K.J. Noons def. Sam Stout, knockout (Round 1, 0:30)
Billed as a match between two of the lightweight (though they fought at welterweight) division's most technical strikers, it turned out to be power that decided this one. Namely, it was K.J. Noons' power that decided the day, his crushing overhand right dooming Sam Stout in just 30 seconds.
Stout has now rotated wins and losses over his past eight bouts, failing to find consistency, but the nature of this defeat comes as quite a surprise. Of all the slugfests, of all the wars that Stout has been a part of, he has never been stopped by strikes. He carries the moniker "Hands of Stone," but until this point in his career, he's had a chin of stone.
After the fact, Stout was clearly disoriented, grappling with the official.
Sam Stout, half conscious, went for a guillotine on the ref. The ref tapped and Stout got up like he won and fell head first into the cage!
— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) April 16, 2014
For Noons, the win is his second straight but only his second over his past five contests. In one sense, it was a badly needed win, one that may have been the difference between another UFC fight and a pink slip.
But considering how impressive the victory was and how vicious the finish looked, the "W" he takes home today might do more than just preserve his position. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here.
KJ Noons missed a big chance to call out Nick Diaz. Even if he doesn't get the fight, he'll still get attention for it.
— Steven Rondina (@srondina) April 16, 2014
Noons' win puts an end to the preliminary action at the TUF: Nations Finale. It also puts an end to the run of Canadian victories here in Quebec City.
