LONDON – With one of the most spectacular knockouts you’re likely to see, Scott Askham got back in the win column on Saturday night.
Yet the Brit wasn’t entirely happy, despite getting a big win in front of his home fans on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 84 at The O2 in London. The card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
Askham (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) didn’t get out to a perfect start against Chris Dempsey (11-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC), but with 15 seconds left in the first round it didn’t matter. Askham wobbled Dempsey with a punch, then drilled him with a left head kick to put his lights out. The KO was good enough for a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Yet Askham wasn’t ready to fully celebrate.
“I’m never going to be totally satisfied with my performance,” Askham said after the bout. “At the end of the day, it’s going to have to be absolutely clinical for me to be satisfied.”
If his performance wasn’t a clinic, per se, the part where he nearly kicked Dempsey’s head into the crowd certainly could be considered a clinic in highlight-reel knockouts.
That got Askham back on track after a split-decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko at UFC Fight Night 76 in October in Dublin. That loss still was stinging him a bit heading into Saturday’s bout in London, so the victory – and subsequent bonus – were big for Askham.
“I was looking to put that (Jotko fight) behind me,” Askham said. “That was a bad performance from me. It was a bit of a slow start for me tonight (again).
“I heard my corner say there was 30 seconds to go, and I should start to turn it up. And that’s exactly what I did. I turned it up and I managed to get the finish. I got the win in front of my home crowd in England, and I’m fighting on a card with Anderson Silva, so a bonus is going to be tough to get. If I get the bonus, I’ll be more than happy for it.”
Well, turns out he sure did. So today, despite not being fully satisfied with the win, perhaps $50,000 will help cheer him up a bit.
Check out the above video for more from Askham on his victory in London.
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