Jacobe Smith showed once again why he’s a welterweight with significant promise at UFC Fight Night 267.
Smith (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) added to his undefeated record and put the first blemish on the resume of Josiah Harrell (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a brutal first-round knockout courtesy of some vicious ground-and-pound.
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Smith used his decorated wrestling background to reverse Harrell of a takedown and quickly established position for a flurry of elbows and punches for the knockout at the 3:01 mark of Round 1.
Referee Kerry Hatley was seemingly bothered by the strikes Smith landed as he attempted to stop the fight. Hatley had to physically push Smith off of Harrell, but UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik said the fighter was not to blame.
“That was a super late stoppage from Kerry Hatley,” Anik said on the broadcast. “It is the referee’s job, not the fighter’s job, to stop the fight. You see Hatley’s frustration, but he was sort of the man in error.”
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Regardless, Smith was confident about his future in the aftermath of the highlight-reel win and took aim at longtime 170-pound veteran Kevin Holland, who was cageside and acknowledged the comments.
“Another one,” Smith said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Keep on stacking these knockouts. Houston, Texas, we have a star in the building tonight. What’s next? I’ve got a name in mind. Kevin Holland, where’s your b*tch ass at?”
The latest UFC Fight Night 267 results include:
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Jacobe Smith def. Josiah Harrell via knockout (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 2:01
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Houston video: Referee overreacts to Jacobe Smith knockout
