In the third main card bout at UFC 146, Roy Nelson knocked out Dave Herman early in the first round. The finish came at just the 51-second mark. Nelson landed a massive winging right that caught Herman right on the jaw, dropping him into dreamland in a seated position. Nelson landed one more shot before the referee called it off, but it was obviously done after the epic right. Herman briefly protested the stop, but the referee handled it just fine.
The bout was hugely important for Big Country, who had a tense talk with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta a few weeks ago according to White. Nelson went over to them immediately after the win and had a few words for them about his performance.
What was the high spot of this fight?
The bomb. The way Herman fell onto his but made it that much more dramatic. One of the better knockouts you'll ever see.
Where do these guys go from here?
Nelson was in trouble with two losses in a row and a shaky relationship with management, but he proved he still belongs in the organization with the win. He's definitely a solid gatekeeper for the division and would be a tough test for anyone looking to break into the elite. I don't know if they'll go that route with him or keep trying to book him against top guys, but we'll see. A second bout with Ben Rothwell (Rothwell won a debatable split decision over Nelson in the IFL in 2007) sounds like good matchmaking to me.
Herman has now lost two bouts in a row, but stepping up as a late replacement is always a good thing in Zuffa's eyes. He clearly needs to start taking his fighting career a little more seriously though. Throw him in there with Lavar Johnson and let's see some fireworks.
Watch it now, later or never?
Now. As I said above, you don't get to see knockouts quite like this very often. You can definitely spare a minute for that.
SBN coverage of UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. MirMore Bloody Elbow coverage of UFC 146 in the full entry.
UFC 146: Junior Dos Santos Discusses Bout With Frank Mir, Rematch With Cain Velasquez
UFC 146: Backstage Drama Ends Jason Mayhem Miller's UFC Career, Dana White Confirms
UFC 146 Results: Winners And Losers
UFC 146: Dos Santos Vs. Mir Results - Heavyweight Rankings Fallout
UFC 146 Results: Sunday Perspective
UFC 146 Results: Junior Dos Santos Defends Title With Second-Round TKO Win Over Frank Mir
UFC 146 Results: Cain Velasquez Dominates Antonio Silva
UFC 146 Results: Stipe Miocic Stops Shane Del Rosario In Round Two
UFC 146 Results: Stefan Struve Armbars Lavar Johnson Early
UFC 146 Results: Darren Elkins Takes Decision Over Diego Brandao
UFC 146 Results: Jamie Varner Stops Edson Barboza Via TKO
UFC 146 Results: C.B. Dollaway Decisions Jason 'Mayhem' Miller
UFC 146 Results: Dan Hardy Knocks Out Duane Ludwig
UFC 146 Results: Paul Sass Submits Jacob Volkmann Early
UFC 146 Results: Glover Teixeira Annihilates Kyle Kingsbury
UFC 146 Results: Mike Brown Wins Decision Over Daniel Pineda
UFC 146: Dos Santos Vs. Mir - Live Results And Play-By-Play For Undercard
UFC 146: Dos Santos Vs. Mir - Live Results And Play-By-Play For PPV Main Card