I can almost guarantee you’ve never seen a one-punch KO in women’s MMA like the one Yuneisy Duben scored against Shannon Clark in Tuesday’s Dana White Contender Series.
In case you missed it, here’s how Duben finished the fight and brought White and many others to their feet.
The reaction to the finish online was as expected.
ACD MMA called it one of the best KOs of 2024.
Cageside Press said Duben “ruined” the rest of the card. Her show-opening KO is going to be tough to follow.
UFC men’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley shared his appreciation for the finish:
If the savagery of Duben’s one-punch KO weren’t rare enough, consider this: the 28-year-old with only four professional MMA bouts coming in–was a plus-900 underdog to Clark.
It’s safe to say we may never see such a big underdog win a fight more virally and unforgettably.
As White paraded around the Apex following the KO, he looked at the Venezuelan fighter and said, “You might as well not even go to the back to wait. You’re in.”
White was essentially bypassing the aspect of the show that usually has winners from the fights sweat it out while they wait to learn if the UFC’s brain trust believes they’re ready for the UFC. Duben punched her ticket when she cleaned Clark’s clock, and the former is headed to the UFC.
Duben might be a legitimate KO threat even in the UFC. While she has had only five fights, she has finished every one with strikes. Ingrid Garcia, Duben’s last opponent before Clark, was stopped by the cageside doctor. The fight with Clark was contested at 125 pounds, but Duben has fought at strawweight multiple times in her brief career.
If Duben is carrying power like she displayed on Tuesday against Clark, you have to wonder how much stronger she might be if she can make 115 pounds healthily. In any case, seeing who the UFC matches Duben with for her promotional debut will be interesting. A fight with someone like Alice Ardelean makes sense.
Ardelean made her UFC debut at UFC 304 in July, but she lost a split decision with Shauna Bannon. Stylistically, it seems like a fight that could be exciting, and it would give both women a chance to shine.
The next time we see Duben, she’ll be in the Octagon on an actual show. Here is a look at all of the results from episode 4 of Season 8.
Djorden Santos defeats Will Currie by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Quillan Salkilld defeats Gauge Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Yuneisy Duben defeats Shannon Clark via KO at 1:13 of Round 1 (Punch).
Austin Bashi defeats Dorian Ramos via submission at 3:15 of Round 2 (Rear-naked choke).
