'Holy sh*t': The Rock goes nuts over Tai Tuivasa's 'insane' KO

Australia's Tai Tuivasa shocked the UFC world on Saturday with an incredible knockout of veteran fighter Derrick Lewis.

Tuivasa, who has become beloved in the UFC for a habit of drinking a beer out of a shoe after his knockout victories, scored the most significant KO of his career in the co-main event of UFC 271 in Houston.

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Under the pump against the No.3-ranked fighter, Tuivasa connected with a right elbow in the second round to make it five straight knockout wins and put him firmly in the frame for a title fight.

After a wild first round that saw a bit of everything, the fighters got to what the fans came to see in the second.

It was, as Lewis said before the fight, “swangin' and bangin'.”

Lewis hit Tuivasa with a combination, but Tuivasa landed a crushing left hook, a right hand and then a brutal right elbow to the jaw.

Lewis went down face-first and the bout was over.

Commentators and fans were left in disbelief over the Aussie's incredible win over the UFC's all-time knockout leader.

Hollywood star and WWE legend Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was left in awe.

“Holy sh*t!! Huge respect for both these big men,” he wrote on Twitter.

UFC journalist Ariel Helwani wrote: “Tuivasa just KO’d the hometown guy and is getting a ton of love. People just love him”.

Tai Tuivasa set to rocket up the rankings

Tuivasa said of Lewis: “That’s the king of KOs. Much respect to Derrick. But I’m young and I’m upcoming. I’m taking over now.”

The fight was expected to be a mega-slugfest and it didn’t disappointment.

Tuivasa’s chin may have saved him in the first, when Lewis took him down.

As Tuivasa was getting up, Lewis hammered him with a series of right hands. Few, if any, UFC fighters would've took those and kept going.

But Tuivasa did and it led him into the second. He never backed down despite Lewis’s vaunted power and scored a crushing finish.

The 28-year-old Australian joked about using the elbow to get the finish.

“My name’s Tai, like Muay Thai,” Tuivasa said.

“I like throwing elbows. I like getting nitty gritty. I’m f***ing down to get down, baby.”

Tuivasa has now won five-straight fights and figures to rocket up the heavyweight rankings.

He entered ranked 11th, but beating No. 3 Lewis will push him way up.

In the main event, Robert Whittaker lost a tight, unanimous points decision in a middleweight title rematch three years in the making against Israel Adesanya.

with Yahoo Sports US

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