The UFC fans in Newark witnessed one of the craziest knockouts of the year so far when Yoo Joo-Sang scored a one-shot knockout over Jeka Saragih.
This Saturday in the UFC 316 main event, Sean O’Malley looked for redemption over Merab Dvalishvili in the main event, hoping to reclaim his bantamweight title.
However, it was a featherweight fight on the early prelims that captured the attention of the UFC fanbase and sent Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik into a frenzy.
After being offered a UFC contract by Dana White after pulling off an impressive win on Dana White Lookin’ for a Fight, Yoo Joo-Sang was given his UFC debut on the UFC 316 undercard.
Yoo Joo-Sang scores emphatic first round KO at UFC 316
Having already fought in front of White on The Korean Zombie’s promotion earlier this year, ‘Zombie Jr’ had already showcased some of his elite skill base.
Immediately the South Korean was compared to a ‘young Conor McGregor‘ because of his hands down confident striking style.
During his walkout at UFC 316, Rogan and Cormier touched on his reputation as a McGregor type fighter, expecting him to put on a show against the hearty Saragih.
It didn’t take long for 31-year-old to land an absolutely brutal step back left hand, putting Saragih’s lights out with a single punch, face-planting him to the floor.
In typical Rogan fashion, the UFC icon was sent into a frenzy, saying: “That was so clean! Oh my goodness that was so clean! Oh my goodness, what a left hook! Right out of the McGregor playbook.”
Joo-Sang’s incredible knockout was almost reminiscent of McGregor’s knockout over Jose Aldo to become the UFC featherweight champion.
Pros react to Yoo Joo-Sang’s incredible knockout at UFC 316
Rogan, Cormier and Anik weren’t the only ones who were left almost speechless after the South Korean’s dazzling debut knockout as several UFC pros reacted to the perfect performance.
“That was a picture perfect check hook. Didn’t load it up, no telegraphing, timing on point… Incredible,” Michael Chiesa reacted.
“Perfect,” UFC featherweight contender, Dan Ige commented on Joo-Sang’s win.
“Yeah, that knockout was nasty,” Joaquin Buckley said.
Despite Saragih not being a ranked opponent, Joo-Sang will likely find himself matched up with a well-known featherweight contender in his next outing, with fans likely champing at the bit to see him back in the Octagon.