Nigeria's Kennedy Nzechukwu knocks out Chris Barnett in heavyweight return

In the preliminary rounds of UFC 308, Nigeria's Kennedy Nzechukwu made his heavyweight debut, knocking out Chris Barnett in the 1st round.

Ovince Saint Preux, a 40-year-old experienced light heavyweight fighter, defeated Kennedy Nzechukwu via split decision at UFC Vegas 88 after suffering a setback in his previous bout.

Early on, there was a great deal of respect between the fighters, with Saint Preux and Nzechukwu both being careful not to overextend themselves or even initiate combos that may put them in a vulnerable position where the other could counterattack.

While both fighters were making shots at different points during the fight, Saint Preux applied strong forward pressure to keep Nzechukwu from truly setting up his attacks.

How Kennedy Nzechukwu suffered split decision loss to Ovince Saint Preux

Saint Preux's most powerful blow was a furious uppercut that momentarily knocked Nzechukwu to the ground.

With a hail of bullets, Saint Preux charged forward, but Nzechukwu was able to withstand the assault and get back up.

Nzechukwu really started throwing caution to the wind and launching blows into the third round because he realized he had to either finish or turn the fight around to guarantee the victory.

With great pleasure, Saint Preux encountered him in the center of the cage and engaged him in a to-and-fro battle, using every weapon still in their armory.

Nzechukwu has now won three fights in a row cementing a contender spot in the Light-heavyweight division.

When it was all said and done, Saint Preux was victorious thanks to his knockdown and the strikes he had landed over the course of three rounds.

After a back-and-forth brawl with Nzechukwu in the third round, Saint Preux was able to score the fight's lone knockdown and went on to win the scorecards.

The fight was scored 29-28 for Saint Preux by two judges, and 29-28 for Nzechukwu by the third official. Despite this, the former interim light heavyweight title challenger was able to win.

Nigerian mixed martial artist Kennedy Nzechukwu has returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) octagon.

It was a key return as Nzechukwu moved up the UFC heavyweight division.

Kennedy Nzechukwu knocks out Chris Barnett

In a preliminary event of UFC 308, Chris Barnett was unable to handle Nzechukwu's size.

Barnett was overpowered by Nzechukwu's knee to the body in a heavyweight match-up.

At the 4-minute, 27-second mark of the fight in Round 1 at Etihad Arena, Barnett was taken out with a right hook.

Barnett was brought out of the octagon after seeming to have been hurt during the fight.

Barnett has now lost two of his last three fights, while Nzechukwu ended a two-fight losing streak following consecutive defeats to Dustin Jacoby and Ovince Saint Preux.

It was on the same card that Khamzat Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker in a middleweight matchup.

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