Damian Pinas showed why his punching power is to be feared at UFC 329.
The fast-rising middleweight prospect overcame a slow start to land a devastating right hand that sliced through Almeida’s defenses and took him out of the fight.
Watch the explosive knockout below.
The more experienced Almeida was giving Pinas all kinds of headaches through the first two minutes, showing off the kickboxing expertise that made him a kickboxing champion in multiple organizations. However, the 38-year-old left the slightest of openings for Pinas to exploit and the Aruban fighter didn’t miss, connecting with a straight right on the money to all but end the fight.
Referee Chris Tognoni didn’t step in immediately, forcing Pinas to land one more hard strike before the bout was officially waved off. The time of the stoppage was 4:44 of Round 1.
Pinas (10-1) wins his sixth straight fight, with none of his past five opponents making it out of the first round. He follows up a knockout over Wesley Schultz to improve to 2-0 in the UFC.
This is the second straight loss for Almeida (7-3), who is finished for the first time in his MMA career.
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