Once Juliano Coutinho dragged Ashley Gooch into his world, it was only a matter of time before a new CES MMA heavyweight champion was crowned.
Coutinho snatched the title from Gooch with a second-round technical knockout victory in the CES MMA 45 headliner at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., on Friday night. The end came at the 4:18 mark of round two, as Coutinho (8-3) landed approximately 10 unanswered punches from back mount.
Gooch (10-6) was able to remain upright in the opening stanza, as he fended off a pair of Coutinho takedown tries and began to find his rhythm with a stiff jab late in the period.