Rodrigo Vera knocks out Zhu Kangjie in UFC debut at Macau

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MACAU, CHINA - MAY 30: (L-R) Rodrigo Vera of Peru punches Zhu Kangjie of China in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Galaxy Arena on May 30, 2026 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Rodrigo Vera has arrived in the UFC. At 30 years old and with 24 pro bouts to his name, Vera made his first walk to the octagon at UFC Macau with plenty of experience and he looked like a seasoned vet as he needed less than two minutes to run through Zhu Kangjie on Saturday. Watch Vera’s explosive knockout finish below. Rodrigo Vera tears through Zhu Kangjie in Round 1 at #UFCMacau! pic.twitter.com/PUU9Ttdjhm — MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 30, 2026 Zhu came out swinging, which prompted Vera to go to his wrestling early on to slow the Road to UFC 3 featherweight tournament winner. The bout quickly returned to the feet, where Vera was comfortable exchanging with Zhu. He stunned Zhu with a left hook and followed with several precise punches to leave Zhu face-down on the canvas. Referee Lukasz Bosacki officially stopped the bout 1:50 into Round 1. In his post-fight interview, Vera joked about calling out UFC legend Daniel Cormier after Cormier passed on Vera during his recent coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter 33, which is set to premier on June 14 following UFC White House. Vera improves to 22-1-1 (1 NC) with his first UFC win, his 14th straight overall, while Zhu falls to 21-5 (1 NC) as a pro.

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Rodrigo Vera made the most of his second UFC opportunity.

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Rodrigo Vera made his UFC debut with a big knockout