'Rumble' finishes Bader in first round of UFC Fight Night main event
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson made quick work of fourth-ranked light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader on Saturday night, scoring a first-round knockout in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Newark.
Bader shot for a takedown almost immediately and tried to work a Kimura after a successful sprawl from Johnson. “Rumble” transitioned to the mount while fighting off the submission attempt, and once he got free, started raining down punches on Bader until the referee called him off.
The win snapped Bader five-fight win streak and put Johnson in prime position to challenger the winner of the impending light heavyweight title matchup between current champ Daniel Cormier and former champ Jon Jones.
In the co-main event, Ben Rothwell displayed the strides he’s made to his grappling game by submitting arguably the greatest grappler to ever enter the Octagon in former champ Josh Barnett. And short-notice replacement Bryan Barberena derailed Sage Northcutt’s hype trail, submitting the 19-year-old in the second round of their main card bout.
