Saturday’s UFC Vegas 109 event was not short on brutal stoppages.
Before heading to Chicago for the UFC 319 pay-per-view topped by Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev’s title clash, MMA’s leading promotion had one final piece of business to attend to at the Apex in Las Vegas.
Like its predecessor on August 2, Saturday’s card was short on name value and key ranked matchups but still delivered in a major way when it came to the action inside the cage.
From the devastating 15th slam in UFC history to one of the all-time most brutal knockouts in women’s MMA to a brutal choke to top off a main event destruction, UFC Vegas 109 featured some finishes that fans simply must see.
5. Uros Medic gets it done in 63 seconds
The first finish at UFC Vegas 109 came in the third fight. After a judging controversy to kick things off and a second straight decision soon after, the always game Uros Medic ensured the judges would not be needed for the first time in his career.
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum shut the lights out on former TUF competitor Gilbert Urbina just 63 seconds into their welterweight contest. The damage was done by a vicious straight left that put ‘The RGV Bad Boy’ on his back, and the Serbian landed one scary follow-up shot on the ground to leave zero doubt.
4. Joselyne Edwards nets one of the most brutal women’s MMA knockouts ever
Brutal knockouts are somewhat of a rare sight in women’s MMA, but Joselyne Edwards made sure that the select few fans in attendance at the Apex got to witness one at UFC Vegas 109.
The Panama native threw a fast three-punch combination halfway through round one against Priscila Cachoeira. The Brazilian’s moniker of ‘Zombie Girl’ failed her when the final punch landed, with a right hand sending her tumbling backwards to the canvas.
‘La Pantera’ was not about to give her stricken foe any time to recover, as Edwards came crashing down on Cachoeira with a devastating right hand that put her unconscious.
It’s safe to say that Cachoeira may not be fighting with her hands so far down next time out…
3. Christian Leroy Duncan’s spinning elbow stuns Eryk Anders
Middleweight veteran Eryk Anders is approaching the end of his career. Ahead of UFC Vegas 109, the former American football linebacker revealed he will have just one fight left on his contract, which he hopes leads to a retirement fight at Madison Square Garden in November.
But Christian Leroy Duncan had no plans of letting Anders enjoy a successful retirement tour. Instead, the UK prospect rocked ‘Ya Boi’ just less than four minutes into round one with a perfectly timed spinning back elbow.
The shot echoed around the Apex and set up an onslaught of punches that ended Anders’ penultimate Octagon outing in frightening fashion.
2. Elijah Smith delivers the 15th slam in UFC history
It is no surprise that Henry Cejudo is considering leaving bantamweight after what Elijah Smith did at UFC Vegas 109.
The 135-pound prospect channeled his inner ‘Rampage’ Jackson by slamming Toshiomi Kazama into oblivion. The UFC has held 743 events with over 7,500 fights, and Smith’s triumph marked just the 15th slam knockout to happen inside the Octagon.
As if the brutal move wasn’t enough, a couple of ground-and-pound shots to the unconscious Kazama led to a scary scene, as the Japanese fighter remained out for a considerable period of time.
1. Anthony Hernandez’s demolition job on Roman Dolidze
The biggest winner from Saturday’s event was undoubtedly Anthony Hernandez, who continued his charge toward a title shot with a complete shutout.
Hernandez dominated Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 109, beating him from pillar to post in the main event. The one-sided clash came to an end in round four when ‘Fluffy’ threw brutal knees at his Georgian opponent against the fence before ragdolling him into a gruesome rear-naked choke.
Dolidze instantly tapped out, and Hernandez can now stake his claim for a potential shot at the winner of Du Plessis vs. Chimaev at UFC 319 having won eight on the bounce.