Four big knockouts were scored last night at UFC Vegas 103, the most sensational of which was landed by an undefeated prospect on the rise.
UFC Vegas 103 was certainly a mixed bag; six decisions and four KO/TKOs, with finishes scored by Manel Kape, Cody Brundage, Sam Patterson, and Mario Pinto.
Out of those four stoppages, the best of the bunch was undoubtedly British Portuguese standout Mario Pinto’s – who improved to 10-0 as he sent a former NFL player to the shadow realm.
Dustin Poirier leads reaction to former NFL star’s nasty KO loss
After booking his spot on the UFC roster with a big KO win on Dana White’s Contender Series back in October, there was some serious hype behind Pinto heading into UFC Vegas 103.
Despite getting off to a slow start against Austen Lane, being out-struck 20-7 in significant strikes by the former NFL player in the opening stanza, Pinto rallied back in the second.
As the clock ticked past 39 seconds of round two, Pinto unloaded a beautiful sweeping right hook that landed flush on Lane’s chin – sending him crashing to the canvas, unconscious from the moment it landed.
Lightweight legend Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier was one of several UFC stars to react to Pinto’s sensational stoppage, writing on X: “Man that was a bad KO.”
All-action Terrance McKinney noted that it was a “great job by ref stopping that last punch from landing,” with former fighter turned analyst Alan Jouban simply writing, “That fall tho.”
Former double champion Henry Cejudo, who later had some harsh words towards the UFC Vegas 103 main event, wrote in all-caps: “MARIO PINTO HOLY MOLY!”
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Mario Pinto calls his knockout win over NFL star ‘absolutely trash’
In the immediate aftermath of his walk-off KO, Pinto squatted down in the octagon and appeared to mumble something in anger under his breath.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Pinto revealed that he was actually calling the viral knockout ‘Absolutely trash’ – a curious reaction for such a sensational finish.
“What I uttered? ‘Oh, absolutely trash’. But it’s alright, trash is good… It’s not how I usually fight from my previous performances, but had a bit of the jitters, it’s heavyweight, everyone’s got power. I just waited a bit too long and shelled up a bit too long, but I got the job done.
“It just took some time to pull the trigger, and I think I got too lost in the moment, tried to be too perfect. It’s a fight, and I’m very lucky and fortunate I’ve got my coach yelling at me… I had a lot more to show, I’ve showed it in previous fights… Even on my worst days, I get the job done.”
Following UFC Vegas 103, Pinto improves to 10-0 as a professional MMA fighter, while Lane drops to 13-6 with just one win in his last five outings.