LAS VEGAS – Josh Samman requested a fight at UFC 181 in honor of his late girlfriend, Hailey, whose birthday would have been this weekend.
Granted a chance, Samman made the most of his opportunity. The 26-year-old middleweight from Miami knocked TUF 19 winner Eddie Gordon cold at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with a head kick. The time was 3:08 of round two.
“I had so many moments of self-doubt and uncertainty in my life since my last time in the cage,” Samman said. “But ever since I arrived this week in Las Vegas I had no doubt what was going to happen.”
Gordon (7-2), a Serra-Longo fighter, controlled the action in round one, scoring takedowns seemingly at will and smothering Samman (11-2) on the ground.
He still appeared to be in control of the bout when he made his big mistake, turning the wrong way as Samman fired off a left kick, which caught him flush behind the ear. Gordon was out before he hit the mat; it took about five minutes before he was back on his feet.
“You don’t know how many times I drilled that over and over and over,” Samman said. “I told my coaches I’m going to get him with my left high kick. That’s exactly what I did, I executed it.”
Samman, who appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 17, had been out of action since April 2013. Partially this was due to injury, but it was also in part due to the death of his girlfriend, Hailey, who died in an auto accident in Sept. 2013.
“This is for my mom, this is for Hailey, this is for everyone who has cared for me and helped me back to where I am today,” Samman said.