Many might’ve been shocked on Saturday night, but not Dan Ige.
The UFC featherweight contender scored one of the best knockouts of 2021 on the main card of UFC Fight Night 187. Ige (15-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) put away prospect Gavin Tucker just 22 seconds into their 145-pound clash. It was an extremely quick sequence that was topped by a sharp right hand.
Many experts pegged the Ige-Tucker showdown as the best candidate for “Fight of the Night” given both fighters’ track records and durability. Ige wasn’t surprised by the nature of the fight, as he knew he could deliver a quick finish.
“I definitely knew that I possess the power,” Ige told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 187 post-fight news conference. “I posses the power to knock anyone out. It’s just timing, accuracy, and landing the shot.
“But definitely, and I said it in the press conference before, you know, ‘Fight of the Night’ for me that’s disrespectful. I want a ‘Performance of the Night.’ I don’t want to have a close fight with someone. I don’t want to take unnecessary punishment or damage. I want to go out there, finish fights and get clean kills, and that’s what I did tonight.”
Ige plans to fight two or three times this year but isn’t looking at a quick turnaround, as he and his wife are expecting their first child any time now.
There’s no desire for an exact return date for Ige, but perhaps there’s a name.
“I mentioned the ‘Korean Zombie,’ but honestly, I’ll fight anyone,” Ige said. “Dana said it, ‘This guy will fight anyone,’ and he wasn’t lying. I risked my ranking tonight against an up-and-coming killer. Yeah, I’m here to fight anyone.”
Dan Ige not surprised by 22-second ‘clean kill’ of Gavin Tucker at UFC Fight Night 187