Tony Gravely only needed one perfectly timed uppercut to end his fight at UFC Vegas 56.
In a matchup against fellow grappler Johnny Munoz, both fighters were expected to look for the takedown early, but it was Gravely throwing a punch just when his opponent ducked his head that made all the difference.
As soon as Gravely’s uppercut connected, Munoz was immediately dazed and crumbled to the mat. A few more punches followed on the ground before the referee rushed in to rescue Munoz and prevent any further punishment.
The end came just 1:08 into the opening round.
“I knew he was shooting in,” Gravely said of the finish. “I threw [the uppercut], I knew it would be there because I knew he would try to take me down.
“This is what I expected. I came here to kill this man. If the ref didn’t pull me off, I would have.”
The win marked Gravely’s second in a row as he moved to 4-2 overall in the UFC with his second knockout inside the octagon. Afterward, Gravely didn’t have a future opponent in mind, but rather a request to stay as busy as possible for the rest of 2022.
“I would like to fight at least two more times this year,” Gravely said. “That would be great.”