If you didn’t know what Bryan Battle was saying before Saturday, you probably do now: His prospect label in the UFC’s welterweight division likely is gone.
Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) had to face a little adversity from A.J. Fletcher (10-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who dropped him in the first round. But Battle said afterward his fight or flight instincts kicked in. He survived, then smoothly transitioned to Fletcher’s back in a scramble and quickly had a tight rear-naked choke.
Battle’s finish, which was his ninth stoppage in 10 wins, came at the 4:32 mark of the second round on the main card at UFC Fight Night 228 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
