A middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Jacare Souza headlined tonight’s (Jan 27, 2018) UFC fight card in Charlotte.
Jacare Souza landed a head kick that put Brunson on the mat, then stopped him off with punches at the 3:50 mark of the first round. The pair were fighting in a rematch five and a half years after Souza knocked out Brunson in 41 seconds in a Strikeforce fight.
Jacare continues to reign in the top five of the hyper-competitive middleweight division, but he’s also coming off a nasty KO loss to Robert Whittaker plus a torn pectoral muscle.
Souza, improved to 25-5-1, his third victory in his past four fights. Brunson had a two-fight win streak closed and is now 2-3 in his past five.
Watch the impressive KO below:
HE'S BACK! @jacaremma gets a huge TKO win with the head kick on Derek Brunson! #UFCCharlotte https://t.co/qQnOuNcuJO
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) January 28, 2018
Pro fighters praised his performance on social media.
This either ends quick or decision. Bet
— Chris Camozzi (@ChrisCamozzi) January 28, 2018
Wow! Damn vicious #UFCCharlotte good stoppage
— Truck Gordon (@TruckGordon) January 28, 2018
Old habits are hard to break. Forward advancement from Brunson makes him raise his own chin. Brunson and Jacare do it again. #UFCCharlotte
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) January 28, 2018
🐊🥋🇧🇷 #UFCCharlotte #UFCxFOX
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) January 28, 2018
Jacare is a baaaaaad man! What a beast! Good way to remind the middleweights of that fact. #UFCCharlotte
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) January 28, 2018
Great stoppage by the ref. I don’t think Jacare was going to let Brunson get his equilibrium back and those punches had some heat on them. #UFCCharlotte
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) January 28, 2018
WOW! Great finish by @JacareMMA! https://t.co/QkbHhnzRi0
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) January 28, 2018
