LAS VEGAS – Kennedy Nzechukwu thought his UFC 310 fight with Lukasz Brzeski could’ve been halted after his knockdown, but the referee thought otherwise, so he had to keep going.
Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who has proven to be a humble person throughout his octagon tenure, improved to 2-0 since moving up to heavyweight from the light heavyweight division in October when he dropped and stopped Brzeski (9-6-1 MMA, 1-5 UFC) for a first-round TKO this past weekend at T-Mobile Arena.
After Brzeski was floored with a clean left hook, Nzechukwu pounced with additional shots until it was waved off. It was a pretty standard finish from an outsiders perspective, but from inside the octagon, Nzechukwu said he took no joy inflicting what he deemed as unnecessary punishment before referee Chris Tognoni stepped in.
“The hook was enough,” Nzechukwu told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 310. “I saw him drop and I felt so bad, but it’s just business and I had to go, because he could’ve regained consciousness. I’ve got to put an end to it.”
Regardless of his thoughts on the stoppage, it was a big win for Nzechukwu. He earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and has back-to-back knockout victories since making his decision to change weight classes.
Nzechukwu said the weight cuts down to 205 pounds were devastating to his body, and now that he’s not doing that, he can perform at an optimal level. He’s done that so far with two short-notice wins in a 42-day stretch, and now he hopes to keep the ball rolling.
“Short notice – anything – I always stay ready,” Nzechukwu said. “I like to stay busy. Now I’ve transitioned to heavyweight so I get to stay busy, stay active and do more fights next year.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
