Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Martin Domin

UFC star Frankie Edgar's face squashed by rival Marlon Vera's KO kick

This is the moment Frankie Edgar eats a fight-ending front kick from rival Marlon Vera during his defeat at UFC 268.

Edgar was stopped in the third round in New York as he slipped to a fourth loss in his last five fights at Maddison Square Garden in New York.

And the impact of Vera's right leg in the third and final round summed up Edgar's night as he dropped to the canvas as referee Todd Anderson stepped in.

Vera said of the finish: " In the cage it’s my family or yours and my family is more important to me.

"We drill those things up the middle. I work hard. I go hard. That immigrant mentality, it’s forever."

Remarkably, Edgar was unhappy with the stoppage, complaining that it had been premature.

And Vera, who earned a $50,000 bonus for his performance, added: "What a night. [To] conquer MSG was a dream thanks UFC for the opportunity; we coming for that belt

"Thanks to all the people who support me; this is a dream come true. From Ecuador to Madison Square Garden!"

Vera's victory was one of several highlights at the iconic venue as Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas retained their respective titles.

Usman earned a unanimous points win over bitter rival Colby Covington while Namajunas edged out Weili Zhang in their sequel.

And in the lightweight division, Justin Gaethje likely earned himself another title shot by beating Michael Chandler in a predictably brutal encounter.

Both men were taken to hospital afterwards but were each rewarded with a $50,000 bonus cheque.

Gaethje will now target the winner of champion Charles Oliveira's clash with Dustin Poirier next month.

There was also Irish success as debutant Ian Garry recorded a first-round stoppage in his first appearance for the promotion.

He dropped and stopped Jordan Williams in the dying seconds of the first round in a performance which drew admiring glances from Conor McGregor.

"I just want to say, that was some hell of a knockout," Garry said in his post-fight interview.

"Jordan put up a great fight for the first round, for the first time in my life I felt a little bit of nerves, a little bit weird.

"I'm 23, making my UFC debut at MSG, it doesn't get bigger than this, we just shocked the world, the Irish are back baby!"

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.