(“Ok guys, I want a clean, fair fight…you know what, let’s just go with clean.”)
Former UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado may be best known for his ability to absorb a punch (and then ten thousand punches after that), but in his victories, he’s shown a decent enough ability to throw one as well.
Having been one of eight fighters cut by the UFC back in December following consecutive losses to Rampage Jackson and Corey Anderson, Maldonado recently decided to return to his old stomping grounds inside the squared circle to see if he still had any spark left in those bungalows he likes to throw around. His first fight back in February played out in nearly perfect fashion, with Maldonado defeating Robson Bambu via first round knockout. Emerging from the fight completely unscathed, the Brazilian slugger was booked against 2-7 jobber Alessandro Bernardo in a quick turnaround match last week, and the results were almost identical.
Skip ahead to the 1:50 mark of the above video to check out the full fight, and if you’re really in a hurry, skip ahead another 10 seconds to see Maldonado knock his opponent dead with literally the first punch he throws: a Liddell-esque overhand right.
The win improves Maldonado’s boxing record to a perfect 24-0 with 23 knockouts, suggesting that maybe it’s time he started receiving a step up in competition. As for his MMA career, Maldonado was scheduled to take on Andrew Smith at an XFCI event on March 19th, but that event was later cancelled due to a number of sponsors pulling out. As it stands, Maldonado is expecting to return to MMA on May 6th at Primeiro Round against an opponent TBA.
The post VIDEO: Fabio Maldonado Returns to Boxing, Wrecks Opponent With First Punch appeared first on Cagepotato.