The UFC Jacksonville preliminary card was filled with incredible fights. Nothing was better from start to finish than Chepe Mariscal’s unanimous decision victory over Trevor Peek. It was a wild back-and-forth that had the crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., screaming with excitement.
But nothing sends the crowd into a frenzy like a brutal knockout, and David Onama delivered it on the main card in a featherweight bout with former LFA champion Gabriel Santos.
After a terrific back-and-forth in the first round, Onama pulled off a crazy finish in the second.
Onama landed an uppercut, a right cross and then another uppercut, all of which landed squarely on the chin. Santos went down and Onama quickly finished him off, forcing referee Keith Peterson to pull him off. The finish came at 4:13 of the second.
Onama moved his training camp to Factory X under coach Marc Montoya. He fought patiently and although the pace was fast, he didn’t make any major mistakes.
But when Santos left himself vulnerable, he quickly took advantage.
“My whole fight camp was just about staying patient and not brawling,” Onama said. “…Why fight when I have all these skills I can use. Training outside Factory X with Coach Marc Montoya… [and] these guys are screwed with money, man. You know?
“I never thought I would get this (kind of finish), honestly. Nah, I didn’t expect to do that, you know? Like my coaches and my cornermen always tell me: “Let it be. Let it be. Don’t rush things and let it happen. And tonight it happened.
Onama improved his record to 11-2 but said he didn’t want to rush, especially in a very competitive featherweight division. He wants to take advantage of Montoya’s wisdom and knowledge and keep improving.
So if he has often rushed in his fights, he will take his time and try to improve his game.
“I’m only getting better, man,” Onama said. “I just keep working. I got a long way to go, you know? So I will stay patient, bide my time and keep improving and keep shining.