Jacare Souza returned to winning form, knocking out Derek Brunson with a head kick that the former actually looked to block initially.
The former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Souza engaged in a standup battle with the much younger Brunson, eventually landing and following up on his way to a KO stoppage Saturday night at UFC Charlotte in the show's main event.
You can see an excerpt of our Fightful.com UFC Charlotte live coverage below.
Round One: The round begins with the fighters throwing a few kicks at each other, Brunson backs up Souza with a two punch combination. Brunson then attempts a knee strike followed by a three punch combination, Brunson attacks Souza with a few lefts. Souza misses a kick before popping Brunson with a right, Brunson avoids a takedown from Souza before attempting a flying knee strike. Brunson backs up Souza with a multiple punch combination, Souza rocks Brunson with a head kick and he follows up with a plethora of lefts until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: #3 Ronaldo Souza def. #8 Derek Brunson by KO via strikes (3:50, R1)
Souza earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts and moved to 21-5 1 NC as a result. Brunson's two fight winning streak was ended, and he falls to 18-5.
You can see our full coverage of UFC Charlotte at this link, and the post show podcast at this link.
