Record-Breaking UFC 332 Makes History With 11 Knockouts, 9 in Round 1 and 16 Knockdowns

yahoo sports mma |  

UFC 332 was widely considered one of the weakest numbered cards in recent memory. That perception was understandable, especially after the main event was changed at the last minute to a vacant flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong.

The last-minute scramble happened after Valentina Shevchenko was forced to vacate her title because of shoulder and back injuries that were expected to keep her out for at least a year. To make matters worse, the rest of the main card didn’t exactly feature a who’s who of UFC superstars, with Payton Talbott, Deiveson Figueiredo, King Green, and Roberto Soldic among those featured.

 

But now that UFC 332 is in the books, calling it a weak card seems almost laughable. The Salt Lake City event ended up becoming one of the most action-packed cards in UFC history, breaking multiple records along the way.

UFC 332 featured 11 knockouts in total, including nine in the first round, while the event also produced 16 knockdowns. The card also delivered a stretch of eight consecutive finishes, including seven straight first-round stoppages, resulting in four $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. Needless to say, the “weak card” narrative disappeared pretty quickly.

UFC 332 Delivered Nonstop Action From Start to Finish

The historic run started building momentum early during the prelims. The card opened with Court McGee suffering a TKO loss to Eric Nolan in his retirement fight. Nolan put the veteran away in the third round at 3:26 of Round 3.

Next up, another UFC veteran, Rafael dos Anjos, was stopped by Alexander Hernandez at 3:12 of Round 2. Jacobe Smith then kept his undefeated record intact, overwhelming Bruce Whitehead and securing a TKO at 1:32 of Round 1.

 

ALSO READ:Sean Strickland Reveals Why He Isn’t Headlining UFC 335 Against Nassourdine Imavov

Then came Johnny Walker’s heavyweight debut. The Brazilian wasted little time making an impact, catching Mick Parkin cleanly with a devastating knee from the clinch to score a KO at 3:35 of Round 1.

The prelims continued with Anthony Wint making quick work of Lucas Armand. Wint rushed Armand against the fence and secured a blistering TKO just 0:23 of Round 1. Marcus McGhee kept the carnage going against Anthony Romero, dropping him with a frantic combination in the closing seconds of the opening round. The referee stepped in at 4:58 of Round 1, giving McGhee another first-round TKO.

 

Then came Damian Pinas, who stopped Andrey Pulyaev with a sharp KO at 1:15 of Round 1. Pinas’ performance was so impressive that Daniel Cormier went as far as calling him the single biggest power puncher in UFC history.

The prelims ended with another first-round finish as Imanol Rodriguez stopped Alden Coria at 3:11 of Round 1 after a punishing body kick and follow-up strikes. And somehow, the main card only made things crazier.

Roman Kopylov was expected to have his hands full against Ateba Gautier, but the fight went in the opposite direction. Kopylov controlled the fight at range and eventually put Gautier away with clean punches at 3:12 of Round 1.

 

Esteban Ribovics then continued the first-round madness against King Green. Ribovics dropped Green three times with a barrage of combinations before securing the TKO at 4:08 of Round 1.

Perhaps the biggest knockout of the night came in the co-main event. Payton Talbott landed a huge right hand that dropped former champion Deiveson Figueiredo, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 2:09 of Round 1.

 

ALSO READ:“I Love the Idea of That” – Dana White Reacts to Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett Coaching on The Ultimate Fighter

By the end of the night, UFC 332 had produced 11 knockouts, making it the first event in UFC history to feature 11 knockout finishes in a single night. It surpassed the previous record of nine, which was set at UFC Paris in September 2025.

The event also produced nine first-round knockouts, another remarkable mark. Only three previous events, including UFC Belgrade last month and Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 comeback card in July, had featured seven first-round knockouts.

The 9 First-Round Knockouts/TKOs

  1. Payton Talbott def. Deiveson Figueiredo – TKO at 2:09 of Round 1 (Bantamweight)
  2. Esteban Ribovics def. King Green – TKO at 4:08 of Round 1 (Catchweight)
  3. Roman Kopylov def. Ateba Gautier – TKO at 3:12 of Round 1 (Middleweight)
  4. Imanol Rodriguez def. Alden Coria – TKO at 3:11 of Round 1 (Flyweight)
  5. Damian Pinas def. Andrey Pulyaev – KO at 1:15 of Round 1 (Middleweight)
  6. Marcus McGhee def. Anthony Romero – TKO at 4:58 of Round 1 (Featherweight)
  7. Anthony Wint def. Lucas Armand – TKO at 0:23 of Round 1 (Heavyweight)
  8. Johnny Walker def. Mick Parkin – KO at 3:35 of Round 1 (Heavyweight)
  9. Jacobe Smith def. Bruce Whitehead – TKO at 1:32 of Round 1 (Welterweight)

The Other 2 Knockouts

  1. Alexander Hernandez def. Rafael dos Anjos – TKO at 3:12 of Round 2 (Lightweight)
  2. Eric Nolan def. Court McGee – TKO at 3:26 of Round 3 (Welterweight)