UFC Fight Night 36 results, photos: Erick Silva makes quick work of Takenori Sato

JARAGUA DO SUL, Brazil – After a devastating knockout loss in his previous outing, Erick Silva bounced back in dominant fashion.

Silva absolutely railroaded octagon newcomer Takenori Sato en route to a first-round TKO.

The welterweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 36 event at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Silva, 29, not only got back in the winner’s column, but did it with an unquestionable flair. Sato, a grappling specialist, almost instantly shot for a leg after taking a hard body kick. With his free leg, Silva popped up and flipped his heel at Sato’s head before unleashing a flurry of punches that rendered the Japanese fighter unconscious.

The official time of stoppage came at the 0:52 mark of the first round, which beat the 1:11 time of his previous win, an inverted triangle armbar of Jason High.

It was a triumphant return for the young Brazilian after getting stopped cold by Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 29.

“I needed a win, but at no point I felt pressured,” he said. “Losing my last fight served as motivation, not as pressure. I trained very hard. It was the best camp of my life. I was the first to arrive in the gym and the last one to leave. I was very hungry for the win.

“The result couldn’t have been different. I want to keep training, and on Monday I’ll be in the gym again.

Although he’s alternated between wins and losses since his debut, Silva (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) remains one of the most exciting prospects in the welterweight division. Sato (17-9-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) sees a two-fight winning streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 36 results include:

• Erick Silva def. Takenori Sato via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:52
• Nicholas Musoke def. Viscardi Andrade via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Charles Oliveira def. Andy Ogle via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:40
• Joe Proctor def. Cristiano Marcello via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Rodrigo Damm def. Ivan Jorge via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Francisco Trinaldo def. Jesse Ronson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
• Yuri Alcantara def. Wilson Reis via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
• Felipe Arantes def. Maximo Blanco via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• Ildemar Alcantara def. Albert Tumenov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
• Zubaira Tukhugov def. Douglas de Andrade via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 36, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Brazil.