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YOUNG BEAST

Dillian Whyte scored brutal 12-second knockout when he made his MMA debut as a 19-year-old back in 2008

Before transitioning to boxing, heavyweight Dillian Whyte competed in both kickboxing and MMA as a teenager.

The Brixton ‘Body Snatcher’ is now a top contender in the division and looks set to get a world title shot at Tyson Fury in the early part of 2022.

19-year-old Whyte was a young beast

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19-year-old Whyte was a young beast

However, in 2008, before his amateur boxing career got going, Whyte turned to MMA for one night only.

He’d previously had kickboxing bouts with mixed success and even returned to that sport in 2009 for a KO of Will Riva.

For his MMA debut, he was matched against 43-year-old Mark Stroud.

The 24-year age gap became apparent very quickly in the bout and it was over in a flash.

Stroud did not last long

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Stroud did not last long

Within the first fiery exchange, Whyte smashed Stroud with a right hand which saw him fall to the canvas.

Whyte then followed up with another huge right to finish the contest while Stroud was down.

At this point the referee jumped in to separate the fighters.

The time of the stoppage was just 12 seconds.

Whyte’s MMA record stands at 1-0 to this day

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Whyte’s MMA record stands at 1-0 to this day

In 2009 though, Whyte made his amateur boxing debut against fellow novice Anthony Joshua.

AJ was 2-0 at this point, but suffered his first loss as he was floored by Whyte.

This sparked the rivalry which led to their pro rematch and still exists today.