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It took Bryan Battle just 14 seconds to bring his hometown to its feet after demolishing Gabe Green in the first round at UFC Charlotte.
The finish came after Green came out firing from the opening bell, pushing forward while throwing a wild series of punches in an attempt to overwhelm Battle before he ever got a chance to find his rhythm. That game plan backfired, however, once Battle started launching bombs in return — leading to a massive right hook that snapped Green’s head around and sent him crashing to the canvas in a heap.
BATTLE MAKES QUICK WORK IN ROUND 1 #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/YdKxkFVdiV
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2023
As soon as Green fell to the floor, the referee rushed to stop the fight as Battle started celebrating a jaw-dropping victory in front of his friends and family in Charlotte.
“I was made in Charlotte. I was never going to lose in Charlotte,” Battle said. “I put these hands on anybody, they might go to sleep.
“Here’s the thing, he normally doesn’t come out that aggressive so it caught me off guard. Kept my stance, kept my posture and just firing. That’s a tough dude right there.”
It was an emphatic end to a week that didn’t start great for Battle after he missed weight on Friday, which makes him ineligible for a post-fight bonus that would almost seem like a certainty otherwise given he now sits at No. 6 all-time for the fastest knockouts in UFC history.
Obviously missing out on that $50,000 will sting, but it didn’t take long for Battle to turn his attention to his future and call out Ian Garry, who won later in the night in a fight against Daniel Rodriguez.
“Ian, you big blonde doofus, what’s happening, baby?” Battle shouted. “It took him 15 minutes and he couldn’t finish that guy. I got him out of there in [14 seconds].”
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