<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13692430" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tyson-pedro" source="Orion">Tyson Pedro</keyword> obliterated <keyword id="13692429" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ike-villanueva" source="Orion">Ike Villanueva</keyword> in a single round at a <keyword id="11922275" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc" source="Orion">UFC</keyword> event Saturday.</li><li>The key to Pedro's win was spamming Villanueva with leg kicks.</li></ul>LAS VEGAS — An <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> fighter returned from a four-year layoff to score a thumping first-round knockout Saturday at the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a>'s Fight Night show that took place inside its TV studio called Apex, in Las Vegas.Numerous injuries prevented Australian fighter Tyson Pedro from competing since December in 2018.Prior to fighting Ike Villanueva this weekend, Pedro had not won since a kimura submission win over Saparbek Safarov at UFC 221 — a time when most people probably couldn't even spell 'pandemic', let alone give it much thought.Pedro then suffered back-to-back losses against Ovince Saint Preux (armbar) and Mauricio Rua (knockout).But on Saturday, Pedro ensured that he returned to the Octagon with a bang, as he landed an extraordinary 75% of his 29 strikes — all of them deemed significant by UFC official statistics.It looked for a brief moment in time that the promise of fireworks had fizzled out before they had a chance to explode as neither fighter threw a shot for the opening 40 seconds in the round.A Pedro kneecap to Villanueva's groin also caused a brief timeout.But then they got closer, and Pedro landed a leg kick — and again, and again.Pedro fought like he had found a weakness in Villanueva and, sure enough, the finishing sequence was set up with another leg kick that landed so accurately and powerfully it knocked Villanueva off of his feet.His leg was gone … it buckled underneath him, and he was near-defenseless against a rampaging Pedro who fired strike after strike on the downed opponent until referee Mark Smith had seen enough.It was all over.Watch it here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ESPN <keyword id="11922276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma" source="Orion">MMA</keyword> (@espnmma) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1518022343859208193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>With victory, Pedro advanced his pro MMA record to eight wins (three knockouts and five submissions) against three losses.Elsewhere on the card, MMA fighter <a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-jackson-wins-ufc-match-by-dq-after-eye-gouge-2022-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Jackson won a match by DQ after an eye gouge. He also got kicked in the crotch</a>.Philipe Lins out-pointed Marcin Prachnio by a slim margin of 29-28 x three, before Preston Parsons dominated Evan Elder with a unanimous decision.Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade fought in a unique, all-Brazilian women's strawweight fight at the top of the card.

An MMA fighter returned from a 4-year layoff to score a thumping first-round knockout in the UFC

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11524098" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="marcin-prachnio">Marcin Prachnio</keyword> knocked his opponent out with a debilitating kick to the body.</li><li>The video clip here is a reminder that shots to the body can be more painful than those to the head.</li><li>The finishing move was so awesome the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> awarded Prachnio with a cash bonus.</li></ul>A <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> striker called Marcin Prachnio scored a second-round finish to remember Saturday when he lashed his opponent's body with a crippling kick at a behind-closed-doors <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> event in Las Vegas.The video clip below is a brutal reminder that knockouts to the body can sometimes be more painful than those to the head, as the opponent - <keyword id="10627981" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ike-villanueva">Ike Villanueva</keyword> - writhed around in agony on the canvas.Villanueva connected with 49 of his 80 strikes (61% accurate) and also succeeded with a takedown attempt in the opening round. Prachnio said after the match that he felt Villanueva was getting the better of him.And so, the 32-year-old entered the second round determined to close the show. "The plan in the second round was to win the fight," Prachnio said in a statement sent to Insider."I had in my head the idea of finishing him on the second round and that's what happened. I just worked for it and kept in mind winning the second round."The first round was tough. I got my two eyebrows open. I couldn't see from my left eye for half the round, but then after the break, I was fine again."Prachnio said he could tell through the fight that Villanueva was "struggling with taking those low kicks." His team had said pre-fight that he might be tough to knockout with headshots, so they focused more on striking lower."In the second round, I hit two liver kicks and it worked," he said.Watch it right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-UFC (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1408858897041997828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2021</a></blockquote>The victory advanced Prachnio's pro-MMA record to 15 wins (11 knockouts against one submission and three decisions) against five losses.Prachnio's kick was deemed so awesome that the UFC boss Dana White awarded the fighter a $50,000 performance-related bonus.Finishing, Prachnio said: "After a few rough years in the UFC, I just got in a good winning streak, two wins, and I'm just going to keep it like that, keep winning."I think the bad times are behind me already and now it's going to be my time to shine."

