It isn’t something we see often. It normally happens so fast that we don’t even realize it has occurred. In fact, that’s exactly what happened on Saturday night when Robert Peralta and Mackens Semerzier literally clashed heads, leading to a TKO finish by Peralta at 1:54 of the third round.
Semerzier opened up the fight as the aggressor, instantly moving the clinch and using his strength advantage to work over Peralta in the clinch. Peralta escaped the position, but Semerzier proved his well-roundedness by out striking the striker for the entirety of the round.
It looked like it may go the same way in the second until Peralta stunned Semerzier from range in the opening moments of the second. The knockdown led to a flurry of hammerfists and short blows to Semerzier, but Peralta wasn’t able to finish.
The third round was close until Peralta and Semerzier clashed heads late in the round. Shockingly, the blow stunned Semerzier, allowing Peralta to flurry and eventually finish the fight. The referee did not see the accidental headbutt, thus the fight was deemed a TKO victory for Peralta.
Semerzier defeated Alex Caceres in his UFC debut in March at UFC Fight Night 24 by way of submission in the first round. He had previously amassed an 1-3 record in his last four appearances, all under the UFC’s sister promotion, the WEC. Luckily, the UFC’s brass was impressed enough with his split decision loss to Cub Swanson at WEC 52 to allow him to fight another day. Semerzier took full advantage of the opportunity by beating Caceres.
Peralta has flown under the radar for most of his career, amassing a 13-3 record in the southern California mixed martial arts promotion known as Gladiator Challenge. In April, he was given the hefty task of knocking off DREAM champion Hiroyuki Takaya at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley. Most fans gave him no chance, but he was able to narrowly edge the Japanese import, leading to his eventual transfer to the UFC’s ranks. He beat Mike Lullo in his debut at UFC Fight Night 25 in September by unanimous decision.