Wolverhampton's Jai Herbert suffers knockout UFC defeat
Jai Herbert’s hopes of making his mark at UFC London ended with a devastating knockout defeat to Ilia Topuria.
The Black Country Banger, fighting in the UK for the first time under the UFC banner, was floored by a right-hand from his opponent early in the second round of Saturday’s lightweight contest at London’s O2 Arena.
It was a brutal end to the fight for Herbert, who craved a victory over the highly-rated Topuria to announce himself on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
But the immediate concern was the 33-year-old's well-being after he was knocked out cold by the fight-finishing shot.
Thankfully, after receiving medical attention, Herbert was able to walk out of the octagon having shaken the hand of the victor. UFC promoter Dana White later confirmed he had been taken to hospital as a precaution.
The first fighter from Wolverhampton to ever appear in the UFC, Herbert has now suffered three defeats in four bouts since signing a deal with the sport’s biggest promotions company, in what has been a run of fiendishly tough match-ups.
He went into Saturday’s bout against the unbeaten Topuria as a clear underdog, yet he was the dominant force until his challenge was ended in sudden and shocking fashion.
Flooring his opponent early in the first with a left kick to the head, Herbert had also skillfully evaded his opponent’s efforts to pin him to the canvas. Such was his superiority, a stoppage even looked possible in the closing seconds of the opening round, with Topuria’s face increasingly bloodied.
But the fight finished suddenly early in the second. Stunning Herbert with a left body shot, Topuria then delivered a right flush to Herbert’s chin to send him sprawling to the floor.
