Wrestling stalwarts Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz completed the preliminary card of UFC 139. The two light heavyweights hoped to bounce back from recent losses.
For Bader, a once promising title run was crippled by back-to-back losses to current champion Jon Jones and a resurgent Tito Ortiz. The Arizona-based fighter hoped to avoid a dreaded third straight loss.
Brilz improbably rose up the ranks of the division by taking a last minute fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and nearly pulling the upset. However, he faced a major setback by getting knocked out by Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 129.
Bader looked to establish his jab immediately. An uppercut from Bader connected. Lead hook from Bader popped the head of Brilz backwards. Bader followed with a right hand that sent Brilz crashing face first into the canvas. The referee intervened before Bader could inflict any further damage.
“I’ve been working a lot. Losing sucks,” Bader stated after the fight. The win snapped a two fight losing streak for the former Ultimate Fighter winner.
The loss marked the third straight for Brilz.
Official Result: Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz by KO (punch). Round 1, 1:17
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.