Joanderson Brito had a lot on his mind heading into UFC Vegas 53 but he still managed to earn a jaw-dropping 41-second finish over Andre Fili.
According to the Brazilian, he got word earlier in the day that his uncle in Brazil had passed away but he decided to still move forward with his fight as he looked to bounce back from a loss in his UFC debut.
Brito certainly made the most of his situation after he blasted Fili will a huge overhand right just seconds into the opening round that twisted the Team Alpha Male fighter’s head around before he hit the canvas.
Brito quickly followed up with a barrage of punches on the ground including some nasty hammer fists that just overwhelmed Fili as he was never able to get his senses back before the referee was jumping in to save him.
While Fili got back to his feet quickly after the stoppage, he didn’t seem to complain much after he got blitzed with strikes following the knockdown delivered by Brito.
“I wanted to be here,” Brito said after an emotional win. “I wanted to focus on this moment. It made it that much more special to be here in this moment. I come from 10 straight wins before [that loss]. I came here to finish it off.”
Brito now sits at 1-1 in his UFC career after he previously competed on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2021. Overall, Brito now holds a 13-3-1 record while picking up his first UFC win with the emphatic finish over a veteran in Fili.
