PHOENIX – Things didn’t start out so great for Luke Sanders (13-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), but they quickly improved against Renan Barao (34-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC).

The catchweight bout (Barao missed weight) was part of the early prelims of today’s UFC on ESPN 1 event at Talking Stick Resort Arena. It streamed on ESPN+ ahead of the rest of the card on ESPN.

Barao took the center to start the fight, looking relaxed as he used primarily kicks to attack from range. Sanders did his best to move in and out of range and issue counters, but Barao’s powerful kicks landed hard to the body and head of his southpaw opponent.

Sanders tried to close the distance and work from the clinch, but Barao was able to pull free and resume his attacks from range. A big right hand briefly stunned Sanders with a minute remaining in the first, but he shook it off and continued to engage until the bell.

Sanders was aggressive in the second, pushing forward with punches that were finding the mark. A fake takedown opened up space for a big left hand, and Barao was stunned. Another big left came shortly after, dropping Barao to the floor. Sensing his chance to finish, Sanders hopped on top and delivered several crushing shots on the floor and bringing and end to the fight at the 1:01 mark of the second.

“This was an opportunity that only comes around once in a while; he’s a legend,” Sanders said after the win. “To be able to fight a legend and, at one time, a pound-for-pound king, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

“I came fully prepared and that’s exactly the outcome I was looking to have. I’m really grateful and glad that I pushed through the long road to get here. This camp was very hard, and there were a couple of times that I didn’t think I would make it here.”

With the result, Sanders rebounds from an August loss to Rani Yahya. Meanwhile, Barao has dropped four consecutive fights.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 1 results include:

• Luke Sanders def. Renan Barao via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:01
• Emily Whitmire def. Aleksandra Albu via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01

For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site.