B.J. Penn KOs Matt Hughes at UFC 123

In the third fight between two of the sport's all-time greats, B.J. Penn knocked out Matt Hughes with a quick, brutal display of precision striking at UFC 123.

The whole fight lasted just 21 seconds, and delivered Penn one of the most spectacular wins of his MMA career. Penn had lost two straight lightweight title fights this year and seemed to be on the downside of his career, but he bounced back in a big way by beating Hughes.

Penn got things started with a 1-2 combination, and when Hughes threw a kick, Penn caught it and nailed Hughes again. They briefly stepped back, and then Penn nailed Hughes with an overhand right, knocking Hughes flat on his back. Penn landed four more punches on the ground and Hughes wasn't defending himself, and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

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"Matt Hughes, you're my idol, thank you," Penn said to his fallen opponent afterward. "I'm pumped up."

Penn improved his record to 16-7-1, and he showed that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. A former lightweight and welterweight champion, Penn might soon be back in title contention again.

Hughes is now 46-7 in his professional MMA career, including an all-time UFC record 18 wins inside the Octagon. But with his loss on Saturday night, he acknowledged that he's not sure what the future holds for him.

"I had a lot on the line -- this was a huge fight for me," Hughes said. "To be honest, I don't know what goes on now."

But whatever the future holds for either Penn or Hughes, they've now given us three memorable fights in the UFC. And now Penn has put an exclamation point on their trilogy.

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