Kody Steele stopped Noah Gugnon in the first round at UFC 333 on Saturday, producing the event’s first finish with a decisive punching attack in Abu Dhabi.
The bout ended at 3:54 of Round 1 at Etihad Arena. Steele improved to 9-1 after following a knockdown with additional strikes that brought the referee’s intervention.
A right hand dropped Gugnon before Steele followed him to the canvas, MMA Fighting reported. The finish came after both fighters had exchanged strikes during a competitive opening round.
Steele mixed wrestling attempts into his early work, but the fight ultimately turned on his striking. Once Gugnon went down, Steele moved quickly to prevent a recovery.
MMA Mania’s report described Steele landing cleanly before closing distance and dropping Gugnon with a combination. The follow-up punches ended the contest without requiring the judges’ scorecards.
The result gives Steele consecutive first-round finishes after his submission victory over Dom Mar Fan in May, providing a different route to success from his previous UFC appearance.
Steele submitted Mar Fan with a heel hook at 3:56 of Round 1, according to his UFC athlete profile. Saturday’s finish came two seconds earlier.
His latest performance contrasts with his promotional debut at UFC 312 in February 2025, when he lost a three-round unanimous decision to Rongzhu before responding with consecutive wins.
The 31-year-old has a jiu-jitsu background and trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. His UFC biography also lists a black belt and experience in professional grappling competition.
Steele earned his UFC opportunity by stopping Chasen Blair in the second round on Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2024, showing finishing ability before reaching the main roster.
After beating Gugnon, Steele asked for a $100,000 bonus in his post-fight interview. The award had not been confirmed at the time of publication on Saturday.
The stoppage followed Iasmin Lucindo’s unanimous-decision victory over Nicolle Caliari in the opening bout. All three judges scored that contest 30-27, according to the UFC’s official results.
Caliari had missed weight Friday, but competed under the catchweight arrangement and purse penalty set before the event. Lucindo won before Steele’s faster finish in the next matchup.
UFC 333 continues with two championship fights scheduled atop the card: Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev at featherweight and Petr Yan against Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title.
Steele has now won two of his three UFC appearances, moving beyond his debut setback with successive finishes in the opening round and momentum in the lightweight division.
