This was a long time coming.
The first ever UFC event in New York city went down on Saturday night and it didn’t take long for fans to see a knockout.
Both UFC 205 Fight Pass preliminary bouts went the distance. Veteran Liz Carmouche kicked off proceedings with a split decision victory over local fighter Kaitlyn Chookagian (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) while Jim Miller scored a huge victory over former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves in the sophomore bout. The judges gave Miller the nod in the catchweight contest (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).
The first finish of the night came in the preliminary card opener between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad. Both fighters came out swinging from the get-go, but Luque landed the better shots, dropping Muhammad with a big left hook. He rendered his opponent unconscious with a few more digs on the ground to force the stoppage at 1:19 of the opening stanza.
What a start to the night! Vicente Luque with the first finish @TheGarden! #UFC205 #UFCNYC https://t.co/LprLNMXsAr
— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 13, 2016
The result sees the Brazilian extend his win-streak in the UFC to four-straight while former Titan champion Muhamad is now 1-2 in the world’s largest MMA promotion.
In the very next fight we were blessed with the second knockout of the night. Heavy hitter Tim Boetsch starched Rafael Natal in the first round of their middleweight bout. The Barbarian dropped the Brazilian with a hard combination and followed it up with more strikes on the ground until the referee intervened at the 3:22 mark.
Two fights! Two KO's! Tim Boetsch with the first-round KO of Rafael Natal. #UFC205 #UFCNYC https://t.co/YPPZZbH9Be
— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 13, 2016
