Promising middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier earned his second-straight knockout finish earlier tonight (Sat., July 19, 2025) at UFC 318 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La., viciously stopping Robert Valentin just 70 seconds into the fight.
Gautier came into Saturday night a heavy betting favorite after coming off a sensational knockout on the Contender Series and a UFC debut finish back in March. He’s a young, powerful, and very dangerous striker,
but still relatively unproven in his young MMA career. A spot on the UFC 318 undercard was a perfect way for Gautier to start earning his stripes and have a chance to earn a highlight-reel finish.
That’s exactly what happened as Gautier hurt Valentin early and had him backpedaling around the cage. Gautier quickly rushed in to land a brutal uppercut followed by a right hand that sent Valentin falling to the canvas. A few more punches from Gautier and the referee was forced to step in with just 70 seconds off the clock.
Check out the video highlights below:
ATEBA GAUTIER MY GOODNESS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 20, 2025
Watch #UFC318 TONIGHT AT 10 PM ET on ESPN+ PPV ➡️ https://t.co/oViwHJaJPB pic.twitter.com/WwplpLgucc
For complete UFC 318 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
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