Devonte Smith continued his impressive career with another first-round knockout at UFC 234 against Dong Hyun Ma.
Devonte Smith has run through nearly all of his opponents in his career, going 9-1 with all of his wins coming by stoppage. He earned his roster spot on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series with a first-round KO, then did the same thing in his UFC debut against Julian Erosa.
Dong Hyun Ma was on the losing end of one of the best fights in recent memory against Polo Reyes back in 2016. Since then, the South Korean fighter is 3-0 including a knockout victory against the legendary Takanori Gomi. Overall, Ma is 16-8-3 in his career with a 3-2 UFC record.
Devonte Smith took the center of the Octagon quickly then landed a leg kick to signify the first strike landed. Smith went for a one-two that missed then another leg kick. He stayed active on the feet while Ma was finding his range. Midway through the first round, it was all Smith as Ma had yet to land a strike. The leg kicks of Smith were his most effective strikes. But it turned out to be a leg kick from Ma that started the end of the fight. Smith checked a kick from Ma that seemed to hurt Ma as he couldn’t find his footing, and Smith capitalized by knocking him down with a one-two followed by a combination. Smith pounced and landed thunderous ground-and-pound to close the fight.
"HIT 'EM WITH THE BING BING!"
Walk us through that finish, @K_O_E_KingKage. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/zD3vFd4Cm0
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
Smith had a specific opponent in mind in his post-fight interview, calling out Brazilian veteran Francisco Trinaldo.
Devonte Smith def. Dong Hyun Ma by TKO (Punches) in Round 1 (3:53)
