UFC Fight Night 29 went down Wednesday night from Barueri, Brazil. The main event featured two elite welterweight grapplers in Demian Maia and Jake Shields, and while that fight contained plenty of moments to appreciate, the true memory came from the co-main event, in which underdog Dong Hyun Kim knocked out fellow welterweight Erick Silva in the second round.
South Korea’s “Stun Gun” is known mainly as a grappler, and that characteristic was on full display in the first round, as he controlled his Brazilian opponent on the ground and seemed to win the round on points.
But points became quite moot at 3:01 of the second round, when a Kim left hook whipped around the flank and landed perfectly on Silva’s off switch, knocking Silva cold. One academic ground strike later, and the referee had called the stoppage.
It was the third consecutive win for Kim (18-2-1-1), who at 31 appears to be at the very top of his game. His last defeat, interestingly, came to Maia, but happened only after Kim suffered a freak leg injury. If not for that stroke of bad luck, Kim might very well be undefeated in his last five contests.
Once considered a top prospect in the division, Silva (15-4-1) is now 2-2 in his last four and 3-3 overall in the UFC. It seems his star has faded for now, as he has been bested by contenders in Kim and previously Jon Fitch, while his two most recent wins came over solid—if unspectacular—fighters in Charlie Brenneman and Jason High.
By comparison, Kim’s only UFC losses have come to Maia and Carlos Condit.
Did you miss the action? Had something else to do Wednesday night? We have you covered. Here, courtesy of our friends at FoxSports.com, are video highlights from the evening’s co-main event and clear high point.
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