Abus Magomedov submits Cameron Rowston with first-round guillotine at UFC 333

Abus Magomedov needed just 1:44 of the first round to finish Cameron Rowston at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, locking up a guillotine choke that left his opponent unconscious. MMA Fighting reported the result.

The stoppage extends a productive stretch for the ranked middleweight. Magomedov, 36, is 29-7-1 and holds the number 12 spot in the division. He came into the bout off a first-round submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres on June 27, which means he has now won back-to-back fights inside a single round. Before that, he had lost by second-round submission to Joe Pyfer at UFC 320 in October 2025, and in April 2025 he beat Michel Pereira by unanimous decision.

Magomedov's numbers explain why the fight ended on the mat. He averages 2.61 takedowns per 15 minutes, a high figure for a fighter who also lands 3.07 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy. His submission attempt rate is a modest 0.4 per 15 minutes, which makes a fast choke from a scramble or takedown attempt a notable outcome rather than a routine one.

Rowston, 31, is a 15-3 middleweight who fights out of an orthodox stance and goes by the nickname "Battle Giraffe." He arrived at UFC 333 on a three-fight winning streak: a first-round knockout of Andre Petroski in September 2025, a second-round stoppage of Cody Brundage at UFC 325 in January, and a unanimous decision over Robert Bryczek on May 2. He is the busier striker of the two on paper, landing 4.26 significant strikes per minute at 46 percent accuracy, but he averages only 0.5 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Magomedov turned a one-fight winning run into two, both by first-round submission, and he did it against an opponent who had won three straight.
• Rowston's streak ends, and the loss is his first by submission among his recorded recent bouts.
• The matchup was close in size: both men are listed with a 78-inch (198 cm) reach, and Rowston stands one inch taller at six-foot-three (191 cm) to Magomedov's six-foot-two (188 cm). The finish came before that length could matter on the feet.

The age gap was also notable. Magomedov is five years older than Rowston, yet it was the veteran who set the pace and ended the night early.