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:
- Cody Brundage def. Zach Reese via knockout (slam, punches) – Round 1, 1:49
- Drakkar Klose def. Joe Solecki via knockout (slam) – Round 1, 1:41
- Rodolfo Bellato def. Ihor Potieria via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:17
- Jared Gooden def. Wellington Turman via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:11
- Veronica Hardy def. Jamey-Lyn Horth via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.