Pinas floors Almeida with one-punch knockout to stay perfect in UFC at 2-0

Damian Pinas extended his first-round finishing streak to five with a devastating one-punch knockout of Cesar Almeida at UFC 329, stopping the bout at 4:44 of Round 1 to move to 2-0 inside the octagon.

Almeida, a kickboxing champion across multiple organisations, controlled the early exchanges and gave Pinas genuine problems through the first two minutes. The 38-year-old’s striking pedigree was evident, but a momentary lapse in his guard proved fatal. Pinas spotted the opening and drilled a straight right hand flush on the chin, sending Almeida to the canvas.

Referee Chris Tognoni allowed the fight to continue briefly before waving it off after Pinas landed one additional strike. The finish was clean, clinical, and entirely in keeping with the pattern Pinas has established throughout his recent run.

The Aruban middleweight improves to 10-1 overall and has now stopped six opponents in a row, with every one of his last five victims failing to survive the opening round. The win follows a knockout of Wesley Schultz in his UFC debut, confirming Pinas as one of the more dangerous prospects in the 185-pound division.

For Almeida, the defeat marks back-to-back losses and, more significantly, the first time in his MMA career that he has been finished. He drops to 7-3 overall, and the manner of the stoppage will raise questions about how he responds at this level.