The finishing sequence was awkward, but that didn’t stop Jacob Malkoun from jumping at the opportunity to score a TKO victory.
In the second round of their preliminary middleweight bout at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Andre Petroski shot in for a takedown on Malkoun (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), appearing to crash his head directly into the hip. Petroski (10-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) appeared stunned, and stumbled backward to the canvas.
Malkoun recognized his opponent was hurt and rushed in to capitalize on the moment with follow-up punches until the referee called a stop to the fight.
Check out video of the finish below (via X):
THE FINISH CAME OUT OF NOWHERE 😳 #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/M7ZxteOJbR
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 30, 2024
The result marked a return to the win column for Malkoun, who entered on the heels of a first-round loss to Cody Brundage in September. Petroski walks away with his second consecutive loss, both by stoppage.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 54 include:
- Jacob Malkoun def. Andre Petroski via TKO – Round 2, 0:39
- Caolan Loughran def. Angel Pacheco via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.
