LAS VEGAS — American MMA fighter Joe Pyfer hit Marc-Andre Barriault so hard that he face-planted the canvas in brutal fashion Saturday at inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Even though rising star Payton Talbott scored a 19-second finish, Pyfer's knockout was arguably the nastiest of the night as Barriault barely moved once he was on the canvas, bearing uncanny similarity to the way in which Juan Manuel Marquez flattened in their fourth and final fight in 2012 at the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena. It was a great win for Pyfer, who bounced back from the first loss of his UFC career having come unstuck in a defeat via decision to Jack Hermansson in February, earlier this year.
Payton Talbott is one of the UFC's newest stars and scored a lightning-quick win at UFC 303. Pyfer only needed 85 seconds to finish his fight, landing landing eight strikes from 10 thrown, targeting the head and legs of Barriault, with a body shot in the mix for good measure. Pyfer had barely broken a sweat, and didn't even get hit as Barriault threw five shots but landed none, before the end came — one of the year's best knockouts.
The UFC 303 event that GIVEMESPORT attended live Saturday in Las Vegas originally featured the return of Conor McGregor in the main event, against Michael Chandler. However, McGregor suffered a broken pinky toe earlier this month and withdrew from the contest. As Jamahal Hill, who was in line to fight Carlos Ulberg, also withdrew, it left UFC executives scrambling to save.