Joe Rogan branded UFC Atlanta star the ‘fastest man’ in MMA after devastating one-punch knockout

Joe Rogan made a big claim in the aftermath of a brutal last second-knockout delivered by a star of Saturday’s UFC Atlanta card.

After staging the UFC 316 pay-per-view at the Prudential Center in Newark on June 7, MMA’s leading promotion will stay on the road for an event in ‘A-Town’.

Topping the UFC Fight Night lineup on June 14 will be a former welterweight champion, as Kamaru Usman faces the charging Joaquin Buckley.

Setting the stage for the main event will be a number of prominent names, including one man with a penchant for firefights and violent knockouts.

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Joe Rogan was in awe after Cody Garbrandt slept Raphael Assuncao in last-second KO

Before Usman and Rose Namajunas take to the cage, another former UFC champion will make the walk at State Farm Arena.

Following an inconsistent run since being crowned bantamweight king in 2016, Cody Garbrandt will look to begin a winning streak on Saturday, starting against Raoni Barcelos.

‘No Love’ will hope to send Barcelos to the same fate as one of his fellow Brazilian veterans whom Garbrandt crossed swords with at UFC 250 in 2020.

Producing one of the most brutal knockouts of all time at the Apex-held event, Garbrandt face-planted Raphael Assuncao with one punch.

The KO brought out a vintage reaction from Joe Rogan cageside, and the color commentator immediately branded Garbrandt the fastest active fighter in MMA.

“Oh! Out cold. That’s it. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness,” Rogan said in shock after Garbrandt landed the brutal KO punch, which connected with just one second remaining in round one.

“Look how he did that. Oh my goodness. I don’t think there’s a man faster. I don’t think there’s a man faster in the sport,” Rogan added.

“Crazy. He’s falling over. He’s out cold. He’s having a hard time staying conscious while he’s sitting down. Wow, that is crazy.”

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Cody Garbrandt returns at UFC Atlanta after losing three of his last five fights

The victory over Assuncao snapped a three-fight losing skid for Garbrandt and looked like a possible catalyst for his rise back toward UFC gold.

That, however, has not turned out to be the case.

‘No Love’ lost his next two fights — a one-sided bantamweight main event loss against Rob Font and a failed drop to flyweight that ended in a knockout defeat to Kai Kara-France.

Two wins over lesser competition followed but Garbrandt once again failed to climb back up the ladder last time out, when he was submitted by Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300.

Having not competed in 14 months, the pressure will be on Garbrandt to perform against a name outside of the top 15 in Barcelos at UFC Atlanta.