LAS VEGAS – Kennedy Nzechukwu beat Danilo Marques with a third-round TKO Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 190 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Nzechukwu, who had to rally from some struggles in the first and second rounds for a standing TKO win.
Danilo Marques vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Result: Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Danilo Marques via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:20 Updated records: Nzechukwu (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Marques (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) Key stat: Nzechukwu has six of his nine wins by stoppage.
Nzechukwu on the fight’s key moment
Kennedy Nzechukwu
“I tried to stay calm. At the same time, I knew he was going to burn his legs out because he was constricting his legs trying to hold on to me. I knew it was kind of a dicey situation. I knew I could get him to burn his legs out. It’s not the smartest thing to do – the best thing is to stay out of that position – but I knew he was going to burn his legs out. And after the first round, he was limping toward his corner so I knew it was time to push the pace in the second and third round and I got the finish.” https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1408876121018581000
Nzechukwu on working through adversity
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 26: (L-R) Danilo Marques of Brazil punches Kennedy Nzechukwu of Nigeria in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“My coaches told me in the third round to push it – suffer now and enjoy the rest later. I just had to suffer and push, push, push. I had to do what I had to do to get through. He was really exhausted after the first round, so I just had to push to break him. We knew we could get that done.”
Nzechukwu on what he wants next
“I want to work on skill set, skill set, skill set, more movement, wrestling, jiu-jitsu – everything else. But my coach knows we’ve still got to tune up my skills and brush off the harsh parts around it. … Everyone in the UFC is skilled, so you can’t be lacking in that.” To hear more from Nzechukwu, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above. [vertical-gallery id=619457] [vertical-gallery id=619455]
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