UFC Fight Night in Phoenix on Sunday night had a main event that fans couldn’t wait for, as the great Cain Velasquez was making his return to the Octagon for the first time in over 900 days to face Francis Ngannou in a heavyweight bought with huge implications.
But then, in just 26 seconds, it was over as Ngannou used a combo of punches – and what looked like a knee injury for Cain – to beat Velasquez via knockout in stunning fashion.
It was a total bummer for those watching on ESPN – not because Ngannou won, he’s the type of fighter that makes you stop and watch his fights when they’re on and it’s good to see that he’s back to being a factor in the heavyweight division. But because all that build up and excitement for Velasquez’s return, a return that took place in his home state in front of a crowd that gave him a hero’s welcome as he made his way to the cage, was over in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was settling in for what was supposed to be an intense classic and then boom! it was over.
And it might possibly be the end of his legendary career, too, which is downright sad considering everyone was so excited to see him battle his way back after dealing with injuries yet again in his career.
So while we take in all of that, let’s take a look at how the fight ended:
While it did look like Velasquez did suffer a knee injury there, he also took some good shots that led to the KO:
Ngannou, whose knockout power is ridiculous, was more than happy to silent the crowd:
And then the two showed their mutual respect for each other:
Twitter weighed in on the quick finish:
