Anthony Birchak face plants Joe Soto with crushing first-round KO
Anthony Birchak made up for a quick loss in his UFC debut with an equally devastating victory as he put away Joe Soto at just 1:37 in the first round by knockout.
Birchak and Soto were supposed to meet last August at UFC 177, but a weight cutting disaster forced Renan Barao to forgo his main event fight against bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw, so the promotion needed a replacement.
Soto got the call over Birchak, but after Saturday night it appears the UFC may have selected the wrong man for the job.
Birchak came out of the gates quick in his fight with Soto, looking to put quick combinations together with his long reach and powerful hands.
When he finally slipped a punch through Soto's defenses, Birchak pounced and trapped his opponent against the cage where he unloaded a heavy barrage of elbows to the head while looking for the finish.
Birchak finally took a step back and started winging punches at Soto, instead, until the second-time UFC fighter wilted from the pressure and fell face first into the canvas.
Birchak gets the first-round knockout and he had no problem pointing out after the fight that he finished Soto much faster than Dillashaw did last year.
"This is literally a dream come true," Birchak said. "I wanted to come in and really lay hands on him. I know the champ didn't do that. He did it five rounds, I did it in one."
Birchak was a highly-touted prospect coming into the UFC and while he had a rough start to his career, his latest win proves that he definitely belongs in the Octagon.
