Watch: The moment Jimmy Crute tried to convince the referee he could fight Anthony Smith with one leg

Jimmy Crute and Anthony Smith started things off on the main card at UFC 261 with a light-heavyweight stunner. Though the bout had every chance of coming to a sudden end, it was certainly an unexpected finish with Crute's lead leg being damaged in the first round.

The Aussie came out attacking with a pair of leg kicks in the opening round before Anthony Smith found his distance with the jab. A series of stiff jabs from Smith started to show their effects on Crute's face, but the Australian kept attacking Smith's lead leg.

However, it only took a single kick from Anthony Smith to send Jimmy Crute crumbling to the canvas, which eventually led to the end of the fight.

Jimmy Crute appeared to suffer a nerve injury to his leg and the ringside doctor deemed him unable to continue before the second round. However, 'The Brute' was unwilling to go down easy and showed immense heart in wanting to go on. Here is footage of the moment when Jimmy Crute tried to convince the referee that he could fight on one leg.

You cannot deny this kid's toughness 😤 #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/4xv8t2xHc3

— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2021

Crute, however, admitted that it would have been almost impossible for him to continue irrespective of his intentions. Speaking to Joe Rogan about the injury to his leg, Jimmy Crute said:

“I couldn’t feel my leg. I was just going to pull guard cause I couldn’t stand on it.”

Not the last we've heard of Jimmy Crute. #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/X7I7dxqppW

— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2021

Anthony Smith showed respect for Jimmy Crute after the fight

Although Jimmy Crute showed slight hints of recovery in between rounds, his leg gave away the moment he tried to demonstrate he was fit to compete to the ringside physician. The official stoppage time came at 05:00 of the first round.

Though Anthony Smith might have landed the perfect leg kick, he did not for a moment underestimate his opponent. Hailing Jimmy Crutre as a 'monster', Smith, while watching a replay of the leg kick, said:

“That’s a good one. I’ve always been a good kicker, I just haven’t been setting it up good enough. Jimmy Crute’s a monster. I’ve been working on [my jab] a lot. I showed it a little bit in that Glover Teixeira fight. 51 fights in, I’m still getting better."