José Souza opened the show in style on Saturday.
On Saturday night, Souza took on Jonny Parsons in the curtain-jerker for UFC Vegas 124, and the 24-year-old welterweight gave the early fans something to get excited about, brutally knocking Parsons out in the first round.
Right from the start, “Canela” looked to use his significant advantage in length and range, but Parsons did his best to mitigate Souza’s size advantage with kicks from range. It wasn’t enough, however, as near the end of the first
round, Souza timed a lead uppercut that folded Parsons to the canvas, separating him from consciousness in violent fashion.
Souza lost in a Contender Series tryout in 2022, but after picking up a few more wins on the regional circuit, the Brazilian fighter was signed to the promotion earlier this year, winning a split decision over Meng Ding in his debut at UFC Macau.
