We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.
LAS VEGAS – Kennedy Nzechukwu has won the first main event of his UFC career by finishing Ion Cutelaba.
The light heavyweight bout served as the impromptu main event of UFC Fight Night 215 at the UFC Apex, after the originally scheduled headliner Derrick Lewis was forced to withdraw due to illness. Although the bout was elevated to main event status, it remained a three-round contest, but Nzechukwu (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) only needed two to stop Cutelaba (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC).
The fight started off fast, with the light heavyweights immediately trading hard strikes. With both fighters landing flush, Cutelaba switched it up and looked for a takedown, and eventually landed in mount.
Nzechukwu worked his way back up to his feet, but was dumped back to the mat before getting back up again, where he then had to deal with a kimura threat and foot stomps until the round ended.
At the beginning of the second round, Nzechukwu came out on fire with hard strikes, putting Cutelaba in a bad spot. A beautifully-timed knee from Nzechukwu found the mark as Cutelaba changed levels for a takedown, sparking the finishing flurry of punches.
Absolutely savage stoppage for Kennedy Nzechukwu #UFCVegas65 pic.twitter.com/swVD7aBHO5
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2022
That’s how you make the most of your first UFC main event #UFCVegas65 pic.twitter.com/Y8jIH14QXf
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2022
Picking up his fifth win under the UFC banner, Nzechukwu, 30, makes it back-to-back finishes. In July, he finished Karl Roberson in the third round via TKO. Only one of his UFC wins have reached the judges’ scorecards.
Cutelaba, 28, sees his current skid continue, dropping three straight. His last victory came by unanimous decision over Devin Clark last September.
Full results of UFC Fight Night 215 include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
UFC 301 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results. UFC 301 (Pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. In the main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC), a native of Rio, will put his belt...
One of the most legendary fighters in MMA history will get his individual shine this summer when Mauricio Rua is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. With a spot in the fight wing for his incredible 2011 war with Dan Henderson at UFC 139 already secured, “Shogun” will...
We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.
With your FREE PASS, you can: