UFC Fight Night 101 results: Alex Volkanovski has big UFC debut, TKOs Yusuke Kasuya in second

MELBOURNE, Australia – The more Yusuke Kasuya insisted on rolling for leg locks from the bottom position, the more Alex Volkanovski made him pay for it.

In the second round Volkanovski (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) ratcheted up the price, hammering Kasuya (9-3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with blistering right hands as Kasuya tried for a kneebar, eventually punching his way to a TKO stoppage at the 2:06 mark of Round 2.

The featherweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 101 event at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Volkanovski gave Kasuya a few glimpses of his punching power on the mat in the first round, as the two engaged in a back-and-forth ground battle that saw Volkanovski spending more time on top. While Kasuya seemed focused on trying for submissions, Volkanovski was intent on punishing his foe with hard punches whenever he saw an opening, which was not infrequently in that first frame.

Kasuya shrugged off the blows relatively easy early on, but after a Volkanovski takedown to start the second, the damage seemed to wear on him. Volkanovski pounded away from inside Kasuya’s guard, prompting Kasuya to roll for yet another leg lock, leaving his head exposed in the process.

That was all the opportunity Volkanovski needed to open up with a blistering stream of right hands, jacking Kasuya in the side of the head and forcing the stoppage just shy of the halfway mark in the second.

With the win in his UFC debut, Volkanovski now has 11 straight victories in his pro career. Kasuya has lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 101 results include:

• Alex Volkanovski def. Yusuke Kasuya via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:06
• Tyson Pedro def. Khalil Rountree via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:07
• Danielle Taylor def. Seo Hee Ham via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
• Daniel Kelly def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Damien Brown def. Jon Tuck via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Jonathan Meunier def. Richard Walsh via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ben Nguyen def. Geane Herrera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
• Jason Knight def. Dan Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
• Marlon Vera def. Ning Guangyou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jenel Lausa def. Yao Zhikui via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 101, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Melbourne.)