The MMA community has witnessed its fair share of extraordinary moments in the cage, but the heavyweight clash between Tim Johnson and Danilo Marques at PFL 4 delivered one of the most infrequent sights that left fans in awe.
During the preliminary card of the PFL's regular season event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, Johnson delivered a thunderous left hand in the opening minutes, sending Marques sprawling to the canvas. However, the UFC veteran couldn't capitalize on the opportunity as Marques simultaneously landed a kick to Johnson's groin, resulting in a highly unusual double knockdown.
Marques regained his composure, believing he had secured victory, but the referee swiftly corrected him, stating that none of those actions were legal.
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Fans responded with astonishment to the unique turn of events during the Johnson-Marques fight, with many criticizing the Brazilian's controversial strike.
One fan wrote:
"This is the greatest sport on the planet."
Another wrote:
"That was dirty as f**k get him tf outta here."
Another commented:
"He’s celebrating as if that illegal kick didn’t save his life, lmao."
Check out some more reactions below:
Johnson required approximately three minutes of stoppage time to recover from the foul. Despite this setback, he rallied strongly, entering the fray with relentless aggression and flooring Marques with a powerful right hand.
The American seized the opportunity, swiftly dominating and finishing the bout at 3:14 of the first round with a series of punches after immobilizing Marques' arm.
Complete results for PFL 4: Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell fight card
Main Card
Linton Vassell def. Valentin Moldavsky by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Dakota Ditcheva def. Chelsea Hackett by TKO at 3:22 in round one
Denis Goltsov def. Thiago Santos by TKO at 2:22 in round one
Liz Carmouche def. Kana Watanabe by submission at 4:52 in round three
Preliminary Card
Taila Santos def. Jena Bishop by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Oleg Popov def. Davion Franklin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Tyrell Fortune def. Marcelo Golm by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Ilara Joanne def. Shanna Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Tim Johnson def. Danilo Marques by TKO at 3:14 in round one
Juliana Velasquez def. Lisa Mauldin by TKO at 1:30 in round two
Sumiko Inaba def. Saray Orozco by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)