UFC on FOX 27 results: Mirsad Bektic takes out Godofredo Pepey with vicious body shot

After a devastating loss 10 months ago in a fight he was winning the whole way through, Mirsad Bektic got back on track in a big way.

Bektic (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) picked up a first-round TKO win over Godofredo Pepey (13-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) courtesy of a vicious right hand to the body. The end came at the 2:47 mark of the frame, and came on the heels of Bektic’s knockout loss to Darren Elkins this past March that got Elkins the “Comeback of the Year” award.

The featherweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC on FOX 27 event at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FOX.

Bektic swung for the fences right away, but just missed. Pepey tried a spinning back kick, but missed. A minute in, he tried it again and landed to the body. Bektic backed Pepey up with a right hand, but Pepey landed an uppercut right behind it. The two briefly tied up, but broke away.

That wound up working well for Bektic. He stepped right down the middle and landed a perfectly placed right hand to the body at the same time Pepey was throwing a right knee. Pepey grabbed his midsection and buckled to the canvas. Bektic was all over him and dropped punches down till the fight was stopped.

“I believe he was my most dangerous opponent – crazy striker, crazy grappler,” Bektic said. “I really had to be sharp with my eyes. That was the main thing. This was what I’ve been doing for three months, and it paid off. I was trying to set it up with my jab, but it was a right hand to the body. The body shot hurt him.

“I’m only going to go up. There’s only one way and that’s forward. There are a bunch of guys in front of me – I’m exciting, and I’ve never let anyone down.”

Bektic is back in the win column following the first loss of his pro career, which was a comeback win for Darren Elkins this past March. Pepey lost for the second straight time and has setbacks in three of his past four fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 27 results include:

• Mirsad Bektic def. Godofredo Pepey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
• Katlyn Chookagian def. Mara Romero Borella via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Randa Markos def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ji Yeon Kim def. Justine Kish via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
• Vinc Pichel def. Joaquim Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Niko Price def. George Sullivan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:21
• Cory Sandhagen def. Austin Arnett via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:48

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Charlotte.)