Ilia Topuria made a statement in his first fight at 155 pounds.
The rising UFC contender made his lightweight debut Saturday and knockedd out Jai Herbert in the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 204 main card in London. The official stoppage came at the 1:07 mark of Round 2.
Topuria (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had to fight back from adversity after he was dropped in the first round. The 25-year-old fought back and managed to recover by taking the fight to the ground. Topuria came out in the second and pressured Herbert, then connected with a right hand that sent Herbert straight to the canvas.
Watch Topuria’s KO win below.
PERFECT right hand by @Topuriailia put him to SLEEP 😳 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/zIv27aUg0O
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 19, 2022
Topuria remains undefeated in his professional MMA career. He debuted in the UFC in late 2020 and racked up three wins at 145 pounds before his move to 155. Topuria told MMA Junkie he plans to compete both at featherweight and lightweight in order to remain more active.
