UFC on Fuel 1 prelim card recap: Brookins wins with 92 second KO, Salas and Means victorious in debut

UFC featherweight Jonathan Brookins. (Photo courtesy of mmamania)

Jonathan Brookins put Vagner Rocha to sleep in Round 1, Justin Salas defeated Anton Kuivanen, and Tim Means beat Bernardo Magalhaes via unanimous decision.

Brookins exhibited a power that has not been apparent in his previous bouts in his knockout victory against Rocha.  The Ultimate Fighter 12 winner attacked Rocha’s body with kicks from the beginning of the match.  When Rocha attempted to tie up Brookins and take the bout to the ground, the UFC reality show winner reversed the takedown.  From there, Brookins planted his right hand over and over again on Rocha’s head until the point of unconsciousness.

Brookins was complimentary of Rocha in his victory speech.

“That guy is is tough, everybody from Florida knows about Vagner Rocha, everybody respects him,” Brookins stated.

Salas utilized his wrestling base to control Kuivanen and fought intelligently to pick up a decision victory.  Salas avoided the European’s onslaught of punches and kicks, while also executing takedowns on nearly every attempt.  The bout came down to the third round and it appeared to be up for the taking.  Salas powered through Kuivanen, securing a double-leg takedown and landing punches until the final bell rang.

Salas was declared the victor and promised improvement in his performance in the future during his post-fight interview.

“I’m going to evolve every fight and I’m going to get better,” he said.

Means and Magalhaes both made their Octagon debut at UFC on Fuel 1, but “The Dirty Bird” was clearly the more prepared for the big stage.  Means edged out Round 1, but the second frame found the Oklahoma native drop Magalhaes with a body shot and dominate the rest of the round.  The third round appeared to be the similar to the second and Magalhaes finished the fight bloodied and exhausted.  Means earned a decisive unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 30-26.

Sean Loeffler was scheduled to fight Buddy Roberts, but Loeffler suffered an ankle injury before the bout and the contest was cancelled.