The best counter to being rocked by your opponent might be an expertly timed accidental groin strike. It worked wonders for Professional Fighters League heavyweight Danilo Marques at Thursday’s 2024 PFL regular season card in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Marques was fighting former interim Bellator heavyweight title challenger Tim Johnson. Double knockdowns are extremely rare in mixed martial arts but this might be the first instance of a fighter dropping their opponent with a groin kick while simultaneously eating a haymaker.
Johnson launched an overhand left that caught Marques clean on the chin. Marques threw a kick at the same time that struck Johnson square in the groin. Marques dropped like a sack of potatoes but Johnson, keeled over in pain, couldn’t follow up. A wobbly Marques added to the comedy by stumbling back and forth with his hands raised thinking he’d won the fight.
Johnson required roughly three minutes to recover from the groin kick. Athletic commissions usually grant fighters five minutes maximum to recover from illegal blows such as groin strikes and eye pokes. Johnson’s willingness to continue and the inadvertent nature of the blow saved Marques from a disqualification loss but did little to change his fortunes. Johnson dropped Marques with a right hand once the fight resumed and, free from additional groin pain, finished the fight with ground and pound punches.
UFC alum Johnson improved to 18-9 and is on a three-fight winning streak following his PFL debut on Thursday. Marques (15-6), another UFC veteran, has traded wins and losses in his last four fights.
