Michael Bisping couldn’t believe how brutal Cesar Almeida’s knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan was.
Almeida, 36, featured on the main card of UFC’s first event in 2025 and his knockout secured him a $50,000 bonus.
The KO was so powerful that Alhassan couldn’t get off his stool for the official fight announcement at the end of the bout.
“Now, here’s the finish,” Bisping said during the broadcast, watching a replay of the KO.
“And again, he’s not thinking about what’s coming back his way – BOOM!
“Left hook. On the jaw. Sits him down. Stiff as a board. Out like a light. Knockout of the night.”
Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz, who recently announced his next fight would be his last, was also on commentary for the event.
“I mean, there’s not much you can say,” he said. “Look at the way he – oh my gosh.
“And the way his head hits the floor on the way out, that’s what really made it extra gnarly.
“It was shocking to see that knockout.”
Almeida has lost just one of his five UFC bouts since making his debut on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023.
After absorbing a knockdown from Alhassan in the opening minutes of round one in their middleweight bout, Almeida fought back like a warrior, eventually turning his opponents light out.
Alhassan was down for several minutes after the highlight-reel finish but eventually found his way to the stool and left the octagon without needing any further assistance.
Elsewhere at UFC Vegas 101, Viktoriia Dudakova left MMA fans stunned after she slapped her coach following her second UFC loss in a row.
Mackenzie Dern submitted Amanda Ribas in the main event to put her name in contention for a title shot in the women’s strawweight division.
Dern revealed after the fight that she wants to have one more fight before taking on women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili, who fights Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in February.
Conor McGregor reacted to the bout, saying he wants to see a trilogy fight between the Brazilian pair, as Ribas already has a victory over Dern.
Roman Kopylov defeated fellow middleweight Chris Curtis on the main card too at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
UFC CEO White shared photos on Instagram after the bout, which showed Kopylov’s devastating wound despite his victory.
“Tonight’s card was incredible!” he wrote. “Respect to the entire card tonight.”
It’s clear to see the UFC’s first event of 2025 was a major success for White, considering all of the talking points.