UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje continues to make quick work of his opponents. Facing the fan-favorite Donald Cerrone at UFC Vancouver (UFC on ESPN+ 16), Gaethje (21-2) scored a first-round TKO victory over "Cowboy" to push his win streak (and knockout streak) to three.
The main event certainly lived up to fan expectations as both fighters - who hold tremendous respect for one another - traded blows from the start. Gaethje looked impressive, attacking Cerrone with a steady diet of leg kicks early on before going upstairs with some powerful punches.
With under a minute to go in the first-round, Gaethje connected with a right hand that sent Cerrone to a knee. Though Cerrone did immediately bounce back up, he was clearly dazed and barely hanging on. A few more punches once again dropped him. On all fours, clearly defenseless, Gaethje clearly wanted the ref to stop it, but was forced to throw a few more punches before it was finally called for a TKO stoppage.
With the win, Justin Gaethje now owns a 21-2 record. His three-straight first-round knockouts have fans calling for him to fight the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson (which has not even been booked yet) for the title.