LAS VEGAS – Vinicius Oliveira scored one of the greatest knockouts by a debuting fighter in history against Bernardo Sopaj at UFC Fight Night 238.
After getting beat up badly by Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the first half of the bantamweight fight at the UFC Apex, Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) flipped the script and dominated throughout the majority of the second and into the third and final round.
With just 19 seconds remaining, Sopaj stumbled away after taking a shot. Oliveira charged at him and flew into the air with a knee that landed flush across the jaw. Sopaj immediately folded to the canvas and was out cold for a good while at the 4:41 mark of Round 3, but he eventually regained consciousness and was helped out of the octagon by his team.
Check out the replay of the Knockout of the Year contender below (via X):
FLYING KNEE KO 😱 #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/khhUgh4at0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 2, 2024
FLYING KNEE KO FROM @LokdogVinicius 🤯 #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/nNbmrqvWTe
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2024
After the fight, Oliveira pleaded for a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus during his interview with Daniel Cormier. It would be nothing short of shocking if that didn’t come his way after an all-time highlight in his debut appearance.
A flying knee KO we will never forget 🤩@LokdogVinicius | #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/USovHk821B
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2024
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 238 results include:
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Bernardo Sopaj via knockout (flying knee) – Round 3, 4:41
- Aiemann Zahabi def. Javid Basharat via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Christian Duncan def. Claudio Ribeiro via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:57
- Ludovit Klein def. A.J. Cunningham via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:36
- Loik Radzhabov def. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:49
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.
