After previously being passed over for a spot on The Ultimate Fighter, Rodrigo Vera sent a statement to those who doubted him.
In his UFC debut during the UFC Macau prelims, Vera scored a brutal first-round finish of Kangjie Zhu.
The two went to a striking battle right in the first minute, with both focusing on leg kicks. Vera looked to pressure by closing the distance and trying to land strikes from close range, adding in a takedown attempt to the mix as well.
Rodrigo Vera Blasts Kangjie Zhu At UFC Macau
Things quickly came to an end in the second minute of the fight when Vera landed a left hook that dropped Zhu to the mat. Vera followed up with punches that left Zhu defenseless and out cold.
Vera now improves to a career record of 22-1-1, having not dropped a fight since 2019. This marked his UFC debut after competing on the regional scene with FFC, where he was a champion, as well as bouts in the LFA and Shooto Brazil.
This also marked Zhu’s UFC debut. He competed in three Road to UFC bouts over the last couple of years, scoring decision wins over Tatsuya Ando, Shin Haraguchi and Bin Xie.