How Mansur Abdul-Malik chose to react, respond to get upper hand after UFC Seattle adversity
SEATTLE – Mansur Abdul-Malik beat Nick Klein with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 252 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Take a look inside the fight with Abdul-Malik, who was the biggest favorite on the card at a massive number of more than 12-2 against the short-notice replacement for Antonio Trocoli.
Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Nick Klein
Result: Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Nick Klein via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:24
Updated records: Abdul-Malik (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Klein (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Abdul-Malik had to go out of the first round for just the second time; the first time was on DWCS this past August.
Feb 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Mansur Abdul-Malik (red gloves) fights Nick Klein (blue gloves) in the middleweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Abdul-Malik on the fight’s key moment
“I definitely wasn’t hurt (from the first-round knockdown), but I got knocked off-balance, got knocked off my game, whatever it was. But in that moment, it was a moment of adversity. I had to get myself to where I needed to be, focused on the next round, and got it done.”
Abdul-Malik on his 100 percent finish rate
“It absolutely feels good, but then in my mind you have to look at the quality of the finishes. I’ve had better finishes than that, and I look at inside, what happened leading up to the finish? What were the techniques used? What was the defense? What were the things that I did well? What did I not do well? then the finish comes. So I don’t really focus on the finish. I focus on everything in between that. But I’m grateful for another finish. Job well done, Mansur.”
Feb 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Mansur Abdul-Malik (red gloves) celebrates defeating Nick Klein (blue gloves) in the middleweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Abdul-Malik on what he wants next
“I want to make sure I get better first, and then I want to return. For me, that’s not necessarily a lot of time. I get better bi-weekly. I’m a completely different person every two weeks. Every three weeks, I adopt a new personality. So (my time off) could be very, very, very short. I just want to make sure I do things correctly – heal my body and get ready for another weight descent.”
To hear more from Abdul-Malik, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.