There was something in the air at UFC Austin after Cody Brundage scored a massive slam knockout just after Drakkar Klose managed the same feat in the fight just before him.
After securing an early takedown on Zachary Reese in the opening round, Brundage found himself fighting off a triangle choke attempt. Rather than trying to slip free, Brundage opted to grab onto his opponent and raise him into the air before bringing him crashing back down to the canvas again.
Much like what happened in Klose’s fight just minutes earlier, Brundage’s slam saw the side of Reese’s head bounce off the ground as his legs fell limp. Brundage delivered a couple more punches as the referee rushed into stop the action with the end coming at 1:49 in the first round.
ANOTHER SLAM KO #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/QvcQAa4LtW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 2, 2023
“I keep falling short and this one I obviously didn’t,” Brundage said afterwards. “I realized pretty fast [he was hurt]. This canvas must be a little harder than usual. I’m just really happy.”
It was a wild sequence after Brundage opened the fight with an early shot that clipped Reese but he wasted no time grabbing onto the leg to bring the action down to the ground. From there, Brundage began working for a ground and pound attack with Reese eventually throwing up his legs for the submission attempt.
It looked momentarily like Reese might get the triangle choke locked up but that move backfired after Brundage secured his grip and lifted him into the air for the slam that ultimately ended the fight. The impact reverberated in the arena after Reese hit the canvas as Brundage got the job done in emphatic fashion, which now counts as the 14th slam knockout in UFC history — just after No. 13 happened with Klose’s win over Joe Solecki.
The finish puts Brundage on a two-fight win streak while also securing his second knockout since joining the UFC roster in 2021.
