UFC 166 results and photos: John Dodson drops brutal KO on Darrell Montague

HOUSTON – John Dodson was magical, indeed, on Saturday night.

Dodson, fighting for the first time since losing a flyweight title fight to champ Demetrious Johnson, may have sent a message to the division with a brutal knockout of UFC newcomer Darrell Montague in the first round – the third fastest KO in UFC flyweight history.

The flyweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC 166 event at Toyota Center in Houston. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

“The Magician” threw early, but Montague fired right back. Dodson landed a left, then backed out. The two traded leg kicks, but then faked with a left and landed a good right hand. The two feinted around each other, but then Dodson landed a big-time right hand that dropped Montague.

Dodson moved in quickly and continued to drop punches. Montague went into survival mode and held onto a leg. He survived for the moment, but then Dodson was right back on him with more heavy hands – though Montague’s recovery was impressive.

Dodson stayed patient, not wanting to over-commit, and it paid off for him. Another left hand was on the money. Montague threw a phantom right hand, but then fell flat on his face.

“I love being back in the winner’s circle,” Dodson said. “I knew what I had to do, and come back with the killer instinct. I stayed a little more patient and calm, and it showed throughout the whole thing. I still have to work a lot harder if I want to be champion. I have to start right now.”

Dodson (15-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is back in the win column after a flyweight title fight loss to Demetrious Johnson in January. Montague (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had a four-fight winning streak snapped in his UFC debut.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 166 results include:

• John Dodson def Darrell Montague via KO (punch) – Round 1, 4:13
• Tim Boetsch def. C.B. Dollaway via split decision (30-26, 27-29, 30-26)
• Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:48
• Jessica Eye def. Sarah Kaufman via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• K.J. Noons def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Adlan Amagov def. T.J. Waldburger via KO (punches) – Round 1, 3:45
• Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 1:52
• Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:53
• Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:51

For complete coverage of UFC 166, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Houston.