Fighter turns Gumby after he gets knocked out
(Updated with quotes from Reuter via telephone at 6:38 p.m. ET on Feb. 8, 2013)
Collin Reuter's knockout of Gerald Fike on Feb. 1 in Fairbanks, Alaska, wasn't nearly as violent as the one Uriah Hall scored on Adam Cella on Episode 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter." The Hall knockout was promoted heavily for more than a week by the UFC and FX and was definitely worth the hype.
Reuter's knockout was pretty run of the mill, particularly compared to Hall's. But Fike's fall, in which he lands on his head, may go down as the most unique fall ever after a KO.
Early in the first round, Reuter caught Fike on the head with a right hand during a bout on the Solid As A Rock Fighting Championship card. That was enough to end the bout at just 26 seconds nd get the crowd into it.
It wasn't the punch, though, that was so memorable. Instead, it was Fike's reaction. He fell backward after taking the shot. As he did, he arched his back. He thus hit the canvas first with his head. His feet were firmly on the ground, but his legs, butt and back were off the mat.
Fike looked like he was doing some sort of gymnastics routine but, sadly for him, he was out cold, just like Cella was after Hall caught him in the face with a spinning back kick.
Reuter told Cagewriter via Twitter that Fike was unhurt.
"I spoke with him a few days ago and he said he was perfectly fine," Reuter wrote.
Fike couldn't be reached for comment. We can only assume he was massaging his neck.
Reuter (@CollinReuter) is a single father who used to train with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif. He drew with Reuter in 2010 in a fight he said he took on short notice.
He said he knew when he landed the punch that Fike probably wasn't going to get up. He struggled with how to react after the punch landed just below the nose.
"It was kind of a mixed reaction from me," Reuter said. "I was really happy and smiling, because that was a big win for me, but I was definitely concerned for [Fike]. I didn't want to be celebrating too much with that going on."
Reuter said Fike was down for about two minutes before he was able to sit back up on the stool.
