Kody Steele finally got his opportunity to fight in front of the UFC brass and he made the most of it.
At Dana White’s Contender Series 75, Steele (7-0) finished Chasen Blair (6-3) with a body shot to end the fight at 4:07 of Round 2. The lightweight bout took place Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The fight was somewhat competitive while it lasted. Blair landed some strikes, but Steele’s seemed to go a lot further in the damage department. That proved to be the case when a short left punch caused a delayed shutdown on Blair, who crumpled to the canvas. Steele then landed a big bomb of a punch that Dan Henderson would be proud of, and pummeled away until the referee dove in.
The liver shot was enough to seal the victory for Kody Steele 👊 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/CWmyebiTjY
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 9, 2024
Steele, 29, was supposed to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 24. However, opponent Quemuel Ottoni decided he no longer wanted to fight Steele, and during much confusion, withdrew from the bout (twice). Steele was then rebooked for Tuesday’s bout.
Steele is a decorated grappler, but has four knockouts in his pro MMA career.
A Cage Warriors staple, Blair stepped into the opening after a Sept. 20 win over Florin Pirtea.
Up-to-the-minute DWCS 75 results include:
- Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:07
- Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:43
- Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 2:44
- Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 75.
