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Yair Rodriguez drops 'The Korean Zombie' with no-look elbow for insane buzzer-beating knockout

Yair Rodriguez barely had energy to celebrate after an exhilarating fight against Chan Sung Jung. (Getty Images)
Yair Rodriguez barely had energy to celebrate after an exhilarating fight against Chan Sung Jung. (Getty Images)

Five minutes into the fifth round of Yair Rodriguez’s fight against Chan Sung Jung, widely known as “The Korean Zombie,” the buzzer sounded and the main event at Denver’s UFC Fight Night was over. And yet, it didn’t go to decision.

Rather, Rodriguez landed one of the most unbelievable knockouts in MMA history with a devastating, no-look elbow to drop Jung with one second left in the fight. Seconds after Jung fell to the ground, Rodriguez followed him due to sheer exhaustion from a grueling match.

[Kevin Iole: Was Rodriguez’s last-second KO the greatest in UFC history?]

The result tied Demetrious Johnson’s record for the latest finish in UFC history, previously set in 2015 when the flyweight champ submitted Kyoji Horiguchi via arm bar at the 4:59 mark in the fifth round.

Yair Rodriguez’s drops ‘The Korean Zombie’ with no-look elbow

What happened wasn’t readily apparent in real time, as Jung appeared to crumple to the ground just as Rodriguez stood back up after dodging a punch. The ending soon became quite clear when viewed from a side angle.

Before the final second of the fight, Rodriguez and Jung had been repeatedly trading blows in nearly equal measure, staying upright for nearly the entire night. It was a classic, and potentially a Fight of the Year contender, that had both fighters completely drained by the end.

When asked how he felt after the win, Rodriguez was brutally honest.

“Like s—,” the Mexican fighter said as he was held up by his trainers.

UFC world reacts to unreal Yair Rodriguez knockout

As you’d imagine happens following a buzzer-beating, no-look knockout at the end of an already excellent fight, the UFC world has some reactions.

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Kevin Iole: Is Yair Rodriguez’s KO the greatest ever?