Joe Rogan looks shocked inside the Octagon at UFC 300, inset retro banner. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Joe Rogan slammed ’embarrassing’ UFC heavyweight fight moments before brutal superman punch KO

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 11:55 PM ET

On this day in 2005, an incredibly dull fight produced a highlight out of absolutely nowhere.

The heavyweight division in MMA has always been a double-edged sword that can produce both devastating knockouts and dull, lethargic contests.

Hamdy Abdelwahab was recently cut from the UFC roster despite getting his hand raised in a heavily criticized bout with Chris Barnett at UFC 321.

We’ve even seen matchups that look like absolute dynamite on paper fail to deliver, with Joe Rogan being critical of Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis after it massively underdelivered.

Another heavyweight clash that made for tough viewing for Rogan and fans served as the co-main event of UFC 56.

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Joe Rogan was stunned after Gabriel Gonzaga stopped Kevin Jordan in 2005

Sandwiched in between Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin defending his middleweight title was the heavyweight co-main event at UFC 56.

In his UFC debut, grappling specialist Gabriel Gonzaga would face California’s Kevin Jordan, who looked to bounce back from a submission loss in his first Octagon appearance.

Despite the fight nearly going the full 15-minute duration, both men only combined for a total significant strikes landed of 41, ten more than in the infamous Francis Ngannou vs Derrick Lewis bout.

Whereas Lewis and Ngannou both appeared to be hesitating, Gonzaga and Jordan appeared to have very little left in the tank from an early stage in the contest.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Joe Rogan was very critical of this on commentary, with Gonzaga recalling in an Instagram post from earlier this year that the commentator had labelled the fight “embarrassing”.

However, one of those 41 significant strikes ended up making all the difference, with the Brazilian landing a superman punch out of nowhere with less than 30 seconds left on the clock, dropping his opponent and instantly bloodying him.

Gonzaga reflected on that one punch “changed his life” as he immediately finished Jordan and busted him open to produce a highlight on his debut.

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Gabriel Gonzaga produced a much more iconic UFC knockout several fights later

Gabriel Gonzaga admitted that he was in poor shape for his UFC debut but after pulling off a stunning knockout, he started to put a winning streak together inside the Octagon.

This led him to UFC 70 in 2007 where in one of the most shocking finishes of all time, the grappling specialist knocked out feared striker Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick in the first round.