UFC on Fuel TV: Jonathan Brookins Dominant with KO of Vagner Rocha

Jonathan Brookins knocks out Vagner Rocha (Josh Hedges/UFC)

TUF 12 winner gets quick first-round knockout in Omaha

If Jonathan Brookins was looking to make a statement in the featherweight division, it looks like he may have done it.

Brookins, coming off a loss to Erik Koch in his first UFC fight at 145 pounds in September, knocked out Vagner Rocha at 1:32 of the first round Wednesday at UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb..

Rocha briefly caught a kick from Brookins and looked for a heel hook. But when the fight went to the ground, Brookins landed some big shots from his knees, then in a crouched position. And just like that, Rocha’s lights were out.

Brookins (13-4, 2-1 UFC), the Season 12 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” seemed to take the win with some humility.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes,” Brookins said after the fight. “It could have been either one of us. My hat’s off to Vagner.”

Earlier action on the preliminary card was to feature three fights between six UFC rookies. But one of those fights was scrapped at the 11th hour thanks to an injury suffered during warmups – a rarity.

Sean Loeffler‘s much-anticipated UFC debut was put on hold when he rolled his ankle warming up. The Fuel TV broadcast showed his ankle backstage, visibly swollen. MMA Junkie reported that Loeffler will receive his show money for the fight, and opponent Buddy Roberts will get his show money and win bonus.

The first two fights on the card featured lopsided unanimous decisions. Tim Means dominated Bernardo Magalhaes, winning with scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 in his debut. And Justin Salas used a strong takedown game plan to beat Anton Kuivanen 30-27, 30-27 and 29-27.