Ilia Topuria escaped an early scare to score another highlight-reel finish earlier today (Sat., Mar. 19, 2022) at UFC London live on ESPN+ from inside O2 Arena in London, England, when the rising prospect stopped Jai Herbert via second-round knockout (punch).
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24689407/Vegas_74_Poster.png)
LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 74 On ESPN+
HIGH STAKES FLYWEIGHT MATCHUP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 3, 2023, with No. 3-seeded contender, Kai Kara-France, face rising No. 7-ranked Amir Albazi. In UFC Vegas 74’s ESPN+-streamed co-main event, an exciting Featherweight bout sees No. 15-ranked contender, Alex Caceres, lock horns with all-action Daniel Pineda.
Topuria found it difficult to land his offense in the early going as Herbert utilized his long range to keep the smaller fighter at bay. Out of nowhere Herbert leveled Topuria with a beautiful head kick. Topuria fell to the canvas, but Herbert hesitated for a split second and it allowed the former featherweight to recover and finish the round in style.
In the second, Topuria was able to get inside a little more and launched a ridiculous right hand along the cage. It caught Herbert flush, spun him around, and put an instant stop to the fight. It was devastating to say the least.
Check out the video highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Topuria, 25, certainly ran into some trouble in the early going but he recovered nicely to score his third-straight finish inside of the Octagon. The talented prospect called out Paddy Pimblett in his post-fight interview and that could be a fight the promotion makes considering their UFC London scuffle earlier this week (watch HERE).
For complete UFC London results and coverage click here.
Get the latest gear
Loading comments...