UFC 286 video: Yanal Ashmoz mid-air punch leads to woozy Sam Patterson grappling referee Marc Goddard

A brutal knockout on the UFC 286 prelims left one semi-conscious fighter attempting to grapple with referee Marc Goddard.

Yanal Ashmoz entered enemy territory an underdog at UFC 286 and he exited with a nasty knockout added to his highlight reel. In 75 seconds, Ashmoz (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finished Sam Patterson (10-2-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with punches to pick up his first promotional win. The event took place Saturday at The O2 in London.

After catching a Patterson leg kick, Ashmoz landed a two-punch combination on his mid-air opponent. Patterson crashed to the canvas and was OK for a slight window until Ashmoz pounded consciousness out of him. Goddard dove in to save Patterson, right as he went out cold.

As Ashmoz celebrated his victory as a +240 underdog (on average, per BestFightOdds), Patterson struggled to regain his bearings. As commission officials and medical staff attended to Patterson, the woozy fighter grabbed hold of Goddard in what appeared to be a clinch attempt. Eventually, Patterson came to.

The stoppage was criticized by the broadcast, as commentator Jon Anik spoke highly of Goddard’s typical officiating – but said he thought the leash was too long on this particular stoppage.

Israel’s Ashmoz kicks off his UFC career in style and remains undefeated. Saturday’s knockout was the fourth of his career. Ashmoz trains under former Khabib Nurmagomedov coach Murat Keshtov.

Patterson, who signed with the UFC after a Dana White’s Contender Series win in 2022, loses for the first time since November 2017. Both of his professional losses have come by knockout.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:

• Yanal Ashmoz def. Sam Patterson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:15

• Muhammad Mokaev def. Jafel Filho via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:32

• Lerone Murphy def. Gabriel Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

• Christian Duncan def. Dusko Todorovic via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 1:52

• Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:01

• Joanne Wood def. Luana Carolina via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

• Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein declared majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

• Veronica Hardy def. Juliana Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie