Nate Maness pulled off a sick comeback earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 18, 2021) at UFC Vegas 37 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the bantamweight prospect avoided an early knockout loss to score his own finish over Tony Gravely via second-round TKO (punches).
Both bantamweights exchanged blows throughout the first, but it was Gravely who landed a monstrous punch at the end of the bell that sat Maness down. Maness didn’t seem fully recovered coming out into the second and Gravely tried to pressure him. While mixing it up inside Maness was able to push off and land a perfectly-placed right hand that sent Gravely crashing into the fence. Maness pursued with insurance shots to force the referee’s hand.
Check out the finish above and the first-round knockdown below, both courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
SAVED BY THE BELL!?!? @TonyGravely135 dropped a bomb to end the round. #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/I8mqaNiPZp
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
Maness, who made his UFC debut just over one year ago, already has a 3-0 record as a member of the 135-pound division. Gravely is a steep test for anyone in the weight class so this is a big win for Maness, even if he got caught in the first. Look for the surging contender to score a top 15 opponent his next time out.
For complete UFC Vegas 37 results and coverage click HERE.