Featherweight Cub Swanson, left, connects with a punch to the face of Doo Ho Choi during a mixed martial arts bout at UFC 206. Photo / AP
Featherweight Cub Swanson, left, connects with a punch to the face of Doo Ho Choi during a mixed martial arts bout at UFC 206. Photo / AP
"That's not a knife. This is a knife."
Now, replace the word "knife" with "fight" in the above Crocodile Dundee quote and that's what Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi were saying to every other brawler on the UFC roster when they did battle at UFC 206 in Toronto on Sunday (NZT).
Dana White called it "the fight of the year". So did plenty of others. It's hard to argue with them based on what we saw in the Octagon for three full rounds.
Both fighters just kept swinging. Choi got pummelled, but as many pointed out, his chin must be made of granite. How he didn't go down, and stay down, was beyond comprehension.
He eventually went on the offensive himself, offering Swanson a taste of what he'd been dishing out. The two men hit hard and they got hit hard.
Quite simply, it was pretty amazing to watch - a UFC fan's dream.
Fourth-ranked Swanson ended up walking away with the unanimous decision win but the fight was much closer than the scorecards indicate. The victory was still a strong one for Swanson, who re-established himself as a top contender in the 145-pound division.
Those in Canada, fellow fighters, commentators and the media were in awe of the show the featherweights put on. Here's how they reacted to the bout.
Featherweight Doo Ho Choi connects with a punch to the face of Cub Swanson. Photo / AP
THE MEDIA
"Amazing fight. Absolutely amazing fight. That's a fight of the year candidate folks. Fight of the Year. Just incredible. Win, lose or draw, this Doo Ho Choi kid is for real," said veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
"Choi continuously ate punch after punch after punch, but just would not go down while Swanson fired at him like a machine gun, throwing everything he had at him to try and get the finish.
"When it was over, the Toronto crowd stood in unison to give the two featherweights a standing ovation for what will likely go down as one of the best fights of the year."
"That is bound to be a legendary fight, one of the best bouts in the history of the sport," he wrote. "It was a wild brawl, but it also featured tremendous skill and heart on the part of both men.
"It's the classic example of a fight where both the winner and loser are elevated by the nature of their performances."
"Those two men deserve $500,000 post-fight bonuses for what they endured. What a win for Swanson, and even though Choi lost the fight, he earned himself even more fans than the ones who were chanting his name mid-bout.
"God damn I'll be buzzing about this epic brawl all week."
