UFC 331: Sean Sharaf shocks the world with 12-second KO

LOS ANGELES — You could say Sean Sharaf had a puncher’s chance. Not that anyone was giving him one.

But the Anaheim native and Santa Ana heavyweight made his biggest punch count, finding the chin of heavily hyped prospect Gable Steveson and recording a jaw-dropping 12-second knockout on the UFC 331 main card Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

Sharaf, 33, was 0-2 in the UFC and as high as a 12-to-1 underdog but was undeterred all fight week long.

As Steveson (4-1) led with a left in the opening seconds of their bout, Sharaf (5-2) cracked him on the jaw with a hellacious left hook. Steveson’s head snapped back and he tumbled backward and fell. The crowd roared as Sharaf followed with two punches before referee Frank Trigg called it off.

In an exclusive interview Tuesday, Sharaf, who served in the Marines for six years, said he saw the fight as his chance to shock the world.

“Everyone sees it as like, ‘Oh, it’s a big name. You should be scared,’” Sharaf said. “But I see it as this big opportunity for me to take everything and all the hype that he has right now and make it my own.”

Not only was Sharaf’s UFC career possibly on the line, but it was against a guy seen as a can’t-miss future champ after his days of being a five-time All-American wrestler at Minnesota and 2020 Olympic gold medalist.