Coming into UFC 236, Boston Salmon was one of the most highly touted prospects in the UFC.
The Waianae native won a contract on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series in 2017. However, a string of injuries restricted him from making his debut earlier.
Known for his outstanding amateur boxing credentials, Salmon previously fought current boxing world champion Errol Spence Jnr. and was once ranked in the top ten in the country. As such, he entered this fight with Khalid Taha as a betting favorite.
However, Salmon’s debut didn’t go according to plan.
It took just 25 seconds
Salmon began the fight composed, taking the center of the octagon. Commentators Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier all commented on the Hawaiian’s superb boxing credentials as the fight commenced, but they were interrupted by Khalid Taha’s flurry of strikes that left Salmon crashing into the mat.
Taha threw a right hook and followed it up with a left, dropping Salmon to his knees. He followed up with vicious ground and pound that was enough to convince the referee to step in. The official time of the knockout is 25 seconds.
In his post-fight interview, Taha commented: “It does not get much better than this, to get a first-round knockout. I was preparing for a 15-minute war.”
IT ONLY TOOK SECONDS!@KhalidTahaMMA knocks out Salmon in the first round! #UFC236 pic.twitter.com/qzP7xSCEsU
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2019
