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UFC Fighter Wants Shot to be Removed Despite Scoring a Victory

Published 12/08/2020, 5:29 AM EST

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via Imago

Jordan Leavitt stunned UFC fans by knocking out Matt Wiman at UFC Vegas 16 on December 5th. He slammed the UFC veteran with a cracking impact to his back barely 22 seconds into Round 1.

‘The Monkey King’ even won Performance of the Night for the wizardry he pulled off inside the octagon. Following his big win, Leavitt interacted with TMZ Sports, wherein he shed some light on the nasty knockout and his notions post the fight.

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‘The Monkey King’ felt dreadful after this slam knockout. He even mentioned that a win in any other form could have made him content, but this wasn’t the way he looked forward to winning this fight.

He said, “I 100 percent agree that the sport would be a much safer, artful thing if slams like that weren’t allowed. But when you’re out there and you’re in that cage you have to decide, ‘Am I going to pay rent tonight, or do I have to downgrade my house and put my family in an unstable position?’ I think any person would do what I did in that situation.

But I think slams are ugly and I think they’re dangerous. And even though I didn’t slam him on the back of the head, there are dozens of fights where they do get slammed on the back of the head.

“And if it lands that way, unless you’re in a submission, I don’t think it’s warranted. I would prefer to have won in any other way. I’m happy, it’s a highlight, and it’s good for my career and notoriety, but that’s not the way I wanted it to be,” he added.

Jordan Leavitt was worried about Matt Wiman post the slam knockout. As the fight got concluded, he went to check if Wiman gained consciousness. ‘The Monkey King’ showed heart and even apologized to Wiman’s wife for knocking him out this way.

Should UFC and other promotions ban slam knockouts?

Slam knockouts look very alluring but are a horrendous way to put an opponent to sleep. It was the 12th slam knockout of UFC, through which Leavitt improved to 8-0 in his MMA career. In the interview, Leavitt confessed that the sport would be much safer if slams like those aren’t allowed.

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via Imago

Wiman went lights-out right after he was smashed to the ground. He stood back and left the octagon after a while. Knockouts like these leave an expansive impact on a fighter, not just physically but mentally too.

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The UFC and respective governing bodies of the sport should give thought to removing slam knockouts from MMA, thus making the sport much safer. We hope for a quick decision to arrive pertaining to this matter for the safety and well being of the fighters.

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Do you feel slam knockouts should be excluded from MMA? What do you make of Leavitt’s shocking victory against Wiman?

SLAM KO! Jordan Leavitt Knocks Out Matt Wiman With an Insane Slam

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Written by:

Prathamesh Singh Chauhan

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Prathamesh Singh Chauhan is a Boxing Author at EssentiallySports. He is a graduate from the International Institute of Sports Management who combines his love for sports, particularly combat sports, and his flair for writing and analysis to help him in his day-to-day work. He has prior professional experience with sporting organizations such as Star Sports, Khelo India, and NBA.
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