Yair Rodriguez KOs Chan Sung Jung with one second left

In a clbadic slugfest that had both men battered and bloodied, Yair Rodriguez knocked out Chan Sung Jung with an uppercut elbow that landed almost by accident – with one second left in a 25-minute fight.

Jung (14-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was left out cold on the canvas while Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) collapsed to the mat in exhaustion. Rodriguez’s elbow came in a final few seconds of flurries from both fighters, just seconds after the two celebrated with each other for what they presumed was a “Fight of the Night” winner.

The featherweight bout was the main event of today’s UFC Fight Night 136 show at Pepsi Center in Denver. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pbad.

Rodriguez opened with a kick, then another before Jung fired back. Jung rushed in and tried to land a right hand. The two traded inside leg kicks, and 90 seconds in Jung let loose with a flurry of uppercuts that had Rodriguez covering up. When Jung threw a leg kick, Rodriguez landed a counter left hand. But not long after, Jung landed a big punch and tried to build off it.

The kickboxing match continued in the second with each fighter trading brief bursts of momentum. Midway through, Jung popped Rodriguez’s head back with a combo, but Rodriguez landed a hard elbow. Jung worked through it and clinched Rodriguez up against the fence. Rodriguez shrugged off Jung’s takedown attempt, though, and went back to the center of the cage.

A gorgeous jumping kick and follow-up knee looked nice for Rodriguez, though they didn’t land clean. But another elbow did not long after in the closing seconds, and Jung was cut up around his mouth and nose.

Jung somehow managed to keep moving forward in the third, even though he was eating plenty of punches and kicks from Rodriguez. He put together good moments, but they were more one-and-done than Rodriguez’s offense. With 75 seconds left, Rodriguez landed a big leg kick, but Jung somehow caught it and briefly took Rodriguez off his feet. Rodriguez tried a cartwheel kick and missed, and it gave Jung an opportunity to land a few late punches.

By the fourth, both fighters were bloodied up. They traded jabs and hooks to keep that blood flowing from their faces. They took turns picking shots, and with nearly two minutes left in the round, Jung landed a big right hand that sent Rodriguez flying backward.

The two continued trading in the final round, and midway through they celebrated with each other for what they had to have known was likely to be a $50,000 bonus winner for “Fight of the Night.” With two minutes left, Jung buckled Rodriguez with a punch, but he was right back upright. With the fight potentially hanging in the balance in the final minute, Rodriguez landed a spinning back kick, but Jung followed with a combination that backed Rodriguez up.

With 12 seconds left, the two looked at each other and again celebrated their fight. Then they decided to throw down for the final few seconds – and Rodriguez landed an uppercut elbow with one second left – an elbow that almost seemed accidental. It landed flush on Jung’s chin, and Jung was out cold.

And instead of the fight going to a decision, Rodriguez was a knockout winner – in miraculous fashion.

Rodriguez got back in the win column in his first fight in 18 months. He has won nine of his past 10. Jung is back in the loss column and has dropped two of his past three.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 139 results include:

• Yair Rodriguez def. Chan Sung Jung via knockout (elbow) – Round 5, 4:59
• Donald Cerrone def. Mike Perry via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:56
• Germaine de Randamie def. Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Beneil Dariush def. Thiago Moises via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Maycee Barber def. Hannah Cifers via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:01
• Mike Trizano def. Luis Pena via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ashley Yoder def. Amanda Cooper via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Bobby Moffett def. Chas Skelly via TKO (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 2:43
• Davi Ramos def. John Gunther via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:57
• Devonte Smith def. Julian Erosa via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:46
• Eric Shelton def. Joseph Morales via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Mark De La Rosa def. Joby Sanchez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 139, check out the UFC Events section of the site.