Knockout artist Alex Pereira cracked his UFC opponent on the chin with a highlight-reel flying knee

• Alex Pereira dropped his opponent with a flying knee Saturday at UFC 268 in New York City.
• The strike left Andreas Michailidis on the canvas, ending his participation in the match.

Knockout artist Alex Pereira cracked his UFC opponent on the chin with a highlight-reel flying knee Saturday during the UFC 268 event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Brazilian kickboxer entered the Octagon for his UFC debut with great striking acclaim, having won multiple championships for the Singapore-headquartered fight firm Glory.

He even has a kickboxing win over the UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who is one of the best fighters mixed martial arts can offer right now.

Pereira, 34, lived up to that reputation as he sealed a statement-making second-round knockout win over Andreas Michailidis.

The finish came just 18 seconds after the break, and you can watch it right here:

"I'm so happy," Pereira said after the win. "I kept my cool. I saw my opening and I capitalized on the moment."

The victory advanced his fledgling pro-MMA record to four wins (four knockouts) against one loss.

Elsewhere on the card, another UFC new boy Ian Garry defeated Jordan Williams with punches on the early preliminary section of the show.

Justin Gaethje beat Michael Chandler in the main card war before Rose Namajunas retained her strawweight title against Zhang Weili. Kamaru Usman's decision over Colby Covington extend his run as UFC welterweight champion.