In a finish that will inevitably feature on many fans’ knockout of the year lists, Moraes blasted Sterling out cold on his feet with a well-timed knee to the chin.
The 29-year-old Brazilian caught the Funk Master flush as he attempted a takedown.
And the force of the strike switched the lights out instantly.
Sterling toppled onto the canvas and went stiff as a board, causing immediate concern for the referee, who furiously waved the contest off and summoned medical staff into the cage.
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Doctors tended to Sterling for several minutes inside the Octagon, while Moraes conducted his post-fight interview outside.
“I’m here now,” one fan wrote on social media site Reddit.
“They dimmed the one side of the cage and had the decision against the cage at an angle where it wouldn't be on TV.”
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Another said: “That knee froze Sterling in time. He stiffened out with his eyes open.”
Thankfully, the 28-year-old tweeted some hours later, reassuring fans that he is safe and well.
“Hats off to Marlon. Thought I timed the takedown perfectly and he was able to land a nasty knee,” he wrote.
“Sucks to be the nail, but this is the fight game. I'm ok for all those asking.”