Da'Mon Blackshear wants shot at top 15 after kimura finish of Cody Gibson at UFC Fight Night 254
LAS VEGAS – Da'Mon Blackshear beat Cody Gibson with a second-round submission Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 254 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Blackshear, whose standard rear-naked choke this past November was worthy of a bonus – but whose much more rare kimura was denied an extra check.
Da'Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson
Result: Da'Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson via submission (kimura) – Round 2, 4:09
Updated records: Blackshear (16-7-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC), Gibson (22-11 MMA, 3-6 UFC)
Key stats: Blackshear has 11 of his 13 pro finishes by submission.
Blackshear on the fight's key moment
'I showed a little bit of adversity (in the first round) and how I can work through it. I didn't warm up enough, or just had to get a feel early in that first round. I had to get a little comfortable in there, and then I started going. I just had to wake up – that's it. I just had to wake up to someone is trying to take my head off.'
Weathers an early storm and unleashes his own! 😤
Da'Mon Blackshear gets another sub to his resume! #UFCVegas104 pic.twitter.com/YTQa30vGjs
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) March 16, 2025
Blackshear on his emotional yell after the win
'it's just the buildup and years of training and hard work. You just get that release and let it go. There's not a lot of times in life when I just randomly yell and accept it. After a fight, after a win, it's OK to yell and let it out.'
Blackshear on what he wants next
'There are no names (I want) in particular. I just want to keep climbing the ladder one step at a time and eventually want to be at the top – and I want to stay at the top. Whoever's in front of me, (I want to fight).'
'It feels right and it feels like what I'm supposed to do, doing what I was put on this earth to do'
Da'mon Blackshear reflects on his performance and makes it two wins in a row at #UFCVegas104.#UFCVegas104 Results, Interviews & More ➡️: https://t.co/qQ0pIqgrFj
— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 16, 2025
To hear more from Blackshear, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.
Gallery UFC Fight Night 254: Best photos from Las Vegas
View 130 photos
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out' Cory Sandhagen acknowledges that there's only one way he can dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) beat Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in even more definitive fashion when he submitted him in their title-fight rematch, which headlined Saturday's UFC 316 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) reacted to Dvalishvili's win. "It was great – Merab did an awesome job," Sandhagen told ESPN on the UFC 316 headliner. "I kind of anticipated that Merab was even going to look better in this fight just when I was thinking about it a little more, and he did awesome. He got the finish, and I'm sure that that's what he was looking for, and I'm happy for him. Me and Merab have a really good rapport together, so I'm happy for him." Sandhagen, who's coming off a finish of Deiveson Figueiredo last month, was in attendance, and is expected to be next in line for Dvalishvili. "I was kind of surprised that O'Malley decided to move as much as he was," Sandhagen said. "That's a very tough thing to do against a guy that's going to press like that. When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive, and I'm looking forward to tha. Merab is the best guy in the division. He's maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out." With Dvalishvili on a 13-fight winning streak, Sandhagen says "The Machine" has to be stopped. "Yeah, you've got to knock that guy out," Sandhagen said. "That's it. You've just got to knock that guy out."
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
JooSang Yoo felt bad about\u00a0UFC 316 KO of Saragih, but those Conor McGregor comparisons …
JooSang Yoo felt bad about UFC 316 KO of Saragih, but those Conor McGregor comparisons … Show Caption Hide Caption UFC 316: JooSang Yoo post-fight interview UFC 316 winner JooSang Yoo spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his 28-second knockout of Jeka Saragih. NEWARK, N.J. – Joo Sang Yoo met the media Saturday after his first-round knockout win over Jeka Saragih at UFC 316. Yoo (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) delivered a stunning 28-second knockout of Saragih (14-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) on the preliminary card at Prudential Center. Yoo, who fought in former UFC title challenger Chan Sung Jung's promotion in South Korea, said he felt bad for his opponent, who hit the canvas face first. But Yoo also said the support he's gotten from coach John Kavanagh, famous for his work with Conor McGregor, has played a part in his early success – particularly the comparisons to McGregor, at least the fighting ones. Check out Yoo's post-fight news conference in the video above.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Julianna Peña reacts to UFC 316 loss: 'Calling dibs on the winner' of Harrison vs. Nunes
Julianna Peña reacts to UFC 316 loss: 'Calling dibs on the winner' of Harrison vs. Nunes Julianna Peña wants to jump right back into the title picture after UFC 316. Peña (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) lost her bantamweight title to Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) by submission in Saturday's co-headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Awaiting the outcome of this fight was former UFC dual-champion Amanda Nunes, who will come out of retirement to challenge Harrison. The pair faced off in the octagon after the fight. "The Venezuelan Vixen" took to Instagram to open up on her loss, and wants the winner of Harrison vs. Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC). "Thank you to the fans who lifted me with your love and encouragement during this #fightcamp.I love you all and feel so grateful for all the support and energy you guys give me—It truly means the world 🥹 ! I'm sorry I wasn't able to get the job done 💔I'm super disappointed but hats off to Kayla on her win! Time to get healed up and get ready for her next fight because I'm calling dibs on the winner !" Peña claimed the bantamweight title the first time with a stunning upset of Nunes at UFC 269. She then lost her title to Nunes in their rematch at UFC 277, but wasn't able to get her trilogy bout when Nunes opted to retire and relinquish the belt. Peña then defeated Raquel Pennington at UFC 307 to reclaim the bantamweight title, but lost it again when she was submitted by Harrison at UFC 316.
