A UFC heavyweight scored a brutal, buzzer-beating knockout over an opponent 10 inches taller than he is

• Tai Tuivasa scored a thumping knockout win Saturday at the UFC 254 event on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
• A combat sports cult hero because he drinks beer out of his shoes, Tuivasa beat Stefan Struve, who is also known as "Skyscraper" because at 7-foot he's tall even for a tall guy.
• Tuivasa sent the "Skyscraper" tumbling down with a barrage of brutal blows in the final seconds of the first round for a much-needed win.
• Watch the highlight-reel knockout below.

FIGHT ISLAND — The UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa scored a brutal, buzzer-beating knockout over an opponent 10 inches taller than he is on Saturday, October 24.

Stefan Struve is nicknamed "Skyscraper" because at 7-foot he's tall even for a tall guy.

But at the behind-closed-doors UFC 254 event inside the purpose-built Flash Forum on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Tuivasa sent Struve tumbling down.

The 27-year-old negated Struve's height advantage by pressing him against the fence of the Octagon and clobbering him with confidence-wilting punch combinations which included body shots and an uppercut.

Tuivasa is a cult hero in combat sports because he drinks beer out of his shoes, but the Australian was under pressure to win so he could correct a three-fight skid having lost to Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov, and Sergey Spivak.

Watch the finish here:

—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 24, 2020

"It's been a while," said Tuivasa after his first win since 2018. "It's good to be back."

Victory advanced Tuivasa's pro MMA record to 10 wins (nine knockouts and one decision) against three losses.

"It's addictive, it's something you can't get it anywhere else. It's been a while for me, so it's good to be back, very good to be back.

"I felt pressure, but I trusted my team. I put in the work, I put my head down and my ass up this year, so I just credit that to my team.

"That was the plan … take it easy man and stop trying to get in there and get that money real quick. If I take my time, it comes, it comes.

"He's a big boy, I had to butter that body up when I was in there and I knew the rest would come."

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