Former NBA shooting guard Lance Stephenson defeated basketball rival Michael Beasley via a first-round rear-naked choke submission on Saturday night, May 23, 2026, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The influencer mixed martial arts matchup served as the co-main event for the Brand Risk 14 card, an organization promoted by Adin Ross.
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Fight Details
According to reports from MMA Fighting and Yahoo Sports, the cage match lasted only 90 seconds.
Beasley opened the contest by utilizing a long boxing jab, but Stephenson quickly ducked inside to secure a body lock and execute a takedown.
Beasley attempted an unsuccessful guillotine choke from the bottom before Stephenson broke free.
Stephenson then transitioned to his opponent's back and secured the fight-ending rear-naked choke at the 1:26 mark of the opening round, forcing the ground-untrained Beasley to tap out.
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The retired athletes previously spent over a decade competing against each other in the NBA and various international basketball leagues before making their respective combat sports debuts.
Prior to the fight, Beasley had prepared at the UFC Performance Institute alongside members of the Xtreme Couture fight team.
Following the bout, Beasley expressed open interest in scheduling a future boxing rematch against Stephenson to test their skills on the feet rather than the ground.
"Practicing getting choked and getting choked ain't the same!" said Beasley, former NBA forward.
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The event concluded the combat sports debuts for both retired basketball players under the influencer promotion banner.
