Kennedy Nzechukwu has had a good year inside the cage in 2024. The UFC‘s pay-per-view schedule for 2024 is complete with the close of action this past Saturday night inside T-Mobile Arena with UFC 310 on ESPN+ pay-per-view. It didn’t take long for the fans to get out of their seats and roar their collective approval for him.
Nzechukwu (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) made one of the first walks to the famed Octagon of the evening on Saturday. Lukasz Brzeski (9-6-1, 1 NC MMA, 1-5 UFC) served as the adversary for Kennedy Nzechukwu on the opening fight of the card. The former entered the fray on only 10 days’ notice after Brzeski’s original opponent, Tallison Teixeira (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) sustained an injury ahead of the card, putting his UFC promotional debut on hold for the time being.
Even though Kennedy Nzechukwu would be making the walk on short notice for his second fight at heavyweight in under two months’ time, it mattered very little in the grand scheme of things. His performance can be described in a single word: Dominant.
Kennedy Nzechukwu Floors Brzeski Late in First Round To Cap 2024 Schedule
Not long after the command to fight was given on Saturday night, Nzechukwu pushed forward, stalking Brzeski before absorbing a punch. From there, he continued to move in on his adversary, eventually exchanging shots with him before scoring with a brilliantly-placed kick to the head.
At that moment in the opening prelim, momentum began to swing toward Kennedy Nzechukwu’s side of the ledger. While Lukasz Brzeski continued to advance toward Nzechukwu, it was clear that the kick to the head wobbled him, only making things worse with a jab.
Smelling blood in the water, Nzechukwu, who returned to the heavyweight ranks earlier this fall during UFC 308’s undercard in Abu Dhabi, continued to aim for Brzeski’s head, mixing in a front kick to the body along the way, before finally planting a right hook to put him on the mat. A short flurry of ground and pound shots ended the contest right as the 10-second clapper sounded.
Kennedy Nzechukwu Receives Performance of the Night Bonus With Knockout Victory
Due to his sterling efforts on Saturday evening, Nzechukwu, who went 2-1 in his three fights under the UFC promotional banner in 2024, was one of four fighters who scored the Performance of the Night Award during Saturday evening’s UFC 310 post-fight press conference from UFC CEO Dana White.
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This was his first Performance of the Night honor since Nov. 19, 2022. That night, he pocketed the $50,000 (USD) bonus after finishing Ion Cutelaba (18-10-1, 1 NC MMA, 7-9, 1 NC UFC) during a last-minute main event inside the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, NV.
Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba were originally slated to fight during the co-main event of the evening that November night two years ago. The 11th-hour withdrawal of original headliner Derrick Lewis (28-12, 1 NC MMA, 19-10 UFC) due to hospitalization forced the light heavyweight tilt to be shifted to the headlining affair.
Nzechukwu Credits Medical Advice For Move Back To 265
After the fight, the victorious Kennedy Nzechukwu talked with Joe Rogan about why he moved up from the light heavyweight ranks to the heavyweight division.
“The doctor said that [the weight cut is] compromising my health and that it would be bad in the long run,” Nzechukwu began on the telecast. “The decision was based upon that.”
Later, he discussed how beneficial it is to him to not need to concern himself with a weight cut ahead of a fight.
“Now, my liver’s not damaged [anymore],” Nzechukwu continued. “I’ve healed a lot and I’ve been dialing in on my striking. I thank [UFC Senior Vice President of Talent Relations] Mick Maynard, Dana White, [matchmaker] Sean Shelby, the UFC, even the staff that we don’t get to see, the medical team, media team, like you guys. I do want to appreciate you guys.”
Nzechukwu Turns In Wonderful Performance
Upon a second viewing of this weekend’s fight, it’s no real wonder why Dana White awarded him a $50,000 payday. This was a masterclass of a showing from Kennedy Nzechukwu, just truly awesome stuff. It’s the kind of a fight that you’ll want to go back and look at again six months from now.
He overcame adversity in the early going of the contest, finding his footing to seize control of what was to be a three-round affair, throwing and landing shots upstairs. If he was dangerous with only 10 days of lead time, one can only imagine just how more brutal he’ll be having had a full camp next time out.
This topic came up during his post-fight meeting with the assembled media backstage at T-Mobile Arena.
“Short-notice, anything, I’m ready,” he told the press. “I always stay ready. I’m running marathons, doing different camps and I like to stay ready. I just don’t like to be idle. That’s always been me. Even as a kid, I was always not [in] my seat, getting in trouble because I’m never [out of] my seat. I’ve always been busy, like with that transition to heavyweight, so I get to stay busy, stay active and get more fights next year.”
Final Thoughts on Nzechukwu’s Emphatic Victory
Kennedy Nzechukwu is a man who has found his groove at 265 lbs. His second stint as a UFC heavyweight is off to a fabulous start.
Moving back to the top division of the sport has, up to right now, worked out handsomely for him. While Nzechukwu posted a 3-4 mark in his seven career appearances at 205 lbs. during the early part of his career, including his Contender Series appearance to net him the UFC deal in the summer of 2018 on finale night, he’s undefeated at 4-0 in both stints at 265.
At this point, there’s no going back for him. Expect a busy 2025 for Kennedy Nzechukwu. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak. If he can keep it going, he could be in the title picture this time next year.
