UFC middleweight Kevin Holland made history by extending his calendar year record to 5-0 as he finished Brazilian rival Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza in barely believable fashion at UFC 256 in Las Vegas.
Holland found himself in bottom position inside the first two minutes of the first round of the bout, but flipped the fight on its head with remarkable resourcefulness.
Holland connected with two swinging right hands and a fist all while on his back, and with Jacare dazed he then connected with another big shot from on his knees.
Scrambling to his feet, Holland then finished the job with the Brazilian veteran helplessly backed up against the cage.
The win ensured Holland became only the third fighter in UFC history to go 5-0 in a calendar year, although he achieved the feat in the record-quick time of 210 days.
The unorthodox nature of Holland's finish impressed the MMA community on social media, with the UFC's Twitter account calling the 28-year-old star "an absolute mad man."
"Oh my Lord, Kevin Holland is a killer," wrote another fan, while one amazed observer wrote "someone tell Kevin Holland that shouldn't be possible."
After his fireworks against Jacare, Holland said he wanted to face Russian-born Swedish sensation Khamzat Chimaev, who has likewise enjoyed a rapid-fire string of victories in the UFC in 2020.
"He fights at [185lbs] and [170lbs]. Come back up to 85," Holland said, telling Joe Rogan that he would be willing to face Chimaev in as little as a week's time.
"That's what he does, right? Well I think I do it better. Who's fought the most this year? He could be a champ at 170, but if he comes to 185, I'm going to bang that boy up."
Holland is famously vocal outside and inside the octagon, with the UFC commentary team remarking that he was chatting away to Jacare even more than UFC lightweight champion Khabib does to his opponents.
'Trailblazer' has now won eight fights out of his past nine in the UFC octagon, since suffering defeat on his debut against Thiago Santos in 2018.
Holland's victory saw him pick up a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and moved him closer to top-10 contention in the UFC's middleweight rankings.