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Duel Arena 1 Results: Brandon Jenkins Stops Injured Mike Perry, Jimi Manuwa Scores TKO

Duel Arena 1 Results: Brandon Jenkins Stops Injured Mike Perry, Jimi Manuwa Scores TKO

Duel Arena 1 ends with Brandon Jenkins upsetting Mike Perry

The first Duel Arena event was supposed to be built around Mike Perry fighting Dillon Danis. By the time Saturday night was over, Danis was gone, Perry was being treated for an injured shoulder, a 48-hour replacement had won the main event, a former WWE wrestler had been disqualified for throwing his opponent through the ropes, and SpongeBob had somehow entered the picture.

Duel Arena 1 delivered exactly the kind of unpredictable night its MMA-boxing-kickboxing format seemed capable of producing at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

The biggest result belonged to Brandon Jenkins. Originally, Mike Perry was scheduled to face Dillon Danis, but Danis withdrew during fight week with an arm injury. Jenkins accepted the replacement fight on approximately 48 hours' notice.

Then everything went wrong for Perry.

Mike Perry suffers shoulder injury before Brandon Jenkins TKO

Perry started aggressively, but his shoulder appeared to dislocate during an exchange in the opening round. He was clearly compromised afterward and struggled to defend himself properly. Jenkins recognized it immediately, attacked the body and followed Perry to the ground until the fight was stopped at 2:38.

The result gave Jenkins an enormous short-notice victory in Perry vs. Jenkins and completed a remarkable reversal for an event that had spent most of its promotion advertising Perry against Danis.

Perry had entered the night coming off an MMA victory over Nate Diaz earlier in 2026. Jenkins had competed on that same event, defeating Chris Avila by split decision, but few expected him to find himself opposite Perry in another main event only a few months later.

Jimi Manuwa stops Chase Sherman in boxing return

Jimi Manuwa also made his return to combat sports memorable. The former UFC light heavyweight faced Chase Sherman under boxing rules and overcame a significant age and size difference to score a second-round TKO at 1:52.

Manuwa had not competed professionally for years, making the stoppage one of the more notable performances away from the main event.

AJ Cunningham lands spinning back elbow knockout

The MMA portion of the card produced arguably the cleanest knockout of the night before Perry and Jenkins ever entered the ring. AJ Cunningham flattened Joe Penafiel with a spinning back elbow at 4:04 of the opening round.

The finish in Cunningham vs. Penafiel instantly became one of the standout Duel Arena 1 highlights.

Alex Nicholson overwhelms Brad Taylor

Another quick MMA finish came from Alex Nicholson, who dropped Brad Taylor with a heavy elbow before unloading with follow-up ground strikes.

Nicholson vs. Taylor was stopped at 2:47 of the first round, giving Nicholson a much-needed victory after a difficult run entering Duel Arena 1.

Patrick Clark Jr. gets disqualified after fight spills out of the ring

Then there was Patrick Clark Jr., formerly known in WWE as Velveteen Dream, against Ryan Pownall. Calling it a conventional boxing match would be generous.

The two repeatedly became tangled around the ropes, with Clark reverting to wrestling-style tactics during the exchanges. Pownall was sent through the ropes more than once, and Clark was eventually disqualified in the second round after ignoring warnings from the referee.

Pownall therefore picked up the official victory by disqualification, although the sequence looked closer to a chaotic pro-wrestling angle than anything usually seen on a boxing card.

And yes, SpongeBob fought at Duel Arena 1

If Clark's disqualification was not strange enough, Daniel Cao vs. Mason Ajester pushed the debut event into completely different territory.

Ajester competed while dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants, producing one of the night's most surreal viral clips as he overwhelmed Cao. Footage circulated widely after the event, with Cao appearing in formal-looking attire while the SpongeBob costume threw punches in the middle of a combat sports ring.

The bout was part of the advertised boxing lineup, although it was omitted from several finalized result summaries, so an official method and time are not included in the verified results below.

Blake Anthony remains unbeaten against Nate Morrow

Blake Anthony went the distance with Nate Morrow in another MMA bout. Anthony controlled enough of the three rounds to earn a unanimous decision in Anthony vs. Morrow, with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Elsewhere, Phil Rowe defeated Javanis J Ross by unanimous decision in boxing, while Jack Grady stopped Wade Stokan in the opening round. Paul Miller edged Ben Azoulay by split decision in the night's kickboxing matchup.

Duel Arena 1 full results

Watch the full Duel Arena 1 event

For the complete card and all the chaos from Orlando, watch the Duel Arena 1 full event featuring Mike Perry vs. Brandon Jenkins.

Duel Arena 1 results FAQ

Who won Mike Perry vs Brandon Jenkins?

Brandon Jenkins defeated Mike Perry by first-round TKO at 2:38 after Perry suffered a shoulder injury.

What happened to Mike Perry's shoulder at Duel Arena 1?

Perry appeared to dislocate his shoulder during the first round. He attempted to continue, but the injury left him badly compromised before Jenkins finished the fight.

Why did Brandon Jenkins fight Mike Perry instead of Dillon Danis?

Dillon Danis withdrew during fight week because of an arm injury that required stitches. Jenkins accepted the replacement fight on roughly 48 hours' notice.

Who won Jimi Manuwa vs Chase Sherman?

Jimi Manuwa stopped Chase Sherman by second-round TKO at 1:52 in their boxing match.

What happened in Patrick Clark Jr. vs Ryan Pownall?

Ryan Pownall won by disqualification in Round 2 after Clark repeatedly used illegal wrestling-style tactics and sent Pownall through the ropes.

Who was dressed as SpongeBob at Duel Arena 1?

Mason Ajester competed against Daniel Cao while dressed in a SpongeBob SquarePants costume, creating one of the most bizarre and widely shared moments from the event.

Who won AJ Cunningham vs Joe Penafiel?

AJ Cunningham knocked out Joe Penafiel with a spinning back elbow at 4:04 of the first round.

What sports were featured at Duel Arena 1?

Duel Arena's debut combined professional MMA, boxing and kickboxing on the same card, with several crossover and entertainment-focused matchups alongside conventional fights.

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