Garbrandt KOs Assuncao at 2nd-round buzzer in UFC 250 co-headliner

Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt knocked out Raphael Assuncao at 4:59 of the second round in the UFC 250 co-main event on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Garbrandt stayed patient in the early moments of the bout. He timed his offense well and landed strikes from the outside. He's been criticized in the past for getting reckless in his fights, but he displayed a smarter game plan in his return to the Octagon against Assuncao.

Assuncao had his moments, as he landed a few solid punches and kicks throughout the first 10 minutes. It started to seem Garbrandt was perhaps too timid, but that went out the window when he landed a massive right haymaker at the very end of the second round and put the Brazilian out cold.

The knockout marked Garbrandt's first win since 2016 when he captured the 135-pound title against Dominick Cruz. The 28-year-old entered the bout riding a three-fight skid, all via finish, and he needed to beat Assuncao if he wanted to return to title contention in the near future.

Assuncao is a longtime contender in the division, but he's now lost three in a row. He entered UFC 250 coming off losses to Cory Sandhagen and former title challenger Marlon Moraes.