UFC 131 Winners: Knockout of the Night Contender

The mixed martial arts action in Vancouver was fierce as always, and once again the prelims provided another knockout of the night contender as Sam Stout joined the list of UFC 131 winners.

Stout knocked out Yves Edwards with a massive left hook just a split second after eating a punch from Edwards. Stout's considerable boxing experience and chin strength no doubt came into play during the fight as he scored one of the most memorable, and beautiful for that matter, knockouts in recent UFC history.

The most interesting part of the KO was that Stout seemed to know instinctively that Edwards was out as soon as his head hit the canvas. Edwards is a "precision striker" as Stout said after the fight, but Stout's left hook hit him right on the button and made him a UFC winner of 4 of his last 5 fights.

Stout, the Candian boxing specialist, was a forgotten man in the lightweight division in the UFC but now he has a chance to climb back to prominence, and to get set himself up for a crucial matchup in his next fight with a fellow up-and-comer.

He's been around for a while but the KO over Edwards was impressive enough to make people remember him again, particularly his upper-level boxing skills. Edwards' kicks are nothing to scoff at as many longtime UFC fans know, but the superior boxing of Stout made Edwards look like an amateur boxer at times.

Of course, Edwards was a bit quicker to the punch in the final exchange, but his chin didn't seem to be able to withstand the big left hook from Stout. Stout said after landing the massive, fight-ending punch that it was a one-two combo ending with the left hook that almost always seems to work well in practice against southpaws.

Other fights later on the card included two showdowns for title shot opportunities between Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos in the main event, and also between Kenny Florian and Diego Nunes. Mark Munoz and Demian Maia was another showcase fight on the card as well.

Stout's win over Edwards was also a big deal for the home country crowd as well. The cheers echoed throughout the building as Stout took home a potential Knockout of the Night win at UFC 131 in what was one of the best finishes by a Canadian UFC fighter in some time.