Leading into their UFC Fight Night 49 main event at Tulsa's BOK Center, Rafael dos Anjos seemed all but an afterthought. Most thought he was simply there to provide Benson Henderson the forum to make his way back to a lightweight title shot.
But dos Anjos delivered a division-shaking knockout Saturday night. The Brazilian drilled the former lightweight champion with a running knee, pushed through an instinctive Henderson takedown attempt, and clocked him with a huge left hand which dropped Henderson to the mat.
CLICK 'CONTINUE TO FILE' THE 'PLAY BUTTON' TO WATCH
Referee John McCarthy waved the fight off at 2:31 of the first round, giving the 29-year-old dos Anjos (22-7) his second straight win and his seventh in his past eight fights.
"I knew my striking was better than his," said dos Anjos. "I know I had to be patient but I knew I could finish it in the first round. I put my faith in God, I'm ready to fight."
Henderson (21-4) had a two-fight win streak snapped. While he appeared upset by the stoppage when the bout was waved off, by the time of his post-fight interview, he had put things in perspective.
"I thought I was clear-headed," Henderson said. "You have the ups and downs. You have to take the good with the bad. That's the way it goes sometimes."
source
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your opinion is valuable. Share your thoughts. Ask and I Will Reply.