Denise Gomes Blasts Bruna Brasil

Denise
Gomes made a statement, punching out Bruna
Brasil in the second round of their strawweight preliminary
bout at
UFC on ESPN 44.

The story of the fight was Gomes’ power and aggression, as she
effortlessly navigated Brasil’s greater height and reach to land
numerous overhand rights. Gomes also managed a couple of takedowns,
dragging the taller woman down with nifty trips from the clinch,
while denying Brasil’s takedown attempts in the first round.

Midway through Round 2, Gomes came forward, landing a left hook to
the body followed by a right overhand that dropped Brasil in her
tracks. Gomes swarmed for the finish, and after a string of
unanswered lefts and rights on the ground, referee Dwayne Bess dove
in for the stoppage, which came officially at 2 minutes, 42 seconds
of the stanza.

The win evened up Gomes’ UFC record at 1-1 since joining the
promotion out of the 2022 season of Dana White’s Contender Series; Brasil, who
incidentally won on the very same episode of the show last fall,
fell to 0-1 with the promotion.