forrest Petz (against Sammy Morgan in 2006) and Jeremy Stephens (against Gilbert Melendez in 2017).

Nguyen also earned a $50,000 "Performance of the Night" bonus. In his previous loss, both Nguyen and Errens received $50,000 for "Fight of the Night" honors.

"I worked so hard for this moment, and it finally came," Nguyen said after the fight. "I came in 0-1, and I came back and got the finish."

Steven Nguyen celebrates his first UFC victory. Photo: UFC

Steven Nguyen celebrates his first UFC victory. Photo: UFC

Born in Kansas to Vietnamese parents, Nguyen began training in martial arts at a young age and started competing in amateur MMA in 2011, amassing a 9-1 record. He turned professional in 2016 and currently holds a professional record of 10-2.

In May, another Vietnamese-American fighter, Quang Le, also secured his first UFC victory in the bantamweight (135 lbs) division at a UFC Fight Night event in the US. Le defeated American Gaston Bolanos by submission and also received a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Before Nguyen and Le, several other Vietnamese-American fighters have competed in the UFC. The most notable is Cung Le (born in 1972), who compiled a 2-2 record from 2011 to 2014. Other fighters include Phan Si Nhat Nam (2-5 from 2010 to 2014), Ben Nguyen (4-3 from 2015 to 2018), and Kyler Phillips (5-1 from 2020 to present).

Hieu Luong