A UFC striker scored a finish to remember when he lashed his opponent's body with a crippling kick

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An American fighter called 'Hurricane Ike' swirlied his <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> opponent Wednesday.</li><li>Just 39 seconds into the second round, <keyword id="10627981" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ike-villanueva">Ike Villanueva</keyword> sent <keyword id="10627980" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vinicius-moreira">Vinicius Moreira</keyword> flying.</li><li>Moments later, Moreira found himself contorted on the canvas, concussed. It was all over.</li><li>Watch the brutal knockout win here.</li></ul><keyword id="9060271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fight-island">FIGHT ISLAND</keyword> - An American fighter called 'Hurricane Ike' Villanueva just sent his opponent flying with an almighty whack on Wednesday.Villanueva's knockout was one of the most explosive during the UFC's ongoing three-event residency inside the newly-built Etihad Arena <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/fight-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Fight Island</a> in Abu Dhabi.With a right hand hurled from the top, Villanueva bounced his fist off of Vinicius Moreira's skull just 39 seconds into the second round.The punch was so powerful and so accurate it sent Moreira flying.Moments later, Moreira found himself contorted on the canvas, looking vacant in the eyes and in a bad way.It was all over.Watch it here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—UFC (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1351972330134757384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote>"I had to give him the kiss of death because we were fighting for our jobs," Villanueva said in a statement sent to Insider. "I sent him home. That's a dream. Many fighters dream about that moment."To get a walk-off [KO] like that on the big stage, man, that's a lifetime memory."With the victory, Villanueva rebounded from back-to-back losses in the UFC to score his first win in the lead mixed martial arts firm, advancing his overall pro MMA record to 18 wins (15 knockouts and 3 decisions) against 11 losses.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-khabib-nurmagomedovs-cousin-umar-scores-debut-ufc-win-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Following in his family's footsteps, Umar Nurmagomedov makes a UFC debut to remember by scoring a second-round submission</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-davis-beats-mason-jones-in-fight-island-brawl-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An American fighter said his British opponent was only throwing 'pitter-patter' punches after their all-out brawl on Fight Island</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/calvin-kattar-given-6-month-suspension-after-dominant-ufc-loss-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Calvin Kattar given a 6-month medical suspension from fighting after suffering one of the most dominant UFC losses of all time</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-max-holloway-could-be-best-ever-mma-fighter-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Holloway could become the best MMA fighter who's ever lived, Khabib Nurmagomedov says</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-conor-mcgregor-take-yacht-and-rolls-royce-to-ufc-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor proved he's the UFC's version of Tiger Woods by chartering a yacht to Fight Island</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/alessio-di-chirico-cash-bonus-for-ko-but-shunned-interviews-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A UFC fighter got a $50,000 bonus for a shock KO victory, but shunned media interviews and gave Dana White a moody look backstage</a>

An American UFC fighter called 'Hurricane Ike' just sent his opponent flying with an almighty whack

