There’s a certain beauty that exists in mixed martial arts. The knockout is an undeniably thrilling “sports moment,” but what Donald Cerrone did to Jim Miller to finish him in the main event of their UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller bout was a compilation of subtle things that lead to Cerrone’s shin meeting Miller’s skull.
It started when Cerrone faked a right hand that brought Miller’s hands up.
Cerrone then turned his hips to throw a kick, having already been hurt by kicks to the body multiple times in the fight, Miller adjusted from trying to block a punch to trying to pick off a kick to the body.
Only, Cerrone didn’t go to the body, he went to the head, landing over top of the now lowered arms of Miller and sending him crashing backward into the cage.
That kind of complex violence is what makes this sport something more than just “guys beating the hell out of each other.”
With the victory, Cerrone ran his UFC record to 11-3 with the win (3-0 in 2014!) and puts himself in position to earn a title fight.
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The card as a whole was fantastic. With eight knockouts and one submission, the show featured more stoppages than any other UFC event this year. And, the two fights that went to decision were plenty entertaining.
From Edson Barboza’s brilliant body kick that dropped Evan Dunham to John Lineker’s last second TKO of Alptekin Ozkilic, there were plenty of standout moments on the card.
This was a night where it was simply fun to be a fight fan. Something that feels far less common given the relentless onslaught of UFC events on their new schedule.
Results:
Donald Cerrone d. Jim Miller by TKO – Round 2
Edson Barboza d. Evan Dunham by TKO – Round 1
Rick Story d. Leonardo Mafra by Submission – Round 2
Joe Proctor d. Justin Salas by TKO – Round 2
John Lineker d. Alptekin Ozkilic by TKO – Round 3
Lucas Martins d. Alex White by KO – Round 3
Gleison Tibau d. Pat Healy by unanimous decision
Leslie Smith d. Jessamyn Duke by TKO – Round 1
Aljamain Sterling d. Hugo Viana by TKO – Round 3
Yosdenis Cedeno d. Jerrod Sanders by TKO – Round 1
Claudia Gadelha d. Tina Lahdemaki by unanimous decision
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