LAS VEGAS – Adam Fugitt beat Yusaku Kinoshita with a first-round TKO Saturday to open up the main card at UFC Fight Night 218 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Fugitt, who pulled off an upset for his first UFC win.
Adam Fugitt vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
Result: Adam Fugitt def. Yusaku Kinoshita via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:36
Updated records: Fugitt (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Kinoshita (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: At +290, Fugitt was the biggest underdog on the main card. He landed four takedowns and outstruck Kinoshita 33-11 in the fight.
Fugitt on the fight's key moment
“I was able to put a teep on his body – he moved into that. Off of that teep, I was able to use my Thai hop and cross, which was the shot that kind of stung him and really got his respect and got him backing up, and then from there, we call it our ‘B Game,’ and it’s basically running the triangle offense – keep him in the middle, hit him when he moves to the right, hit him when he moves to the left.”
Fugitt on pulling the upset
“I’m feeling good. It’s every bit of what I imagined and trained for and prepared for – minus getting hit in the face a little more than I wanted to. It is a fight, so it’s going to happen. I’ve got that face everybody wants to smack, and he definitely did.”
Fugitt on what he wants next
“This is completing a dream along the journey for sure. … Now that I’ve got the ‘W’ and scratched that itch, if you will, it’s time to start making new dreams and going after those, as well. I’m a little late to the party, but hopefully it’s a fashionably late one and I can get some victories in 2023.”
To hear more from Fugitt, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.
