UFC 191 was not an especially great event. Sure, there were a few things to get excited about, like the back-and-forth brawl between Raquel Pennington and Jessica Andrade and Demetrious Johnson’s masterful win over John Dodson. The card would likely be completely forgotten, however, if not for this absurd minute:
Stop everything you’re doing right now. This may be the CRAZIEST :60 seconds of fighting you’ll ever see. #UFC191 http://t.co/j28k6wUOzw
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) September 6, 2015
For 60 glorious seconds, John Lineker and Francisco Rivera delivered some of the most absurd action one could expect from MMA. The two bantamweights literally bit down on their mouthpieces and slung haymaker after haymaker. It wasn’t pretty, technical or smooth…but man, it was exciting.
Rivera would find himself rocked after eating two big punches, so he shot for a takedown. The sloppy move, however, led to a tight guillotine from Lineker that forced a tap at 2:08 of Round 1. When the dust settled, FightMetric tallied 100 total strikes thrown, with 48 landing. The brawl earned both men a Fight of the Night bonus check.
FOTN: Lineker vs. Rivera POTN: A. Johnson, Rocky Pennington
— E. Spencer Kyte (@spencerkyte) September 6, 2015
It was a huge victory for the Brazilian. A former flyweight contender, Lineker was forced out of the division because of his inability to consistently make weight. In eight fights at 125 pounds, he came in heavy four times (and also missed weight on his first attempt on other occasions). While he gives up a size and strength advantage by moving back up to the bantamweight division, he was able to finish a top-10 opponent in Rivera and could be poised to make a serious run toward the title.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com