UFC Fight Night 86 results: Jared Cannonier KOs Cyril Asker with left and vicious elbows

Jared Cannonier

ZAGREB, Croatia – Jared Cannonier said after his vicious knockout of Cyril Asker that he’s still getting used to the octagon, two fights into the UFC.

If that’s the case, future opponents might have reason to worry if he starts to get more comfortable. Cannonier (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) took out Asker (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a brutal left hand and follow-up elbows to pick up his first UFC victory.

The heavyweight bout was part of today’s UFC Fight Night 86 preliminary card at Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass prior to additional prelims and a main card on FOX Sports 1.

Asker shot early, but Cannonier stuffed it and tried to fire off some knees during a brief clinch. They separated and looked for opportunities on the feet again, and it was Asker rocking some solid leather, which led to Cannonier blasting the newcomer with kicks.

Cannonier landed to the body, and then, at the midway point of the round, he landed a massive left hand that planted Asker on the canvas. Hitting the mat may actually have woken Asker up. So when referee Grant Waterman didn’t immediately move in, Cannonier dropped down and landed a mix of brutal elbows to slice Asker’s forehead open and put him out. Waterman finally stepped in at the 2:40 mark of the first round.

Cannonier said he may be on his way to light heavyweight, rather than staying in the heavyweight division for future fights.

“My first win in the octagon is possibly going to be the biggest win until I get that belt,” Cannonier told Jon Anik after the fight. “(But) probably not at heavyweight, because I’m not a big heavyweight. So I’ll probably be dieting down. My strategy was to get in his face. He hit me a couple times. One of them kind of wobbled me a little, but I recovered. I put all my weight into those elbows, and it worked.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 86 results include:

• Jared Cannonier def. Cyril Asker via knockout (punch, elbows) – Round 1, 2:40
• Bojan Velickovic def. Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

For more on UFC Fight Night 86, check out the UFC Events section of the site.