Brunno Ferreira lived up to his nickname “The Hulk” as he smashed his way to a brutal knockout at UFC Fight Night 234.
So far in his pro MMA career, Ferreira (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has finished every opponent he’s beaten. Saturday, he added Phil Hawes to that list by putting him out cold at 4:55 of Round 1. The battle between the powerful middleweights had an early finish written all over it, but in this instance, Hawes (12-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) was the one left lying on the canvas.
From the opening sequences, Ferreira was looking for the home run shot. He looked for big strikes early and often, sometimes taking himself off balance with head kick attempts. A few moments after hitting a nice trip takedown and controlling the fight on the canvas, Ferreira landed a nice jumping knee that rocked Hawes after they returned to the feet.
Ferreira ramped up the pressure from that point, and connected with a laser left hand to drop his opponent. Hawes fell to the canvas, and the follow-up punches put Hawes out cold.
The power of Brunno Ferreira is CRAZY 🤯
He puts an end to this one with a first round finish! #UFCVegas84 pic.twitter.com/HcXwmi7Knp
— UFC (@ufc) January 14, 2024
The result put Ferreira back in the win column following the first loss of his pro career in July. Through 12 fights, Ferreira has nine first-round finishes, proving to be a true danger early on.
On the other side, Hawes drops his third straight. His last victory was a stoppage against Deron Winn in June 2022.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 234 results include:
- Brunno Ferreira def. Phil Hawes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:55
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Preston Parsons def. Matthew Semelsberger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marcus McGhee def. Gaston Bolanos via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:29
- Farid Basharat def. Taylor Lapilus via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jean Silva def. Westin Wilson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:12
- Nikolas Motta def. Tom Nolan via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:03
- Joshua Van def. Felipe Bunes via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:31
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
