MMA is often swift with its violence.
One second you’re on the couch with nachos, making your way toward the dip; the next, the guy you were rooting for is on his back hugging an invisible entity and you have no idea how it happened.
That’s largely how Cub Swanson fans felt on June 7, 2009, when their boy took on a rising featherweight by the name of Jose Aldo.
Swanson himself was no joke, sitting at 13-2 going into the bout, and the winner was expected to tackle Mike Brown for the WEC featherweight title—the most prestigious at the weight class in that era.
Aldo was, believe it or not, a pretty quiet 4-0 in the promotion to that point, though many suggested he might be something special given the ferocity with which he was dispatching opponents.
Against Killer Cub, it took him a mere eight seconds to confirm as much.
Coming out of the corner after his trademark “stare at the ground and ponder the destruction you’re about to unleash on some poor schmuck” setup, Aldo came to the center of the cage and launched into a single flying knee.
It landed.
Swanson, even now known for his durability going on a decade later, crumpled to the mat holding his face. Aldo followed up with some shots on the ground, and the fight was called.
All over. Eight seconds.
It was the birth of the greatest featherweight the sport had ever seen, as Aldo went on to torch Brown in his next bout and hold the belt for seven years, long after it was converted into the UFC featherweight title. (Aldo defends the lightweight strap Saturday at UFC 212 against interim champ Max Holloway.)
Check out the whole thing in GIF form below.
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