After going toe-to-toe in the striking department for the better part of two rounds, Francisco Trinaldo (23-6 MMA, 13-5 UFC) used a devastating body shot to flatten Evan Dunham (18-8-1 MMA, 11-8-1 UFC).

The lightweight bout took place on the FS2-broadcast prelims of tonight’s UFC Fight Night 137 event from Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. The contests followed additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and aired prior to the main card on FS1.

The two men were light on the feet to open, with Dunham dancing on the outside and diving in with punches from range. Trinaldo generally preferred to counter but threw everything with impressive power. Dunham took a shot at a takedown but came up short, so the two continued to work at boxing range. Dunham eventually got an off-balance Trinaldo to the canvas but couldn’t keep him there as he looked to attack the neck, and the pair ended up back on the feet in the closing seconds, where Trinaldo landed an impressive kick before the bell.

Dunham continued to be the more mobile man in the second round, though Trinaldo’s power advantage was evident each time they clashed. Trinaldo eventually grabbed the neck and snapped Dunham down to his knee while trying to set up an anaconda choke. Dunham defended well, though, and Trinaldo had to abandon the idea. Back on the feet, Dunham continued to move well, but Trinaldo did find him with a few powerful punches to the body and head. As the round wound down, a Dunham lead uppercut was met with a knee to the body, sending his opponent crashing to the floor and writhing in pain, immediately halting the contest with 50 seconds remaining in the frame.

“I am very happy because Evan Dunham, who is a great fighter, was retiring, and I needed to beat someone with a big name to be back into the division’s big names,” Trinaldo said after the win. “Now I want to beat Kevin Lee. He beat me here in Brazil, trashtalked my country and my fans. Now I want to beat him in his country.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 137 results include:

• Francisco Trinaldo def. Evan Dunham via TKO (knee) – Round 2, 4:10
• Ryan Spann def. Luis Henrique via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Augusto Sakai def. Chase Sherman via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:03
• Sergio Moraes def. Ben Saunders via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:42
• Mayra Bueno Silva def. Gillian Robertson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:55
• Thales Leites def. Hector Lombard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Luigi Vendramini via knockout (flying knee, punches) – Round 2, 1:20
• Livia Renata Souza def. Alex Chambers via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:21

For more on UFC Fight Night 137, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.