UFC Fight Night 30: Lyoto Machida Knocks Out Mark Munoz In First Round
In the UFC Fight Night 30 main event in Manchester, England, Lyoto Machida’s middleweight debut ended in victory after he defeated Mark Munoz by knockout at 3:10 in the first round.
Early in the round, both men were just feeling each other out, with Machida backing away as Munoz threw a right punch. Two minutes in, Machida landed a body kick, and then another. He dropped Munoz with a head kick and started to go in for the finish, but the referee jumped in before he got the chance and called a stop to the fight. In a show of true sportsmanship, Machida knelt down next to Munoz, and the two men embraced.
“Mark is a good friend for me, but as a professional, I don’t think about that, I just do my job here,” Machida said after the fight. “Mark, thank you for fighting me, sorry about that. Great job.”
The co-main event between Melvin Guillard and Ross Pearson ended less satisfyingly with a no contest. The referee called a stop to the fight at 1:57 in the first round after Guillard landed two knees to Pearson’s head. The first was visibly legal, but the second wasn’t as clear and took a few replays to determine that Pearson’s hand landed on the mat just as Guillard landed the knee. Both fighters were clearly upset with the call.
Full UFC Fight Night 30 Results:
Main card:
Lyoto Machida def. Mark Munoz via first round knockout
Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard declared no contest (accidental illegal blow)
Jimi Manuwa def. Ryan Jimmo via second-round TKO
Norman Parke def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision
Nicholas Musoke def. Alessio Sakara via submission (armbar)
John Lineker def. Phil Harris via first-round TKO
Undercard:
Al Iaquinta def. Piotr Hallmann via unanimous decision
Luke Barnatt def. Andrew Craig via submission (rear-naked choke)
Jessica Andrade def. Rosi Sexton via unanimous decision
Cole Miller def. Andy Ogle via unanimous decision
Jimy Hettes def. Robert Whiteford via submission (triangle)
Brad Scott def. Michael Kuiper via submission (guillotine)
