'Crazy things happen in Utah'… Six insane knockouts from when the UFC last arrived in Salt Lake City ahead of PPV return
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This weekend, the MMA world leader returns to stunning Salt Lake City for another fabulous night of PPV action in what will be only the fourth-ever UFC event held out in Utah.
Across those three previous events hosted in Salt Lake City, there have been just 11 knockouts from 35 fights; but don't worry – when a KO does occur in Utah, it's usually a Knockout of the Year contender.
Six insane knockouts from when the UFC touched down in Utah
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman: August 20, 2022
Not only was Leon Edwards' headkick KO one of the most emotional finishes to a fight that we'd ever seen, but the knockout was certainly one of the most dramatic in recent memory.
With just one minute left on the clock in a fight that had been dominated by Kamaru Usman, 'Rocky' would find a way to pull the rabbit out of the hat; landing a picture-perfect high kick to claim the UFC welterweight title.
Unsurprisingly, the finish was later awarded the 'Knockout of the Year' award by the UFC, with Edwards also being honored with the 'Comeback of the Year' and 'Upset of the Year'.
As Usman laid out his prediction for the main event of UFC 307 this coming weekend, he noted with a grin how “crazy things happen in Utah.”
Justin Gaethje vs Dustin Poirier: July 29, 2023
The last time that the UFC touched down in Salt Lake City, the PPV was headlined by a BMF title fight between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, and boy-oh-boy did that main event deliver.
After a scrappy opening round, 'The Highlight' would add yet another astonishing viral finish to his resume as he also landed a beautiful high kick which mirrored Leon Edwards' KO from the year before.
Gaethje would earn an extra $50K Performance of the Night bonus for the knockout, one of several insane finishes that would end up going down on the exact same card.
Derrick Lewis vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima: July 29, 2023
Everyone loves a flying knee, right? Well, everyone aside from Marcos Rogerio de Lima, who found himself on the end of an explosive shot from 'The Black Beast' just a few seconds into their 2023 bout.
Derrick Lewis would fly across the cage to land the knee, before following up with vicious ground-and-pound to earn the knockout win just 33 seconds into round one.
Following the knockout, Lewis then took off his fight shorts and gave a few celebratory 'pumps' to the raucous audience – he also left the arena that night with an extra $50K alongside Gaethje.
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Marcin Tybura vs Viktor Pesta: August 6, 2016
The first time that the UFC arrived in Salt Lake City was all the way back in 2016 for a Fight Night card headlined by featherweights Yair Rodriguez and Alex Caceres.
With five of the six main card bouts ending via decision, the best stoppage of the entire night occurred on the prelims when Marcin Tybura landed a flush head kick on Viktor Pesta in round two.
Tybura would return to Salt Lake City for the UFC 278 card in 2022, going 2-0 in Utah as he bested Alexander Romanov via a majority decision.
Uros Medic vs Matthew Semelsberger: July 29, 2023
Uros Medic certainly made a statement back in 2023 when he stepped up on just two weeks' notice to face Semelsberger, after his original opponent withdrew from the bout with an injury.
After a close back-and-forth across the opening two rounds, Medic would continue to land with vicious intent before delivering a rare spinning backfist knockout late into the third.
Whilst the KO wasn't enough to earn Medic a $50K bonus, it did cement his place in the minds of fans as one of the most dangerous welterweights in the division.
Roman Kopylov vs Claudio Ribeiro: July 29, 2023
Last, but certainly not least, is Roman Kopylov's brutal headkick KO of Claudio Ribeiro, which was so devastating that it left both Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan speechless.
Ironically, Kopylov's headkick KO actually went down just a few minutes after Medic's spinning backfist and just a few hours before Justin Gaethje rounded out the night with a BMF title-winning headkick of his own.
Can UFC 307 match the insanity that has been the last two PPVs out in Salt Lake City? Find out this weekend!
