NEWARK, N.J. – Parker Porter beat Braxton Smith with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Take a look inside the fight with Porter, who snapped a two-fight skid for his first stoppage win since 2019.
Parker Porter vs. Braxton Smith
Result: Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:10
Updated records: Porter (14-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC), Smith (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stats: Porter outstruck Smith 37-14 en route to the quick finish.
Porter on the fight's key moment
“Nothing against the guy – it’s just all of his fights had been really short, so I wasn’t expecting him to have decent cardio because he is accustomed to finishing fights fast. … After our first exchange, I stuck him with a pretty stiff jab. I could kind of see his demeanor and his body language change a little bit. Then when we wrapped up and we clinched and I clipped him with that knee to the body, I knew it was over at that point.”
Porter on a critical win at the right time
“I was feeling a lot of pressure. I’m on a two-fight slide leading up to this fight. This was the last fight on my contract. This win was for all the marbles, man. It’s about as close to home as I’ll ever get – I drove down here only two and a half hours from where I live. First time ever, now seven fights (in the UFC), that my wife and my mother got to be in attendance in the building, to actually be here firsthand. Yeah, this was a huge occasion for me – huge … momentous. I put a lot of pressure on myself, more than anything, and my team really helped me put that pressure in the right direction and channel it properly.”
Porter on his 2008 loss to Jon Jones
“Of course everybody: ‘Oh, you fought Jon Jones.’ But yeah – no sh*t. I didn’t expect anything different from what he did. The first thing I thought when I heard he was coming up to heavyweight was: Crap. I can’t get away from this guy. The dude’s an animal. He really is just one of those guys that’s on his own level. He makes short work out of the best in the division.”
Porter on what he wants next
“I don’t have any names in particular, but I would love, love, love to be on the Boston card coming up in August. That’s another close-to-home fight, and I really kind of enjoy this, being close to home, being able to have friends and family literally in attendance. I like this. I would love that Boston card.”
To hear more from Porter, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
