UFC bantamweight Said Nurmagomedov earned an emphatic KO that came at 00:51 of the very first round. The Dagestani fighter stomped all over Mark Striegl in the opening fight on the preliminary fight card for UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs The Korean Zombie. As a result, he elevated his profile by starting the card off with a bang.
Said Nurmagomedov landed the perfect counter left hook on an advancing Striegl that sent him to the canvas. Mark quickly lost consciousness with the lethal ground strikes that followed. Subsequently, the referee moved in and signaled the end of the contest the moment the ground and pound strikes intensified.
CLOCKED IN. CLOCKED OUT.
🇷🇺 Said Nurmagomedov needs seconds to finish the job.
[ Tune in on #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/1GqPj6IAo9— UFC (@ufc) October 17, 2020
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UFC bantamweights: Said Nurmagomedov vs Mark Striegl
Nurmagomedov went 14-2 and has bounced back from a tough loss he suffered. He last fought Raoni Barcelos to a unanimous decision loss, and questions came about regarding the manner in which he would return. He has certainly answered the call by showing improved hand speed and killer instinct to finish the fight.
Mark Striegl had never been knocked out over his storied career that spans 21 bouts across 11 years. He will have to head back to the drawing board after failing to make an impact on his UFC debut. ‘Mugen’ has had success facing high-level competition during his time at ONE Championship and will be looking to carry forward his momentum. What’s more, an accidental groin strike NC in his last outing has left a lot to be desired from the prospect.
The bantamweight division is being spearheaded by Petr Yan, who’s running a tight ship, to say the least. Said Nurmagomedov will be looking to build momentum off his statement KO and search for ranked opponents soon. He’s proven himself to be a high-caliber fighter who is adept no matter where the fight goes.
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The bantamweight division is a shark tank of the elite talent at the moment, and it’s tough to breakthrough. However, a KO in under sixty seconds is the right place to begin entry into that conversation.
Also Watch: Said Nurmagomedov happy with 51-second Knockout | UFC on ESPN+ post-fight interview
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