Ultimate Fighter winner Bryan Battle faced “Gifted” Gabe Green as part of the UFC Charlotte prelims on Saturday.
Unfortunately for Battle, he had missed the welterweight limit for the fight by a full two pounds, and did not continue his cut after looking drained on the scale. Whether that would impact the fight remained to be seen.
The short answer: it did not.
Bryan Battle was the only fighter on the UFC Charlotte card that was representing the area, and this became clear while Bruce Buffer was making the announcement. The arena erupted as Battle’s name was roared out and this set the scene.
The fight began with Gabe Green wanting to put Bryan Battle in his place, thinking he had the advantage if Battle was fighting on the back foot. Green backed Battle up from the get go and had “Pooh Bear” against the fence as he unleashed a barrage of strikes.
Battle stayed composed though and began to fight fire with fire, connecting with shots of his own, as the two just stood face to face swinging their arms with game-plans going out of the window. Shortly after, Battle landed a short left hook with immense power, folding Gabe Green, scoring a knockout within the first minute. 14 seconds, to be exact, with the crowd erupting as if it were a main event victory.
The hometown hero ❤️@BryanBattle10 | #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/ta7dv06Hyy
— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023
Inside the Octagon talking to Daniel Cormier, Bryan Battle willed Ian Garry to win his fight versus Daniel Rodriguez, so the two could be matched up.
Official Result: Bryan Battle def. Gabe Green by knockout (punch), Round 1, 0:14
