There were worrying scenes when America’s Cory Hendricks brutally knocked out Russia’s Konstantin Erokhin early in their fight at ACB 77 in Moscow on Saturday, with doctors spending minutes trying to revive the Russian fighter.
Hendricks, a 29-year-old Las Vegas native, might not be the most established name for fight fans, with only six fights on his record. He is mostly known for taking part in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality television series, where he lost via majority decision in the final.
A year later, he debuted in Russian MMA promotion Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB) in their prospects event, ACB Young Eagles, where he defeated his opponent in 100 seconds via technical knockout (head kick and punches).
His impressive performance earned him a chance to fight at ACB's final card of the year in Moscow, which included 26 of their most exciting fighters currently available.
Hendricks delivered again, knocking 34-year-old Muscovite Erokhin out cold just 30 seconds into the first round.
As with his previous victory, the American started with a heavy head kick, which sent his opponent onto the canvas, where he proceeded with a vicious ground and pound, before Erokhin fell unconscious. Herb Dean, providing refereeing for the event, waved the fight off, and immediately called for medical assistance.
Here is the video of the worrying moment filmed cage side.
As can be seen in the footage, Erokhin was able to stand straight with support, but was not responsive, and was not reacting to the doctors and team members who were trying to sit him down on a chair and give him an oxygen mask.
Hendricks, to his credit, seemed to be more concerned about his opponent’s health than excited about the quick victory, not celebrating the knockout in any way.
After Erokhin was finally brought back round, he made his way to the center of the cage to take part in the official verdict announcement, where the American still showed no sign of emotion and did not celebrate when the referee raised his arm.
Hendricks’ performance was unsurprising recognized by the ACB, which awarded him the knockout of the night bonus of $10,000.
by Denis Geyko for RT Sport