#2 Nick Denis vs. Joseph Sandoval – UFC on FX 1 – 01/20/12
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When the UFC’s television deal with Fox kicked in at the beginning of 2012, the number of shows the promotion put on increased dramatically. Due to this increase, more roster spots became available and so several newcomers were brought into the fold.
Two of these newcomers were Canadian Nick Denis and Texan Joseph Sandoval. This was 2012’s second UFC show; Denis was making his debut, Sandoval his second UFC appearance.
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Despite being the UFC’s first show on FX, the card was a weak one in terms of name value and so it wasn’t like Denis vs. Sandoval was being especially overshadowed by anything else on show.
It would take something genuinely special to make a fight like Denis/Sandoval memorable and sure enough, Nick Denis delivered in spades.
The first round began and right away Denis was on the attack, clipping Sandoval with a combination. From there he grabbed a plum clinch, and rather than deliver some knees as is the norm from that position, Denis reared his right arm back and suddenly hit Sandoval with a series of vicious elbow strikes to the side of the head.
Sandoval appeared to go out while he was still being kept upright by Denis’s clinch, and then crashed to the ground when he was released from the grip. A truly unbelievable knockout.
Denis would go on to have one more fight with the UFC where he lost to TUF 14’s Roland Delorme via rear naked choke and then retired due to fears surrounding concussions. His lone UFC knockout appears to have been completely forgotten five years on, which is just plain wrong in my eyes.
Check it out and I’m sure you’ll agree with me – this was one of the best knockouts in UFC history.
