"The Fightin' Texas Aggie" Defends His Title Tonight in Houston

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That thing he is holding is also undefeated.

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LAS VEGAS – Kevin Casey (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) needed just 61 seconds to notch a win in his return to the UFC, using a devastating left hook to put William “Bubba” Bush (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) down, then a few short elbows to put him all the way out at 1:01 of round one.

The middleweight bout opened up the preliminary card of today’s UFC 175 event at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and a main card on pay-per-view.

Casey, who was returning to the UFC for the first time since a loss at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in April 2013, came in riding a three-fight winning streak in the Resurrection Fighting Alliance organization. While there, the jiu-jitsu specialist continued to hone his striking game, which he put on display right away against Bush.

In the first exchange of the fight, Casey dipped down low and looped a heavy left hook directly onto Bush’s jaw, sending him crashing to the canvas with Casey hot on his trail. Once there, Casey secured top position and hammered away with short left elbows that kept Bush stunned and flattened, until his body eventually went limp and forced the stoppage.

“Going into the fight, I knew that ‘Bubba’ was going to be a very big and tough middleweight,” Casey said. “I was very aware of his ability to strike and maintain his distance well. I tried to measure my distance accordingly and wait for the right opportunity to move in and strike. I opened him up with the elbow and then softened him with a shot to the body. Once he was down I continued to apply the elbow strikes until the ref moved in and stopped the fight.”

It’s the fourth consecutive victory for Casey. For Bush, the defeat is his first in more than two years

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