If this knockout was in a film, it would be mocked by viewers for being too unrealistic.
The major appeal of mixed martial arts is the sport’s unpredictability and the fact that a fight can turn on its head in the blink of an eye.
We’ve seen buzzer-beater wins before, we’ve seen comeback victories before and we’ve seen some unorthodox techniques result in knockouts.
But when you combine all of those factors, you get what UFC President Dana White described as the “craziest finish ever.” And it’s hard to argue with him.
Yair Rodriguez was down on the scorecards as the seconds ticked down in his long-awaited comeback fight against Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night and had thrown everything he had in his flashy arsenal at his South Korean opponent.
But ‘El Pantera’ had one more bonkers strike left in him and waited until he heard the 10-second clapper to set it up.
This. Is. INSANE!!!!
Yair RodrÃguez lands a brutal elbow on the buzzer in the fifth 😦😧
25 years of UFC and this could be one of the craziest things we've EVER seen 😱#UFCDenver pic.twitter.com/pc6fKxmuJb
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) November 11, 2018
Rodriguez took full advantage as ‘The Korean Zombie’ stalked forward with his defence lowered and the Mexican featherweight threw an incredible reverse elbow which connected perfectly with his opponent’s jaw.
Jung was unconscious before he hit the mat and limply folded up before referee Kevin MacDonald waved the fight off at 4:59 of the fifth and final round.
The finish was the perfect way to close out the UFC’s 25th anniversary event, which took place in Denver, Colorado just as the organisation’s first ever show did in 1993.
Both Rodriguez and Jung were transported to hospital for scans on the injuries picked up in the brutal 145lbs contest and showed off exactly what mixed martial arts is all about with their respect for one another as they smiled in adjoining hospital beds.
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