A cult MMA hero scored a thumping come-from-behind KO win while bruised, bloodied and with a broken jaw

• UFC 279 – a major pay-per-view event that took place in Las Vegas on Saturday – was chaos.
• One of the fights was a heavyweight bout with two fighters weighing 532.5 pounds together.
• They fought as if they didn’t want to see the last bell. It made for a hectic, all-encompassing affair.

LAS VEGAS – If you’re curious about wild, unpredictable mayhem in a fast-paced fistfight between two MMA fighters who weighed 532.5 pounds together, we’ve got a story for you.

American heavyweight Chris Barnett nearly broke the scales on Friday for overweight for the heavyweight limit, weighing 267.5 pounds – 2.5 pounds heavier than his opponent Jake Collier, who cashed in.

Anyway, the match went on.

The next night, as fans still poured into the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 279, they threw slugs as if they knew neither of them would see the final bell.

This match was about one thing and only one thing: scoring a finish in a way that goes back and forth, so electric, that the crowd had no choice but to put down their beer and cheer on the action.

In the first round alone, Collier stole the show and came close to scoring a finish of his own as he managed with one takedown and made an extraordinary 48 shots from 90 tries, according to official UFC stats.

Barnett was in trouble on his feet, on the floor, taking so much damage that one of his eyes looked as if he had swollen shut, while one side of his jaw seemed to be hanging off the hinges.

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 11, 2022

An Octagonside doctor checked on Barnett at the end of the first round

Barnett’s injuries were so serious that a medical professional checked him in between rounds to make sure he was fit for the fight.

Good news for Barnett was okay, according to the doctor.

And so these heavyweights entered the second round, but this time with momentum swinging from Collier to Barnett – who was in charge by throwing an absurd amount of himself.

Before the second round could even end, Barnett landed 65 of 93 punches while limiting Collier to 9 of 17.

Unperturbed by his blood and his bruises, Barnett checked Collier during stand-up exchanges before forcing him into a vulnerable position on the floor, raining blows to his opponent’s flesh and bones until the referee said, “Hey, enough.”

Watch the frenetic fight below:

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 11, 2022

Barnett celebrated with a flip and spat a promo that kept the crowd cheering before leaving the arena as they danced and drank beer that fans handed him.

—Al Dawson (@AlanDawsonSport) September 11, 2022

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 11, 2022

With the win, Barnett improved his pro-MMA record to 23 wins (18 knockouts and five decisions) against eight losses.

Earlier in the show, Norma Dumont defeated Danyelle Wolf by decision, Alateng Heili defeated Chad Anheliger and Elise Reed defeated Melissa Martinez.

Yohan Lainesse scored a split decision win over Darian Weeks in the first fight of the night.

Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson, two of the biggest fan favorites in all of sport, headlined the show.