Flavor Flav's beatdown in the middle of a Las Vegas casino was captured on camera ... and TMZ has the first video of the rap legend taking punch after punch.
The footage starts after the initial punches ... Flav is on the floor and trying like hell to cover up as his attacker unloads on him Tuesday at the South Point Casino.
Flav told cops the suspect, Ugandi Howard, accused him of somehow disrespecting his mother, and then started swinging. Flav says Howard punched him in the face, and kicked him while he was on the ground.
Flav told cops he only went down because he pulled a groin muscle.
Cops say casino security took Howard into custody. When officers arrived, he was cited for battery and released. Flav went to a hospital to get checked out, but only suffered minor injuries.
Of course, the whole thing was captured on casino surveillance video and it shows Howard throwing the first punch.. See below: