Francesco Nuzzi made sure his UFC debut did not need a long read. Nuzzi stopped Long Xiao by TKO at UFC Shanghai, ending the bantamweight prelim by punches at exactly 1:00 of Round 1.
The result moved Nuzzi to 12-2 and gave him a first UFC win immediately after the Italian prospect entered the promotion. Xiao came in with far more pro experience, but the fight flipped as soon as he stepped into Nuzzi's left hand after an early restart.
The official highlight is below.
The official post stated the finish plainly:
“Francesco Nuzzi puts Xiao Long away in A MINUTE”
UFC Shanghai Event Date, Venue And Broadcast
The bout took place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Pudong Development Bank Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. UFC Shanghai streamed live in the United States on Paramount+, with the preliminary card beginning at 3 a.m. ET and the main card at 6 a.m. ET.
Official UFC coverage from the event:
Nuzzi Turned The Restart Into The Finish
Xiao opened fast with a flying knee to the body. Nuzzi fell backward, got back to his feet, and the bout paused after an eye poke. Herb Dean restarted the action a little more than a minute into the round, and Nuzzi did not let the reset turn into a long feeling-out stretch.
Xiao stepped forward after an inside low kick and met an overhand left. Nuzzi immediately poured on punches, dropped Xiao to a knee, and kept throwing left hands until Dean stepped in. Xiao was badly disoriented afterward, which matched how abrupt the one-minute official time looked on the sheet.
It was another sharp early finish on a Shanghai prelim stretch that also included Maheshate's Road To UFC submission and Rabindra Dhant's tournament advance. For Nuzzi, though, the value is different. This was his first walk to the Octagon, and he left with a clean stoppage before the fight had time to settle.
Nuzzi entered at 11-2 after building most of his record in Europe. Xiao, listed at 27-11 before the bout and already a three-fight UFC veteran, had the name-recognition edge for a Chinese crowd in Shanghai. Nuzzi took that away in one exchange.
The finish also kept the UFC Shanghai card moving after a fight week that included Zhang Weili receiving her UFC Hall of Fame trophy in front of the local crowd. Nuzzi will need more than one highlight to climb a crowded bantamweight division, but a one-minute debut TKO is exactly the kind of first impression fighters chase.
