It looked as though Canadian fighters were set for a clean sweep on The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale prelims Wednesday in Quebec City, but American K.J. Noons had other plans.
The former Strikeforce and EliteXC star knocked out popular Canadian veteran Sam Stout just 30 seconds into the featured preliminary bout at the Colisée Pepsi.
As the two looked to establish range, Noons hit Stout with a flush counter right that sent the London, Ont., native to the canvas. Noons then followed up with a swooping left hand as the referee stopped the fight.
(GIF courtesy @ZProphet_MMA)
Stout (20-10-1) had never been knocked out in his 11-year, 31-fight MMA career.
Noons (13-7) has now won two straight in the UFC after losing five of six prior to that.
“Sam’s a tough guy,” Noons said after the bout. “This is by far one of my best wins.”
Canada’s top 205-pounder, Ryan Jimmo, knocked out UFC newcomer Sean O’Connell with a massive right hand late in the first round of their light-heavyweight tilt.
Jimmo (19-3) said he had some difficulty getting O’Connell’s timing down prior to landing the knockout blow. O’Connell (15-5) had a six-fight winning streak snapped.
(GIF courtesy @ZProphet_MMA)
Mark Bocek got more than he bargained for against Mike De La Torre in a lightweight bout. The Canadian edged his opponent for the split decision win, but it wasn’t before taking a few licks along the way.
Bocek (12-5) hadn’t fought since a unanimous decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 154 in November 2012. De La Torre, a natural featherweight, took the fight on short notice after Evan Dunham was forced to withdraw from the event with an injury.
Women’s bantamweight contender Sarah Kaufman picked up her first win in the UFC, beating Leslie Smith in a rematch of a fight from last year.
Two fan favourites from the TUF Nations cast, Nordine Taleb and Vik Grujic, fought a bloody 15 minutes with Taleb earning a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards. The Tristar Gym product repeatedly took the Australian to the ground to control the action. The victory was Taleb’s first pro win since a Bellator 67 TKO of Matt MacGrath in May 2012.
Richard Walsh dominated Team Australia teammate Chris Indich in a welterweight bout. Walsh overpowered Indich en route to a unanimous decision win, mixing in a combination of strikes, clinch work and takedowns.
As part of his training camp, Walsh spent time at the Tiger Muay Thai gym in Thailand with Canadians Patrick Cote and Elias Theodorou. It paid off.
In the opening bout of the night, Sudbury, Ont.’s Mitch Gagnon won an entertaining unanimous decision against TUF 18 cast member Tim Gorman in bantamweight action.
Also, in more bantamweight action, George Roop defeated Dustin Kimura by unanimous decision.
