Nicolae Negumereanu put on a brutal display of violence in the early prelims of UFC 277. The Romanian immediately put his name in the hat of a potential post-fight bonus with a clinically savage TKO victory.
Negumereanu faced off against Ihor Potieria in the second fight of the night. In the first round, ‘Nick’ utilized a heavy wrestling gameplan, that appeared to sap the cardio of Potieria. Negumereanu could be seen mocking Potieria at the start of round two, holding his mouth comically open as if gasping for air.
Round two played out almost entirely in the stand-up realms. Potieria showed moments of skill, but his cardio had clearly deserted him. Negumereanu began landing a series of brutal knee strikes from the clinch that backed the Ukrainian up against the cage. From here, Negumereanu began letting both hands and knees fly, knocking Potieria’s mouthpiece flying. He continued to land after this, eventually forcing the referee to step in.