Cyborg triumphs in UFC debut with 81-second knockout
Buda Mendes / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Cris Cyborg lived up to the hype in her UFC debut, needing just 81 seconds to knock out Leslie Smith at UFC 198 on Saturday.
It was a storybook moment for Cyborg who was competing in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil for the first time in over nine years. She patiently measured Smith before unloading with a blindingly fast combination of lefts and rights that sent Smith stumbling to the mat.
Smelling blood, Cyborg dove in to end the fight with ground-and-pound. Despite Smith's protests that she was still in the fight, the referee had seen enough, and he waved the bout off at 1:21 of the first round.
Cyborg has now won 10 straight fights by knockout, and she is undefeated in her career since losing her first MMA bout over a decade ago.
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