Dan "50K" Ige scored one of the most spectacular knockouts of the night at UFC Vegas 86. The Hawaiian native sparked his opponent, Andre Fili, with a crisp overhand that detached him from consciousness, Ige followed up with a ground strike that secured the victory.
Both fighters came out tentative in the opening seconds. The two featherweights had contrasting styles, with Ige's tight guard and Fili's loose movement. "Touchy" lived up to his monicker by prodding Ige with long jabs and slick counter hooks. "50K" made a quick read, however, when he timed one of Fili's jabs with a huge overhand right which folded Fili like a lawn chair; a follow-up shot on the ground rolled Fili's eyes to the back of his head, and the fight was over.
In his post-fight interview, Ige admitted that his friend and training partner Fili "messes me up" in sparring, and had to remind him that "this is different."
With this victory, Ige defends his featherweight ranking and denies Fili a spot in the top 15. The knockout may not secure Ige a higher spot in the rankings, but it could certainly earn him another bonus, and another high-profile bout in the future.
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