Newfoundland mixed-martial arts fighter Ryan Janes added another win to his UFC record on Friday, and he credits his stamina for allowing him to come back after a rough first round.

Janes beat favourite Andrew Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 26 event in Las Vegas. He won with a TKO in the third round — a technical knockout, which is declared when a referee steps in to safely stop the fight.

Janes, who was born in Grand Falls-Windsor and grew up in Mount Pearl, currently trains out of Victoria, B.C., where he works as a web developer with the provincial government.

OHHHH MAN <a href="https://twitter.com/ElDirteSanchez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElDirteSanchez</a> ROCKS Janes, but Janes SOMEHOW survives!!! WOW!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TUFFinale?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TUFFinale</a> <a href="https://t.co/jDvC5rwS5N">pic.twitter.com/jDvC5rwS5N</a> —@ufc

While Janes fielded some hard punches from Sanchez in the first round, he told CBC Radio's On the Go that he never felt down and out.

"I just thought, 'I'm down now, so I got to stand up.' A lot of times when you get hit like that you basically go on wobbly legs," he said.

"For the most part, I still had my strength. I knew where I was and I knew what I had to do."

Keeping the pressure on

Janes could sense his opponent was starting to run out of gas during the second round, and said that's when his own cardiovascular abilities kicked in to turn the tide of the fight.

The key was to keep the pressure on Sanchez, Janes said, and not let the lumbering wrestler recover or catch his breath.

Ryan Janes, the biggest underdog on the card gets the huge comeback win over Andrew Sanchez! 😲 <a href="https://t.co/bahcmqyqGD">https://t.co/bahcmqyqGD</a> —@UFCONFOX

"As soon as he couldn't finish me off … I knew he was broke, he was done," Janes said.

"I think I hit him with 32 body shots, that takes a toll on you. Even if he wanted to get his breath back, at that point it wasn't going to happen."

Ryan Janes, who grew up in Mount Pearl, is the first person from Newfoundland and Labrador to compete in the UFC. (UFC/Twitter)

Friday's big win evens up Janes's UFC record to 2-2, and nets him $24,000 U.S. — half of which he was paid for fighting, the other half for winning.

It's not clear what future games are in store for the full-time web developer, part-time fighter, but Janes said he's now focussing on healing and enjoying the holidays with his pregnant girlfriend and their dog.

It will be a welcome break, as his gruelling schedule has him training six days a week, including two hours every day after work. He said his upbringing in his home province has greatly contributed to that work ethic.

"I think that's a Newfoundland thing, isn't it."