Watch: Hooker crushes Pearson with picture-perfect knee
KO! @danthehangman aka Dan Hooker with the vicious knee to the face of Ross Pearson! #UFCAuckland https://t.co/UNoNsijsuz
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 11, 2017
Head movement is an essential part of striking, but Ross Pearson better watch where he shifts his dome next time.
Three minutes into the second round of a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, Daniel Hooker thrilled his hometown fans by knocking out veteran Ross Pearson with a knee right to the jaw.
Hooker's strike ended what had been a chess match up to that point, with Pearson deftly dodging in and out to find openings from which to strike his taller opponent. Perhaps Hooker sensed that the scorecards were close, because he took the result out of the judges hands with an exquisitely timed strike.
With a win in his return to the lightweight division, Hooker improves his UFC record to 4-3, while Pearson falls to 11-11 with one no-contest.