BJJ Champion Bruno Pucci Scores First TKO Win Over Jimmy Yabo

BJJ Champion Bruno Pucci Scores First TKO Win Over Jimmy Yabo
BJJ Champion Bruno Pucci Scores First TKO Win Over Jimmy Yabo
PHOTO: BJJ Champion Bruno Pucci Scores First TKO Win Over Jimmy Yabo

Two-time BJJ No-Gi world champion Bruno Pucci was determined to move forward from an extended layoff due to injury and a devastating eight-second knockout loss he suffered nearly ten months ago.

On Friday, 30 June, the Brazilian did so in explosive fashion. In front of a packed house at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, “Puccibull” defeated the Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo in a featherweight bout via TKO at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION.

After the bell rang to start the bout, Yabo began to cautiously circle on the outside. Pucci had no interest in cutting angles or standing and trading on the feet. 

He bull-rushed “The Silencer” into the fence at the 25-second mark, and took him down just 12 seconds later. On the mat, “Puccibull” backed away briefly to create some distance, and soon unloaded with hard lefts before jumping into side control.

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The hapless Yabo had no answer, as the BJJ expert floated effortlessly from side control to full mount. Rather than look to take the back and sink in his trademark rear-naked choke, Pucci decided to let loose with hands and elbows. 

The Filipino did his best to block the onslaught by keeping his arms up, but at 2:12 of the first round, referee Yuji Shimada had no choice but to stop the match, and award the win to the Brazilian. It was Pucci’s first win by way of strikes.

Yabo falls to 5-5 (1 NC), and has some soul searching to do in order to turn his career around. Pucci, on the other hand, improves his record to 5-2 and is back on track in a stacked featherweight division.

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