Cody Stamann entered the octagon at UFC 250 with a heavy heart and walked out in tears – but also a winner.

Stamann defeated Brian Kelleher by unanimous decision Saturday night after his 18-year-old brother, Jacob, unexpectedly died in his sleep last week . As soon as the final horn sounded, Stamann broke down crying.

The emotions were on display through the decision and post-fight interview. Even Joe Rogan appeared to be overwhelmed by emotion during the post-fight interview with Stamann, who earned 30-27 scores across the board.

“I’ve been fighting tears all day, just trying to hold everything together,” Stamann said after the fight . “It’s a hard time for me. I had to buckle up and be a man and get this done for him, for my family, and myself.”

Usually Kelleher (21-11 MMA, 5-4 UFC) and Stamann (19-2-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) compete at bantamweight. However, the fight was contested at featherweight due to its short-notice nature.

For the first nine minutes of the fight, Stamann and Kelleher traded punches on the feet. Stamann’s success in the first round carried into Round 2. As the second round progressed, the two fighters opened up more, throwing an elevated level of power behind each shot. Late in Round 2, Stamann secured a takedown.

In the final round, Kelleher pressured Stamman relentlessly. Stamann circled, still finding success with his striking. Despite Kelleher’s efforts, all three judges gave the round – and fight – to Stamann.

The victory gets Stamann back in the win column after fighting to a majority draw against Song Yadong in December. Stamann has only lost once in his UFC career, a 2018 defeat to Aljamain Sterling.

As for Kelleher, the Long Island native had a two-fight winning streak snapped. He’s now lost three out of five outings.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 250 results include:

Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:10 Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 4:06 Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:20