LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 19: (L-R) Opponents Brian Kelleher and Cody Gibson face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-ins at UFC APEX on July 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Veteran bantamweight Brian Kelleher faced off against Cody Gibson in a featured preliminary card at UFC Las Vegas 94.
Kelleher had been a comfortable winner in most of his UFC bouts, but lost his final three bouts against top contenders to finish with an 8-8 record. At 38 years old, there are few bantamweights capable of competing against 36-year-old Cody Gibson. Despite losing two bouts in his second UFC bout with the promotion, Gibson came off a memorable loss to Brad Katona in the TUF Final, which was the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 292. Gibson was the favorite going into the bout and lived up to the hype, dominating Kelleher in the first round to take the win.
Gibson started the bout with hard punches and long kicks, forcing Kelleher to retreat and allowing Bryan to earn respect again. Within the first minute, Cody slipped under Kelleher’s charging arms, worked his way into a rear body lock, and advanced enough to get a takedown. Kelleher got up along the fence from half guard, but Gibson’s height advantage easily kept Bryan there and had the power to return him to the mat. When Gibson broke, he attacked Kelleher, avoiding counters and again getting into a strong clinch position. On the second break, he flush dropped Kelleher, but Kelleher fought back and popped out of a guillotine, taking the bottom half. Gibson quickly advanced to an arm triangle choke, and a battered Kelleher tapped out while still in half guard.
The win kept Gibson’s job, and the high school teacher was surprisingly calm in his post-fight interview after perhaps the biggest win of his career. His intellectual approach to the bout was evident as he shared his perspective on the fight with Daniel Cormier and credited his success to training in Las Vegas with fighters like Aljamain Sterling and Patchy Mix.
Official result: Cody Gibson defeated Brian Kelleher via submission (arm triangle choke) at 3 minutes, 58 seconds of the first round.
