Finish of the week!
This week’s finish of the week comes from the opening fight of the main card at UFC Fight Night 67, debuting fighter Darren Till showed no traces of UFC jitters as he dispatched his hometown opponent Wendell Oliveira in the second round.In a week with several exciting finishes, I’ve picked Darren’s knockout of Wendell Oliveira in Brazil as my finish of the week. A ground and pound knockout is always exciting for the fans, and to do it with elbows is all the better.Darren Till showed how devastating the half guard could be: he postured up, and rained down heavy elbows until Wendell was knocked out cold. A lot young fighters could learn from this and utilize the half guard more aggressively, and not just use it to hold position and attempt transition. With the victory Darren Till maintained his undefeated record, and impresses fan and UFC brass alike with a finish in his debut appearance in the organization.For his creativity, savagery, and dynamism in a position not often utilized to full effect…Darren Till earns Knockout of the Week with his elbows from the half guard.
Honorable Mention:
UFC 67’s main event between Carols Condit and Thiago Alves had another devastating elbow, this time from a standing position as Carlos threw a lead elbow that totally smashed Thiago’s nose in the second round, breaking it in a bloody way that will probably require surgery. While it was great to see the Natural Born Killer finally return to competition after a long lay-off due to injury and finishing his opponent, the fight ending by doctor stoppage was a slightly anti-climactic outcome.Standing elbows can be extremely damaging when they land flush, and their relative infrequence in MMA means that fighters don’t defend against them as well.
Some other exciting elbow finishes for you to enjoy:
Dong- Hyun Kim VS John Hathway (Spinning Elbow)
Chris Weidman VS Mark Munoz (Lead Elbow)
Nick Denis VS Joseph Sandoval (Elbows from the Clinch)
