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Check out the best photos from Cody Brundage’s first-round knockout win over Zach Reese at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)
UFC Austin will forever be remembered as the first UFC card to feature slam knockouts in back-to-back fights, courtesy of Cody Brundage.
AUSTIN, Texas – UFC on ESPN 52 now forever will be remembered as the first card in the promotion’s history to feature slam knockouts in back-to-back fights.
After Drakkar Klose scored a violent slam out of an armbar one fight prior, [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] followed up with a moment of his own when he escaped a triangle choke attempt from [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag] in their middleweight bout at Moody Center.
It was shades of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona from PRIDE when Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) gripped the arm of his opponent, hoisted him in the air then powered him into the mat. Reese (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was badly hurt, and Brundage postered up to land a few more shots to force the knockout stoppage at the 1:49 mark of Round 1.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
Another one! Crazy. pic.twitter.com/z9iTA88O3k
— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) December 2, 2023
ANOTHER SLAM KO 😬#UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/QvcQAa4LtW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
Although he was on a high after the much-needed win, Brundage quickly came back down to earth during his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. He revealed a loss in his family throughout fight week, and has to overcome that mental obstacle to get his hand raised.
“I keep falling short (in my fights),” Brundage said. “This one obviously did it. My grand dad passed away on Wednesday, so this has been a bad week. But I got it done.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 52 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.
Find out who joined the UFC in August and learn more about them here.
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the August 2023 list below.
Zach Reese only got to show off 74 seconds of skill at Dana White’s Contender Series, but it was enough to prove he’s UFC-ready.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag] only got to show off 74 seconds of skill at Dana White’s Contender Series 59, but he thinks it was enough to prove he’s UFC-ready.
Reese (6-0) secured a UFC contract on Tuesday when he scored a quick armbar submission victory over Eli Aronov (5-1) at the UFC Apex. The finish impressed company president Dana White, who didn’t hesitate to invite the 29-year-old into the middleweight division.
With an 100 perfect finish rate on his record, with all the wins coming in the first round, Reese hasn’t been pushed much or faced a whole lot of adversity to this point in his career. That may not last when joining a roster of the best 185-pound fighters in the world, but he’s ready for the challenge.
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“I wish I would’ve stood up a little bit more or the fight would’ve played out a little bit – but I can’t be mad about a (74)-second finish,” Reese told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at DWCS 59. “It feel surreal. I remember being a kid and watching UFC and to be here now today, it’s a lifetime worth of work come true. … I’m ready (for) all comers.”
Now that he’s part of the UFC roster, the work truly begins for Reese. He seems to have a slight edge in notoriety from most promotional newcomers, though, because he said he’s constantly given lookalike comparisons to YouTube/WWE star Logan Paul.
“That is hilarious. I get asked that all the time,” Reese said. “I tell people that I am Great Value Logan Paul.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 59.
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the four winners from Dana White’s Contender Series 59.
Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the four-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.
With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
Season 7, Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series continues Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 59 event.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting at the UFC Apex for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with promotion president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
The third episode of Season 7 will see eight fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. A middleweight contest between [autotag]Eli Aronov[/autotag] (6-1) and [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag] (5-1) served as the featured bout of the four-bout lineup. Fury FC’s Reese quickly submitted Unified MMA’s Aronov with an armbar.
In the co-featured bout, Cage Warriors’ [autotag]Obain Elliott[/autotag] and Okatgon’s [autotag]Kaik Brito[/autotag] went blow-for-blow in a thrilling three-round battle.
Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 59 include:
Continue reading below for more details about each fight.
Daniel Cormier had harsh words for Eli Aronov’s grappling defense in his Dana White’s Contender Series 59 loss to Zach Reese.
LAS VEGAS – UFC commentator and Hall of Famer [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] was not impressed by [autotag]Eli Aronov[/autotag]’s submission defense in his Dana White’s Contender Series 59 loss to [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag].
Reese (6-0) punched his ticket to a UFC contract on Tuesday when he recovered from slipping to the ground to lock in a fight-ending armbar on Aronov (5-1) just 74 seconds into the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
SNATCHED HIS ARM!@Savage185Reese first round finish to close the show 😳 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/SRMw6LBTer
— UFC (@ufc) August 23, 2023
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After the finish, Cormier expressed his frustration with Aronov’s defensive tactics.
“That’s the thing – you can’t do that, man,” Cormier said aftr the stoppage. “When you’re out of the submission, you can’t put yourself in a damn submission. He was out. He was actually out. That is crazy. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s the stuff that’s going to keep you out of the UFC. … You see something like that coming from a pay-per-view, that’s a mistake people don’t make coming from pay-per-views.”
While disappointed in Aronov, there was plenty of praise on Reese, who remained undefeated with six first-round finishes in six fights.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 59.
Dana White’s Contender Series will return this summer. Check out the fighters and fights that have been booked thus far.
Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 is in the works.
DWCS debuted in 2017 with an eight-episode inaugural season. Season 2 was held in 2018 with eight episodes, followed by a three-episode DWCS: Brasil. In 2019, DWCS was extended to 10 episodes for its third season. The length was repeated in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Each season, the number of fighters signed has increased. Thus far, the show has produced UFC notables including Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Sodiq Yusuff, Jamahal Hill, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Alex Perez, Bo Nickal, Jailton Almeida, Jack Della Maddalena, and Marina Rodriguez among others.
In recent weeks, the UFC matchmakers have been gearing up for a summer DWCS return, expected to launch Aug. 8. Athletes and matchups have slowly but surely been booked. The number of episodes for Season 7 is not yet known.
Scroll below to see the latest athletes and fights booked, which have been confirmed by MMA Junkie or posted about by the fighters involved. This list will be updated as more fighters and matchups come to light.
