At UFC Kansas City on Saturday, Timmy Cuamba earned his first promotional win in impressive style, finishing Roberto Romero via a spectacular flying knee knockout in the second round after having previously rocked him.
Following a competitive opening frame, Cuamba seized control in the second. He first visibly hurt Romero with a well-placed jab, then followed up with a head kick that Romero somehow absorbed. However, Romero couldn`t withstand the subsequent vicious flying knee thrown by Cuamba, which immediately dropped him to the canvas.
Cuamba followed up on the ground with more strikes, but the referee quickly stepped in to halt the contest at the 3:55 mark of Round 2, recognizing Romero was no longer intelligently defending himself.
Commenting on his performance, Cuamba credited his team. “Going into the second round, I told myself it’s time to be great and that’s what I did,” he stated. “I noticed he kept ducking a lot so I knew he was going to be there.”
This was a crucial and strong performance for Cuamba, who had suffered decision losses in his first two outings inside the Octagon.
In this fight, Cuamba demonstrated not just a well-rounded skillset but, perhaps more significantly, a clinical finishing instinct, capitalizing on the moment he hurt Romero with strikes in the second round.
The stunning flying knee finish immediately becomes a highlight reel moment for Cuamba as he secures the initial victory of his burgeoning UFC career.
Marcus Blakely