UFC 296 preliminary fight card featured a bantamweight bout between Cody Garbrandt and Brian Kelleher.
Cody Garbrandt (14-5 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since defeating Trevin Jones by decision at March’s UFC 285 event. The former bantamweight champion had gone 2-3 over his previous five fights, suffering losses to Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font and Kai Kara-France during that span.
Meanwhile, Brian Kelleher (24-15 MMA) was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid when he took to the Octagon this evening. ‘Boom’ was coming off back-to-back submission losses to opponents Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista in his previous efforts.
Tonight’s ‘Garbrandt vs. Kelleher’ bout resulted in a first-round knockout for ‘No Love’. Despite eating some heavy low kicks in the opening minutes, Cody Garbrandt stayed composed and found a home for some good combinations. After rocking Kelleher with a left hand, Cody promptly finished the fight with a nasty punch that sent ‘Boom’ crashing to the canvas.
Official UFC 296 Results: Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher via KO at 3:42 of Round 1
Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Cody Garbrant vs. Brian Kelleher’ below:
Post-fight reactions to Cody Garbrandt defeating Brian Kelleher at UFC 296:
