The UFC Lincoln card was closed out with the company’s #7 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje completely annihilating the #10 James Vick in the first round. Gaethje pressed forward early in the fight with Vick playing the outside behind his long strikes. Several thudding body kicks scored for Vick as Gaethje struggled a bit with the length. Then all of the sudden… KABOOM! Gaethje uncorked a nuclear right hand that completely slumped over Vick up against the cage. One heavy follow up strike landed for Gaethje, but thankfully, the referee was right there to call off the bout and prevent Vick from taking any unnecessary damage.
Holy cow! The knockout gets Gaethje back into the win column, solidifies him as one of the very best lightweights on the planet, and sets him up for another high profile fight. Vick’s four-fight winning run comes to a crashing halt.