Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell, UFC Vegas 121 weigh-in Credit: Patrick Danna/Cageside Press
Lightweights Josiah Harrell and Elves Brener faced off as part of the UFC Vegas 121 preliminary card on Saturday, where Brazil’s Brener looked to pull out of a tailspin.
After starting his UFC run with three straight victories, Brener had dropped three straight, but was getting the 0-1 Harrell in a must-win fight for the Brazilian.
Harrell ducked under a punch from Brener and landed a nice takedown in the opening fifteen seconds. Brener worked his way to his feet where he was on the retreat from the forward pressure of Harrell. After landing a solid body kick, Brener went upstairs and narrowly missing on a big head kick. The action was halted briefly after a kick below the belt from Brener. When action resumed, Brener landed a solid left straight that snapped back the head of Harrell. Sensing danger, Harrell shot for a takedown but was thrown off. Brener then stepped forward with a right hook that wrapped around the guard of Harrell and connected flush on the chin. The massive blow separated Harrell from consciousness as he fell face first to the floor.
Four minutes into the first round Brener earned a highlight reel knockout victory, earning the tenth first round finish of his career. Brener mentioned his fallen teammate Allen Nascimento as motivation for this fight, helping propel him to the win. As for Harrell, the “Muscle Hamster” is now 0-2 in the UFC.
Official Result: Elves Brener def. Josiah Harrell TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:14