Jeremiah Wells made quite the impression in his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 190 on Saturday.
Wells (9-2-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who came into the fight as a short-notice replacement against a much more experienced name in the promotion in Warlley Alves (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), found a home for a highlight-reel knockout in the second round of the welterweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After a grappling-heavy opening round, Wells came out throwing heavy hands in the second. He hurt and dropped Alves with a clean right hand, then pounced with a few more shots on the mat to put the lights out.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):
🇺🇸 Jeremiah Wells, welcome to the BIG show!
[ #UFCVegas30 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/jagRwi7lyf
— UFC (@ufc) June 26, 2021
Wells, who has now stopped opponents in seven of his nine career wins, said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier that he meant to be a little more composed and technical in the fight. However, when he saw the opening to land on Alves’ chin, he made sure not to let it pass.
He was rewarded for taking the risk: He was the first to knock Alves out cold in a fight.
