One of two fights pushed back from UFC Vegas 59 last week, Jason Witt and Josh Quinlan faced off at UFC San Diego on Saturday.
To avoid having to undergo back-to-back weight cuts, the bout was contested at a 180 pound catchweight, with both men coming in under the limit.
Whether the lack of (or at least lesser) weight cut helped or not, the end result was a highlight reel finish by Quinlan, who was making his debut in the fight by way of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Round one saw a lot of kicks from Quinlan early, but nothing significant landed. Witt timed a nice explosive double leg takedown. It was very fast though, with Quinlan working back up to his feet almost immediately. Witt came forward with a blind body kick and Quinlan counted with a massive left hand. That one punch had Witt out before even hitting the canvas and Quinlan held off on the follow-up punch as the ref stepped in.
An impressive one-punch knockout from Quinlan announces his arrival in the welterweight division. And in his case at least, it turns out the extra week was worth the wait.
Official Result: Josh Quinlan def. Jason Witt by knockout (counter left), Round 1, 2:09
