5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Aspen Ladd vs. Norma Dumont

#2. Bruno Silva pulls off an epic comeback to stop Andrew Sanchez

Bruno Silva pulled off an epic comeback win over Andrew Sanchez.

After debuting in the UFC in June with a brutal knockout of Wellington Turman, hopes were high for Brazilian middleweight prospect Bruno Silva. However, against Andrew Sanchez, it looked like he’d bitten off more than he could chew.

Despite landing some decent strikes in the early rounds, it looked like ‘Blindado’ simply couldn’t stop the takedowns of his opponent. Sanchez wrestled him to the ground over and over. While Silva put up a good fight from his back, he appeared to be on his way to a decision loss. However, in the third round, the Brazilian decided to throw caution to the wind, and it paid off, big time.

A low blow from Sanchez allowed Silva a bit of a recovery, and from there, he opened up on the TUF 23 winner with a blitz of violence. Sanchez began to retreat for the first time in the fight. As soon as Silva began to hit his body with punches and knees, it was clear Sanchez was in trouble.

‘El Dirte’ continued to back up, and ‘Blindado’ clearly smelled blood in the water. He continued to pour on the punishment, and with Sanchez only covering up, referee Keith Peterson was forced to step in and halt the fight.

This was a huge win for Silva, particularly given that he was two rounds in the hole. Whether he can climb into title contention given his seemingly questionable takedown defense is another thing, but after this win, he has certainly earned the right for that.

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#1. Jim Miller stuns everyone with his knockout of Erick Gonzalez

Jim Miller delivered the goods in his 38th UFC appearance.

The most explosive moment of the night came from a surprising fighter, as Jim Miller – in his 38th UFC fight – turned out the lights on newcomer Erick Gonzalez.

Sure, many fans were expecting Miller to win this fight, as Gonzalez had never fought anyone on his level before and was also making his UFC debut. However, few would’ve foreseen Miller unleashing a brutal knockout to take out the debutant.

Surprisingly, the fight didn’t begin all that well for the longtime veteran. ‘The Ghost Pepper’ clipped Miller with a combination midway through the first round that had him hurt. However, Miller was able to recover, and later on in the round, he began to hurt Gonzalez with a series of left hands.

It appeared that the left was landing at will for Miller, and in the second round, it didn’t take too long for him to take ‘The Ghost Pepper’ out for good. A missed crescent kick from Gonzalez opened him up for a counter, and Miller obliged – landing a crushing left hand that switched him off and forced ref Mark Smith to rescue Gonzale.

This was a genuinely brutal knockout, and it earned Miller not only a $50K bonus, but also his 22nd win in the UFC – and his first KO since 2016. To say this was a welcome finish would be an absolute understatement.