Hall sends Cella to hospital with TUF 17 KO

Team Sonnen’s Uriah Hall defeated Team Jones’ Adam Cella with one of the most spectacular knockouts in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and The Ultimate Fighter.

Hall defeated Andy Enz to get into the TUF House with a performance that had coaches Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones, UFC president Dana White and nearly every other fighter touting Hall as the favourite to win the show and his performance on episode two of TUF 17 showed why.

The fight began with the two circling, but Hall then landed some strong knees from the clinch. As the two exchanged, Hall caught a kick and took the fight to the mat. Cella, who submitted Jake Heun to earn his way in the TUF House, got back to his feet but was immediately sent back to the ground with a push kick.

Hall was picking Cella apart from the outside very effectively, but slowed down late in the round as Cella pressed forward. However, with mere seconds remaining in the round Hall unleashed a spinning heel kick that landed flush on Cella’s jaw, knocking him out cold immediately; Cella’s head smacked into the canvas as his unconscious body fell to the ground.

As Cella lay on the canvas, Hall said, “I’m sorry, Adam” as everyone in the gym looked on concerned.

After the fight, Hall revealed that the win “feels good but at the same time part of me feels bad. … I never want to hurt anyone.”

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After several minutes, Cella eventually was helped back to his feet where he asked Hall, “What happened bro?”

Cella ended up being okay and was taken to hospital accompanied by his coach.

The knockout was so vicious that while the episode was airing, White, who described the KO as “one of the nastiest knockouts I’ve ever seen in the fight business, let alone on The Ultimate Fighter” tweeted: “I wanted to put up the raw uncut version of the KO 2 nite on @TUFonFX up on the website and our lawyers and the network said no (expletive) way!”

While speaking with Hall following his win, White added, “It’s one of those ones you want to celebrate, but you don’t (because the other guy is hurt).”

Hall’s KO — which was reminiscent of Edson Barboza’s spinning wheel kick KO of the Year over Terry Etim from UFC 142 last January — made waves on Twitter and some of the UFC’s best reacted accordingly.

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