Rodrigo Vera stops Zhu Kangjie in 110 seconds on UFC Macau debut

Rodrigo Vera made an immediate impression on his UFC debut, knocking out Zhu Kangjie at 1:50 of the first round at UFC Macau on Saturday. Referee Lukasz Bosacki waved off the contest after Vera dropped Zhu face-down on the canvas with a sharp left hook and a cluster of precise follow-up punches.

The 30-year-old arrived in the octagon with 24 professional bouts behind him, and that experience showed from the opening exchanges. Zhu, the Road to UFC 3 featherweight tournament winner, came out aggressively, which drew Vera into an early wrestling exchange. Once the fight returned to the feet, Vera was composed and clinical, timing the left hook that changed the complexion of the bout in an instant.

The finish extended Vera’s winning streak to 14 consecutive fights. He improves to 22-1-1 (1 NC) overall, while Zhu drops to 21-5 (1 NC) as a professional.

In his post-fight interview, Vera took a light-hearted swipe at UFC legend Daniel Cormier, joking about a callout after Cormier passed on selecting him during a recent coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter 33.