Da'Mon Blackshear wants shot at top 15 after kimura finish of Cody Gibson at UFC Fight Night 254

LAS VEGAS – Da'Mon Blackshear beat Cody Gibson with a second-round submission Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 254 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Blackshear, whose standard rear-naked choke this past November was worthy of a bonus – but whose much more rare kimura was denied an extra check.

Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson

Result: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Gibson via submission (kimura) – Round 2, 4:09
Updated records: Blackshear (16-7-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC), Gibson (22-11 MMA, 3-6 UFC)
Key stats: Blackshear has 11 of his 13 pro finishes by submission.

Blackshear on the fight’s key moment

“I showed a little bit of adversity (in the first round) and how I can work through it. I didn’t warm up enough, or just had to get a feel early in that first round. I had to get a little comfortable in there, and then I started going. I just had to wake up – that’s it. I just had to wake up to someone is trying to take my head off.”

 

Weathers an early storm and unleashes his own!

Da’Mon Blackshear gets another sub to his resume! #UFCVegas104 pic.twitter.com/YTQa30vGjs

— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) March 16, 2025

Blackshear on his emotional yell after the win

“it’s just the buildup and years of training and hard work. You just get that release and let it go. There’s not a lot of times in life when I just randomly yell and accept it. After a fight, after a win, it’s OK to yell and let it out.”

Blackshear on what he wants next

“There are no names (I want) in particular. I just want to keep climbing the ladder one step at a time and eventually want to be at the top – and I want to stay at the top. Whoever’s in front of me, (I want to fight).”

 

“It feels right and it feels like what I’m supposed to do, doing what I was put on this earth to do”

Da’mon Blackshear reflects on his performance and makes it two wins in a row at #UFCVegas104.#UFCVegas104 Results, Interviews & More : https://t.co/qQ0pIqgrFj

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 16, 2025

To hear more from Blackshear, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.