An American fighter renowned for his highlight-reel knockouts came from behind to deliver an uppercut finish
- Joaquin Buckley delivered another highlight-reel knockout.
- What made the American's stoppage more impressive was that he did so despite a horror injury.
- Buckley had to finish his opponent while a swelling on his head got more and more grotesque.
An American fighter renowned for his highlight-reel knockouts came from behind to deliver an uppercut finish at the UFC's latest show Saturday in the Apex, Las Vegas.
Joaquin Buckley is used to scooping performance of the night bonus checks, and even claimed one of the "most unbelievable" knockouts in UFC history when he flattened Impa Kasanganay with a spinning back kick last year.
Though he entered the Octagon last weekend on a loss - a head kick KO to Alessio di Chirico in Abu Dhabi earlier this year - there remains a burden of expectation to deliver stunning finishes as he has frequently done before.
At the weekend, he did not disappoint.
Buckley needed something big to guarantee a win in his middleweight match against Antonio Arroyo, and midway through the third and final round, he clattered his opponent until he secured that W.
The final blow in Buckley's striking sequence, an uppercut, left Arroyo on the floor for several minutes.
It was a finish which earned the winner yet another performance-related bonus, as the UFC rewarded him with a $50,000 check in addition to his show and win pay.
Watch the beatdown right here:
"That was a beautiful fight between me and Antonio," Buckley said, according to MMA Fighting.
"I was just swinging, I was just throwing. Coach told me to keep bobbing and weaving and we got it done."
If Buckley's ability to score a much-needed stoppage wasn't impressive enough, he managed to produce the knockout despite a grotesque swelling on his head.
See the abnormal injury below:
Victory advanced Buckley's record to 13 wins (10 knockouts and three decisions) against four losses.