Ateba Gautier has looked nothing short of terrifying thus far in his UFC career.
A new chapter of horror was written Saturday at UFC 318, as Gautier (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stalked and rocked Robert Valentin en route to a TKO stoppage at 1:10 of Round 1. The middleweight bout took place on the prelims at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Gautier’s power was evident from the open exchanges. He rocked Valentin (10-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) quickly, who was thereafter on the retreat for as long as the fight lasted. A left hook, right uppercut, overhand right combination were the final blows that put Valentin down before ground-and-pound put a stamp on an impressive outing.
Cet homme est un vrai danger 😨
Ateba Gautier s’impose par TKO au premier round📺 Regardez les prelims de l’#UFC318 EN DIRECT sur UFC Fight Pass et sur 🇫🇷 RMC Sport 1 pic.twitter.com/v8GSLbuU91
— UFC France (@UFCFRA) July 20, 2025
Cameroon’s Gautier is only 23. He’s won both of his UFC fights by first-round TKO, having debuted successfully vs. Jose Medina in March.
Switzerland’s Valentin falls to 0-3 in his UFC career after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 32.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 318 results:
- Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:10
- Islam Dulatov def. Adam Fugitt via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
- Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:42
- Ryan Spann def. Lukasz Brzeski via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:47
- Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:35
- Carli Judice def. Nicolle Caliari via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 3, 1:30
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 318 video: Ateba Gautier stalks and rocks Robert Valentin for TKO