Former University of Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Eryk Anders (11-1, 3-1 UFC) played the role of kicker in the UFC Octagon Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 135 in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

The 31-year-old squared off with New Jersey’s Tim Williams in the main card opener at the event, and with less than 20 seconds left in the fight, Anders landed a vicious kick on Williams, who was scrambling to get off the ground and back to his feet.

The perfectly timed strike cracked Williams aside the head, knocking him out cold. The finish was one for the highlight reel, as Anders instantly went viral and picked up a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus as well.

Despite the finish, Anders isn’t letting the conclusion cloud his judgment when reflecting on the 14-plus-minute performance.

“I started off a little slow in the first round,” Anders said in an interview with FloCombat. “I definitely picked it up in the second and third and finished it with a highlight-reel head-kick knockout. I think if I was to put a grade on it, it’d probably be a C-plus, B-minus because of the way that it started off. I definitely took more damage in that fight than any other fight. I’m not too happy about that. “

While recognizing the first round wasn’t his finest in-cage work, Anders gives a lot of credit to the 6-to-1 underdog Williams for bringing the fight he did. 

“When I was in college and we’d get beat, we’d always say, 'They’re on scholarship, too,’” Anders said. “He trained too, and I listen to some interviews he did. He put more time into this camp than all of his other fights. He definitely looked like he had been training quite a bit. 

"That first round was probably the best performance he’s had in high-level competition.”

Although he’s coming off a self-proclaimed lackluster performance and a prior loss—albeit controversial—to Lyoto Machida, Anders feels his stock has never been higher.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think my stock dropped a whole lot after that Machida fight,” Anders said. “It was super close and super controversial. The only two people who thought Machida won was Tony Weeks and the other judge.

“Every time I get in there, I try to get the finish and get the knockout," he continued. “I think fans like watching me and the UFC likes booking me.”