UFC 244: 5 moments from the event which you should have seen - KO of the year; immunity to submissions

Left: Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz; Right: Kevin Lee walks away after knocking out Gregor Gillespie.
Left: Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz; Right: Kevin Lee walks away after knocking out Gregor Gillespie.

UFC 244 is in the books and now, we are moving onto the next event. UFC Fight Night 163 is set to take place this weekend. Before we can move on properly though, we need to take a look back at one of the most important events in the history of the company.

Taking place in a state where MMA was banned until recently, UFC made a loud proclamation that they had arrived in an event seen around the world. With quite a large gate from UFC 244, Dana White was very happy with the way things turned out at the pay-per-view.

Also read: UFC 244 News: Dana White reveals how much money the event made, Performers and Fight of the Night

There were several moments from the event which stood out a bit more than others. A few results saw the future of UFC change as well, with a fighter's undefeated UFC streak coming to an end. Here are five moments from UFC 244 that you should have seen.

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Without any further ado, let's get into it.


#5: Unnatural ability of Derrick Lewis

Lewis in action against Ivanov at UFC 244.
Lewis in action against Ivanov at UFC 244.

Derrick Lewis is not the most skilled fighter in the UFC. In fact, he is far from being one of the top men in the Octagon. However, what he has... is an apparent immunity to submission attempts.

At UFC 244, Derrick Lewis was fighting previously undefeated Blagov Ivanov inside the Octagon. The two had a hard-hitting bout, where Lewis was in trouble at different portions of the fight.

Twice, he was put in such submissions that it seemed impossible that he should get out of them. Not only did Lewis escape the submissions but he also did so with such gusto that it stunned everyone watching.

It appeared that Lewis was not even affected by the submissions and just stood up from them as if getting out of bed. The second time, the submission was completely locked in, but the escape came when he simply stood up as if sliding out of the submission that had seemingly never existed except in our own minds.

#4: Stephen Thompson breaks hand in the second round

Thompson broke his right hand in the fight against Luque at UFC 244.
Thompson broke his right hand in the fight against Luque at UFC 244.

Stephen Thompson earned a fight of the night bonus alongside Vicente Luque for the fight that they put on at UFC 244.

'Wonderboy' was dominant but Luque was extremely tough as well, getting some hard shots in. It was an incredible contest between the two fighters but in the end, Stephen Thompson got the decision win.

However, the win came at the cost of his right hand. Heading into the third round, Thompson could be heard telling his corner that he may have broken his hand. In the second round of the fight, Thompson hit Luque in the forehead with a right, possibly breaking his hand instantaneously.

This proved to be the case as he later revealed in the post-event press conference that his knuckle was possibly broken.

Despite the broken hand, Thompson had fought on in the third round. It paid off, and he even threw right hands in the final round of the fight, knocking down Luque again and again, although the fighter seemed impossible to stop.

#3: Corey Anderson's KO of Johnny Walker

UFC 244 was a completely stacked card. This cannot be made more evident than simply by looking at the fight that could not even make it to the main card.

Heading up the preliminary fights of the night was the young newcomer to the UFC who has attracted everyone's attention, including Jon Jones'. Johnny Walker was on the card, facing none other than Corey Anderson.

Walker had been incredible in the UFC so far, with KO defeats and being undefeated in the promotion. He was being touted as the person who would eventually go on to defeat Jon Jones.

Unfortunately for him, his hype train came to a sudden stop at the station of Corey Anderson. In the very first round of their fight, he dropped Walker twice, with the latter running away from him. The referee had to step in and stop the fight.

This fight was unfortunately not seen by a lot of people as it had been on the preliminary card, but it was extremely significant as it means that Walker is no longer one of the top up-and-coming names in the promotion anymore.

#2: UFC KO of the year

Kevin Lee walks away after knocking out Gregor Gillespie.
Kevin Lee walks away after knocking out Gregor Gillespie.

Kevin Lee might be someone who was fading from discussions about top fighters in the UFC, but that is no longer the case after his fight with Gregor Gillespie. Heading into UFC 244, Lee had three losses in his last four fights, while Gillespie was the one who had the undefeated record.

The 13-0 record of 'The Gift' became 13-1 after UFC 244 was done, however, as Lee finished him with the most brutal and instantaneous KO of the year so far. This will be considered to be right up there with Masvidal's KO of Ben Askren earlier this year. The kick from Lee sent Gillespie into the next Millenium. The KO came with a combo of a right hook followed by a left high kick, which immediately knocked out 'The Gift' and he fell straight back.

It seems unlikely that Lee will be overlooked after this fight, as it shoots him straight back into the limelight. Another win like this might even see him right back in title contention as well.

#1: Nate Diaz's indestructible chin

UFC 244 Masvidal v Diaz
UFC 244 Masvidal v Diaz

Simply put, Nate Diaz might be indestructible. Jorge Masvidal and Diaz's fight in the main event of UFC 244 was something that everyone should have seen, and most probably did see. It was easy to see the level of domination that Masvidal brought to the fight in the early rounds. He was easily the better of the two fighters, dropping Diaz easily as if he were nothing.

In the very first round, Masvidal had already cut open Diaz's face — the same cuts that would later go on to bring about a premature stoppage to the fight. However, amidst the new BMF Champion's domination, something might have been missed by a lot of viewers; Nate Diaz was not staying down.

After his UFC career, Diaz might just have the perfect career set for him as a zombie on The Walking Dead, because just like them, he keeps on coming. Masvidal landed some insane shots on Diaz, but somehow or other, they did not really affect him enough to keep him down.

Not only was he not that badly affected, he simply kept on coming and firing shots of his own, leading to points where Masvidal was visibly frustrated and could be seen wondering what he would have to do to keep him down.

Other than that, a hilarious moment that many missed was Jorge Masvidal teasing the knee early on in the fight and then laughing about it.


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Edited by A. Ayush Chatterjee
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