Diego Brandao continues to prove that fighters can succeed after being cut by the UFC.
At the peak of his career, ‘Ceara’ won The Ultimate Fighter and fought 10 times inside the Octagon.
In July 2014, Diego Brandao and Conor McGregor headlined a famous UFC event in Dublin, Ireland.
‘Notorious’ scored a first-round knockout win before going on to become a two-weight champion with the promotion that released his Brazilian rival three fights later.
Diego Brandao’s career resurgence continues
The UFC’s decision to let Brandao go was proven right when he went on a six-fight losing streak soon after.
Since snapping that skid, the 38-year-old has turned things around by winning six of his last eight bouts.
The UFC veteran scored a spinning kick Knockout of the Year contender to claim the Tuff-N-Uff featherweight title in February.
In doing so, Brandao snapped the nine-fight winning run of highly-touted prospect Jamie Siraj.
It was a similar story when he defended the belt against 10-2 Canaan Kawaihae on Sunday evening.
Brandao entered as a gargantuan underdog before scoring a fourth-round TKO victory at Tuff-N-Uff 145.
The win is even more impressive when you consider that Brandao’s career seemed over a few years ago.
Sean Strickland steals the show
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland made a viral cameo during Tuff-N-Uff 145.
Strickland stormed the cage and punched a fighter after one of his teammates suffered defeat.
Miles Hunsinger was tapped out by Luis Hernandez, who celebrated by mocking his opponent’s all-star corner team with an X-rated gesture.
Along with fellow UFC middleweight Chris Curtis, Strickland ran into the cage to confront Hernandez.
Punches were thrown, but the melee was quickly broken up before anyone got seriously hurt.
Still, Strickland could face a ban and/or fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission tasked with overseeing the event.