One photo shows how stunned commentators were when a UFC fighter landed a nasty knee strike knockout Saturday
- One photo encapsulates how shocking and awesome Lerone Murphy's knockout win was.
- The MMA fighter stunned Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, onlookers with a counter knee at UFC 267.
ABU DHABI - One photo shows how stunned commentators were when a UFC fighter landed a nasty knockout via knee strike Saturday.
It all went down during the preliminary section of the UFC 267 event Insider attended, which took place inside the 18,000 capacity Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Lerone Murphy, a British combatant, stole the show on the prelims, which were broadcast on ESPN+ in the US.
The 30-year-old featherweight fought Makwani Amirkhani and was trailing on all three of the judges' scorecards after one, five-minute round of action, thanks to the Iran-born Finnish fighter's expert takedown offense.
However, just 14 seconds into the second round, Murphy used his opponent's best weapon against him and, when Amirkhani pursued his seventh takedown, he timed a perfect counter knee.
Amirkhani was rendered unconscious in an instant and lay motionless on the mat for minutes at a time.
UFC photographer Chris Unger caught Murphy's immediate celebration as he jumped in the middle of the cage.
And if you look closely, you can see UFC commentator and former fighter Paul Felder throwing his hands in the air, in shock, because of the awesomeness of what he had just seen.
To his left (or your right, as you look at it), play-by-play guy Jon Anik is screaming into his mic.
It was the 11th win of Murphy's burgeoning pro MMA career, and his seventh knockout.
It was also arguably the most important, as he will likely have earned a performance-related $50,000 bonus check from the UFC boss Dana White, and a ranking boost in the 145-pound weight class.
See the photo here:
