George Staines shocked himself with UFC contract-earning slam KO

LAS VEGAS – George Staines violently ended his Dana White's Contender Series 94 bout Tuesday in a manner that even caught himself off guard.

In the featured bout at Meta APEX, Staines (11-0) knocked out opponent Loai Abushaar (7-2) in 1:01 with a massive slam. The follow-up punches were perhaps a formality as Abushaar's head smacked off the canvas like a basketball prior to the stoppage.

"I was surprised I knocked him out with it," Staines said at a post-fight news conference. "I think when you're slamming someone, you should always try to slam him into the floor. You know what I mean? Never in a million years did I think I'd spark someone out with a slam to the floor. ... First in history in Dana White's Contender Series, so very cool to have made history right there."

"... It was boss to get a finish like that I didn't think I'd ever knock somebody out with a slam. It was quite a shocking thing, isn't it? Emotions are through the roof, over the moon. The team's over the moon. Everyone is just dead happy."

Staines grinned from ear-to-ear as his balls were busted by teammates Paddy Pimblett and Luke Riley, who stood in the back of the room and played the role of hecklers during his post-fight news conference. In reality, however, the two brash UFC stars are his biggest supporters.

Can Staines become as notable to the international audiences as they are? That he does not know. Time will tell.

"If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," Staines said. "You can't really stop it, can you? For example, look at Luke and Paddy. It just happened, didn't it? They became superstars. If that's going to happen with me, it might happen. Let's see. Let's see first."

Walking away unscathed from his bout, Staines is ready for the UFC whenever they call him with his first assignment. Activity is something fans will come to expect from him.

"I like to be active as possible," Staines said. "This is my fifth fight in 56 weeks – (four) weeks over a year. I don't think there are many more people (that active). ... That was just how the fight played out because I had to close the distance sometimes. Sometimes, I had to touch him up in any way possible. That's the only reason why I was throwing those punches. ... I like to fight a lot, if I can be active. If not, I'll have a nice rest, have a nice Christmas, and try to definitely get on that London card in March."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: George Staines shocked himself with UFC contract-earning slam KO