Kody Steele found his finishing touch again to steal the show early at UFC 333.
The always scrappy Steele went toe-to-toe with Noah Gugnon at Saturday’s event in Abu Dhabi, eventually getting the better of the striking with a right hand that dropped Gugnon and led to a knockout in the first round.
Watch the punch-out below.
Kody Steele crushes Noah Gugnon in Round 1 at #UFC333! pic.twitter.com/OCGY2vZV3m
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 24, 2026
Steele joined the UFC in 2025 with an accomplished grappling background, but since transitioning to MMA he has been more than happy to throw hands with the opposition. He did mix in wrestling to try and put Gugnon on the mat, but once Gugnon started to land his own strikes, Steele couldn’t help but start trading.
It worked out well for him as he found the finish at the 3:54 mark of the opening round.
“I was in the back, I was like, ‘I’m going to light this fool up with my right hand,’” Steele said in his post-fight interview. “Like I said, I want that money. I want that $100K, come on, put it in my bank account, let’s go.”
Steele (9-1) was coming off a slick inverted heel hook submission against Dom Mar Fan in May and has now finished six of his past seven opponents.