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#4 Marcin Prachnio folds Ike Villanueva with a body kick
While a crushing knockout via a shot to the head is always fun to watch, there’s something extra brutal about seeing a fighter fold and collapse following a body shot.
Daniel Pineda somehow survived an assault to the body from Andre Fili, but Ike Villanueva was not so lucky on UFC Vegas 30’s preliminary card.
Polish fighter Marcin Prachnio seemed to be struggling with Villanueva in the first round, as the Texan marched forward and landed some good strikes and also took him down late in the stanza.
The second round, though, was very different. Prachnio began to work Villanueva’s leg over with some kicks and then switched things up at the one-minute mark by unleashing a vicious kick directly to the liver.
At first, it looked like Villanueva had absorbed the blow. But moments later, that proved not to be the case. He collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching his body, and the fight was over just like that.
This was one of the most brutal body shot-stoppages in the UFC in recent memory, and Prachnio was quite rightfully awarded an extra $50k bonus cheque for this explosive moment.
#5 Kennedy Nzechukwu unleashes hell on Danilo Marques
UFC Vegas 30 felt like it featured everything, including a stirring comeback from Nigerian prospect Kennedy Nzechukwu.
Faced with grappling expert Danilo Marques, it came as no surprise to see Nzechukwu seemingly in trouble in the early going. Given that his grappling had looked suspect in his previous UFC fights, it felt like only a matter of time before Marques would submit the African Savage.
But Nzechukwu hung in there, despite being on the defensive. And late in the second round, he began to turn the tables and landed some heavy strikes on his Brazilian opponent.
Coming into the third round, it was clear that while Marques was probably ahead, Nzechukwu had more left in the tank. And so he unleashed hell in the form of a swarming, violent combination that finally forced referee Jason Herzog to step in.
Sure, Marques wasn’t unconscious, but given the way Nzechukwu was hitting him, it felt like only a matter of time. This was a thrilling showing from the African Savage, and he’s now on a three-fight win streak – as well as being $50k richer this morning.
