OH!!!!!!!!
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) March 6, 2016
Nordine Taleb catches a kick from Erick Silva and knocks him OUT COLD with a counter right hand! #UFC196 https://t.co/Ny7rCH0Ql1
Remember when Erick Silva burst into the UFC with brutal knockouts and dynamic moves? Yeah, those days are long gone.
Silva was knocked silly in the second round of tonight's (Sat., March 5, 2016) UFC 196 preliminary undercard lineup on FOX Sports 1, with a single right hand by Quebec's Nordine Taleb inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first round saw some very tentative striking from the usually fast starter, Erick Silva, instead getting picked apart by Taleb from range. There was a brief moment where the leg of Taleb seemed to buckle under his weight, however he seemed to recover from whatever minor micro-injury he sustained and kept going.
In the second round it didn't long for Silva to make a fatal mistake, pressuring Taleb up against the cage but refusing to commit to his punches. Taleb landed one right hand and it send the Brazilian flying to the mat (see video above), while a few unnecessary punches afterward sealed the deal.
Taleb improves to 12-3 (4-1 UFC), as Silva breaks his winning streak and falls to 18-6 (6-5 UFC).
For continuous coverage of the entire UFC 196 card, including live updates and play-by-play, click here and here.