In the highly anticipated UFC 298 main event, Topuria made the most of his moment on the big stage when he knocked Volkanovski unconscious at the 3:32 mark of Round 2 to claim title gold at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
A massive right hand early from Topuria in Round 2 sealed the deal after a closely contested opening five minutes. As Volkanovski circled against the cage he walked directly into a left hand that shut the lights out.
Follow-up shots rained down, but weren’t necessary for the task at hand. Volkanovski laid unconscious on the canvas for a significant period of time before he rose to his feet to congratulate his opponent.
Topuria became the first Spanish and Georgian fighter to hold UFC gold. He’s believed by many to be a potential budding superstar for a market the UFC has not yet visited. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell even flew to Spain ahead of the bout during negotiations with Topuria.
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie