Sports

UFC 248: Watch Beneil Dariush’s Brutal Knockout Against Drakkar Klose

One of UFC 248’s biggest fights was over in a flash on Saturday night, and many fans are looking […]

One of UFC 248’s biggest fights was over in a flash on Saturday night, and many fans are looking for the replay. Beneil Dariush knocked out his opponent, Drakkar Klose in Round 2, in a feat rarely seen in the highest levels of MMA. Footage of the knockout is taking over social media.

Dariush and Klose squared off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday for a lightweight match. As reported by CBS Sports, things looked good for Dariush from the very start as he got a firm hold on his opponent in Round 1.

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Still, few expected Dariush to end the fight so fast, especially on his feet. Commentators worried that he had burnt out his arms and legs in the first round as he grappled with the still-standing Klose. Dariush made those concerns a non-issue as he squared up in Round 2, throwing punches instead of going for chokes.

Klose landed some impressive hits at the beginning of Round 2, but Dariush responded in kind. Looking back at the video of the knockout again and again, some noted that Klose’s legs buckled just before he went down, indicating that both he and Dariush knew the end was near.

Dariush’s final flurry of hits nearly knocked the mouthpiece out of Klose’s teeth, and he landed wide-eyed on the mat, unconscious. It was the one-minute mark of Round 2 when the knockout was called.

The video was all over Twitter on Saturday night, as were the excited reactions. About as popular as the clip of the K-O itself was one of commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier watching from beside the ring. The two were falling all over each other in shock and, apparently, glee.

Rogan gripped both of his co-hosts’ shoulders in that moment and Cormier rolled over to lean on Rogan, as if losing control of his posture. Fans wasted no time in turning the moment into a meme, editing it into slow motion and isolating Rogan’s most awed expressions.

“Just right after Joe Rogan said his legs were having problems,” one fan wrote with a laughing emoji.

“Utterly amazing end,” added another.

“This is an incredible feat for Dariush. Drakkar had never been knocked out or TKO’ed up to that point,” tweeted a third person.

Some fans even called this bout the “fight of the night” at UFC 248, where four other major matches went on. The middleweight contest between Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan, however, was canceled.