Dan Hooker flattens Ross Pearson with devastating knee-strike knockout
In a night filled with big finishes, Dan Hooker added another highlight to his resume with one of the nastiest knockouts in recent memory as he put away Ross Pearson in the second round in their lightweight matchup on Saturday night.
Hooker came into the fight off a loss in his last performance so he undoubtedly wanted to put an exclamation point on Saturday night while fighting at home in New Zealand.
It didn't take Hooker long to use his reach and length to pop Pearson in the face with a series of jabs and stinging leg kicks that tagged the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner throughout the first round.
Pearson seemed to find his range in the second round as he found his way inside Hooker's jab, but his growing confidence ultimately led to his downfall.
As Pearson closed the distance forward for a punch, Hooker countered with a right knee straight up the middle that absolutely blasted the British lightweight and sent his mouthpiece flying into the air.
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Pearson immediately crashed to the canvas as Hooker landed one extra hammer first for good measure as the referee quickly jumped into stop the fight.
"I just saw it," Hooker said about the knee that ended the fight. "It's something we drilled."
The victory moved Hooker to 4-3 in his UFC campaign while possibly adding another 'Performance of the Night' bonus with his latest knockout. As for Pearson, he falls to 0-4 in his past four fights as "The Ultimate Fighter" veteran continues to suffer through the toughest run of his professional career.
