Lance Stephenson needed just 65 seconds to completely choke out Michael Beasley in one of the wildest viral sports moments of the weekend.
The former NBA players squared off Saturday night at Brand Risk 14, the influencer combat sports event promoted by Adin Ross at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. What started as a chaotic celebrity MMA crossover instantly turned into complete madness once the fight hit the ground.
And Stephenson looked far more comfortable with violence than most people expected.
Beasley actually started the fight well. The former No. 2 overall pick used his size advantage early and flashed a decent jab from distance. He looked calm standing up and seemed to have spent some time training in boxing.
But the second Stephenson closed the distance, the fight completely changed.
Stephenson exploded forward, secured a body lock, and slammed Beasley to the mat almost immediately. From there, the entire sequence turned sloppy fast.
Beasley attempted a guillotine choke off his back, but clearly lacked the grappling technique to finish it properly. Stephenson broke free, scrambled behind him, and quickly locked in a rear-naked choke as Beasley exposed his back during the roll.
The finish looked ugly, chaotic, and completely improvised. But it worked. Stephenson squeezed hard enough to force Beasley to tap out just 1 minute and 4 seconds into Round 1. The clip instantly exploded online.
2 NBA players doing MMA!
Lance Stephenson just submitted Michael Beasley in the first round 😂 pic.twitter.com/XgWGzD3cpI
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 24, 2026
Fans were stunned watching the former NBA guard dominate an MMA fight so quickly, especially because Stephenson has never seriously competed in combat sports before. But his aggressive style, physicality, and nonstop energy translated surprisingly well once the fight became physical.
Honestly, it looked exactly like Lance Stephenson basketball: Pure chaos.
The rivalry between the two former NBA players already had a history behind it. They previously faced off in BIG3 basketball and even played a highly publicized one-on-one game worth $100,000 last year. This time, Stephenson got his revenge.
The funniest part of the entire event might have been how naturally Stephenson looked inside the cage. The same chaotic energy that made him one of the NBA’s most unpredictable personalities somehow carried directly into MMA.
Stephenson spent over 10 years in the NBA and became famous for his nonstop trash talk, physical defense, and bizarre antics, especially during his years with the Indiana Pacers. From blowing in LeBron James’ ear during playoff games to constantly provoking opponents, Stephenson always played like a man trying to start a fight anyway.
Beasley, meanwhile, played 11 NBA seasons and remained one of basketball’s most naturally gifted scorers throughout his career. But MMA proved to be an entirely different world.
The event itself was full of bizarre influencer fight moments, but Stephenson choking out Beasley became the viral highlight almost immediately. And somehow, against all odds, Lance Stephenson might have found another sport built perfectly for his personality.
