Nordine Taleb (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) picked up the quickest win of his professional MMA career, needing just 59 seconds to stop Danny Roberts (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC).
The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC on FOX 26 event at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It aired on FS1 following an additional prelim on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FOX.
Both men were throwing heavy shots to open, wth Roberts just missing on a high kick in the early seconds. But it was Taleb who would land with his own right foot to the face shortly after, leaving his opponent stunned against the cage. Taleb immediately capitalized, launching a big right hand that sent Roberts crashing to the floor. Referee Jerin Valel immediately rushed in to halt the contest, much to Roberts’ dismay, though the call seemed just, ending the fight in the opening minute.
“This was the exact plan we envisioned,” Taleb said after his win. “I worked on that throughout my entire camp, so it was beautiful to see it play out. I hope for the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. I think I earned it.
“I knew I needed to make a statement tonight because I am not the type of fighter to make up a character. I just want to show up and put on a great show for the fans. I was considering moving to middleweight, but I felt great there tonight. Now, I will go home and enjoy the holidays before I plot what is next for me.”
Taleb now boasts a two-fight winning streak, while Roberts falls to 1-2 in his past three appearances.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 26 results include:
- Nordine Taleb def. Danny Roberts via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 0:59
- John Makdessi def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alessio Di Chirico def. Oluwale Bamgbose via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 2:14
- Jordan Mein def. Erick Silva via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 26, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
(MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Winnipeg.)
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