Velasquez would say after the event that a knee injury suffered during the bout is what lead to the finish, not the strikes from Ngannou.
“He didn’t even, like, touch me,” Velasquez told MMA Junkie. “It was just the knee. As soon as I felt the knee buckle, it was like I couldn’t believe that happened, and that was it.”
The former champion has now won just one of his last three and hasn’t picked up a win in over two years.
Ngannou, who was the victor on that night, says it was his striking that got the job done and not a knee injury.
“No, because the knee buckled after an uppercut on his chin,” Ngannou said at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “You can look at the video about it, so you can find out and you will see the uppercut. That might be why his knee buckled, because he got disconnected.”
A victorious Ngannou has now won two straight fights and is ranked #3 in the UFC Heavyweight Division, while Velasquez remains unranked at this time.
