Cody Garbrandt picks up vintage knockout win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, December 16, 2023, for UFC 296, the final event of the year going down live from the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Headlining the event is a welterweight title bout between UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards (21-3) and no. 3 ranked former interim champion Colby Covington (17-3).
Co-headlining the event is also a title bout, this one coming at 125 lbs between UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (26-5) and no. 2 ranked Brandon Royval (15-6).
Going down earlier on the preliminary card tonight was a bantamweight bout between former champion Cody Garbrandt (14-5) and Brian Kelleher (24-15).
Garbrandt most recently picked up a unanimous decision victory over Trevin Jones earlier this year in March, while Kelleher came in on a two-fight skid with defeats to Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista in March and June of this year respectively.
Continue reading to see how this bantamweight showcase went down:
Official Result: Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher via TKO (punches) at 3:42 of round one
Garbrandt opens up the bout with a short barrage of punches, looking very fast and sharp in the early goings. Kelleher starts going to the calf kick, and they appear to be effecting the former champion.
Garbrandt’s lands a nasty right hand that badly hurts Kelleher before unloading on another barrage of punches. He then lands another hard right hand that drops Kelleher on the spot, stopping the fight in its tracks.
This was Garbrandt’s best performance since his downfall; he was timid in both wins he had since losing the title, and he looked like the prime version of himself tonight as he wins two-straight for the first time since losing the belt in 2017.
Cody Garbrandt with the KO! 🔥 #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/jF9rphtQE4
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) December 17, 2023
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