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9815296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jordan-wright">Jordan Wright</keyword> made a statement at the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> Vegas 7 show Saturday.</li><li>With a spinning heel kick and an abundance of knee strikes, Wright forced a first round doctor's stoppage over Ike Villanueva.</li><li>One of the knee strikes left a hole in Villanueva's brow, which bled heavily over his opponent's face, body, and the Octagon canvas.</li><li>The referee Jason Herzog paused the action so a UFC doctor could inspect the cut. The doctor decided it would only get worse. Wright had won.</li><li>Watch the action unfold below.</li><li>WARNING: This post features graphic imagery of Wright's injury. Do not scroll down if you do not want to see it.</li></ul>An unbeaten American left a hole in his opponent's face which was so bloody, the UFC doctor stopped the fight after 91 seconds.It all went down at the behind-closed-doors UFC Vegas 7 show at the UFC's Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.Jordan Wright fought Ike Villanueva on the preliminary card of the event, and finished the fight inside the first round thanks a spinning heel kick and knee strikes from the clinch. One of the knees severely damaged Villanueva's face, with blood pouring from a wound on his brow, down his face, onto his body, and even the canvas.The injury looked so bad the referee Jason Herzog called a time-out so that a UFC doctor could inspect Villanueva.It was not long before the doctor declared the bout over, saying that Villanueva was in no fit state to continue because his facial injury would only get worse.<h2>WARNING: Below is graphic imagery of Vilanueva's injury. Do not scroll down if you do not want to see it.</h2>Watch Wright's win right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—UFC (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1297319452686639104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2020</a></blockquote>And here's a photo of his injury:<h2> </h2><div type="image" title="Ike Villanueva" height="750" width="1000" msid="77720645" hostid="261"></div>Herzog waved the bout off after 91 seconds:<div type="image" title="Jordan Wright and Ike Villanueva fight" height="1046" width="1500" msid="77720647" hostid="261"></div>Wright won his debut fight in the UFC:<div type="image" title="Jordan Wright, UFC" height="1406" width="2000" msid="77720649" hostid="261"></div>It was Wright's 11th win in his pro career.Wright did suffer a knockout loss on Dana White's Contender Series, but the 2018 bout was turned into a No Contest after his opponent, Anthony Hernandez, tested positive for marijuana.Though Wright is technically undefeated, some of his competition has been sub-par as two opponents took losing records into the cage, with a further four fighters having no pro experience at all.Against Villanueva on Saturday, though, Wright scored the biggest win of his career, on the greatest stage, in highlight-reel fashion — and he did so on just five days' notice in a weight class he is not used to."To be able to come in a weight class above, weighing underweight and putting on a performance like that, it feels pretty awesome," Wright said post-fight."I knew he wanted to close the distance and he was pretty aggressive, so I knew I could catch him if I time that spinning kick just right and from there I knew the finish would be inevitable."I'm a finisher. All my wins were by finish and I just know how to put people out," he said."It's been really cool, we had a nice hotel, it's been nice staying here with my team. We've all just been kind of hitting it off, training, talking."Now I'm going to go back to the gym, see my mom, give her my love, my friends and family and hang out with my coaches."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/luana-carolina-wont-fight-until-2021-after-ariane-lipski-submission-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luana Carolina will not fight until 2021 after hearing 3 'pops' in her leg during horrifying loss to 'Violence Queen' Ariane Lipski</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/anderson-silva-and-conor-mcgregor-agreed-a-ufc-mega-fight-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anderson Silva says he agreed a super-fight against Conor McGregor, but the UFC didn't want it to happen</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/daniel-cormier-was-taken-to-hospital-after-ufc-252-defeat-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Cormier was taken to hospital after he was eye-poked so hard he couldn't see out of it during his UFC loss to Stipe Miocic</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-would-be-glad-to-fight-conor-mcgregor-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov says he would happily fight Conor McGregor again in one of the biggest UFC bouts of all time</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-wants-to-fight-and-work-with-ufc-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather 'wants to fight' and would work once again with Dana White, the UFC boss said</a>

You Searched For "ike villanueva" and got 4 results

An MMA fighter returned from a 4-year layoff to score a thumping first-round knockout in the UFC

Alan Dawson

A UFC striker scored a finish to remember when he lashed his opponent's body with a crippling kick

Alan Dawson

An American UFC fighter called 'Hurricane Ike' just sent his opponent flying with an almighty whack

Alan Dawson

An unbeaten American left a hole in his opponent's face which was so bloody, the UFC doctor stopped the fight after 91 seconds

Alan Dawson