One of two debuting fighters on Saturday’s UFC Austin card, middleweight Zach Reese made the jump from the Contender Series to take on Cody Brundage.
Brundage entered the night off a win over Jacob Malkoun that had snapped a three-fight skid and more than likely saved his job in the process.
As it turned out, lightning struck twice in the fight, with Reese’s debut going off the rails under two minutes in.
Zach Reese came out pressing but Brundage slipped a punch and returned with two that landed. Brundage then shot really low and was able to get Reese down. In response, Zach Reese locked in a triangle that was super tight. Brundage, to defend, lifted Reese and slammed him on his head. The impact was enough for Reese to let go and the follow-up shot put Reese to sleep!
The finish was eerily similar to Drakkar Klose vs. Joe Solecki, which came just one fight earlier. In both cases, the victim of the slam KO landed on the side of their ending, separating them (in this case, Solecki and Reese) from consciousness. Given the rarity of slam KOs in MMA, one, let alone two, was far from expected. And historic, as it turns out.
Two slam knockouts. One night. #UFCAustin is the first event in UFC history with two slam knockouts💥 pic.twitter.com/AVIactgn5D
— UFC (@ufc) December 2, 2023
