Ireland's Sinead Kavanagh was defeated by Cris Cyborg via knockout in the first round of their main event at Bellator 271 in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Cyborg dropped the Dubliner with a strong right hook in the second minute of the fight during a wild exchange of punches between the featherweights.
The Brazilian chased them up with a couple of hammerfist blows on the ground before the referee stepped in to bring an end to the bout.
It was always going to be a tough task for Kavanagh but her disappointment was visible as the final decision was called out.
It was predicted that Cyborg would try and finish the fight early but the way she did was calculated and brutal as she remains Bellator Featherweight World Champion.
It is her 20th career knockout victory and she gets it at the Hard Rock hotel in Florida.
Kavanagh had been out of the cage for over a year, with her last bout coming against Katharina Lehner in October 2020.
In the post-fight interview it was said Kayla Harrison, who is currently a free agent, could be next in line to fight the violent Brazilian.
Cyborg was given the mic and addressed Harrison saying: “If you want to fight me one day, it [would be] a great fight. But you need to talk to the promotion to make this happen.”
Preliminary Card results
Bout 1: Ethan Hughes def. Mahmoud Sebie via TKO
Bout 2: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Mo DeReese via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Cody Law def. Colton Hamm via TKO, Strikes
Bout 5: Roman Faraldo def. Robert Turnquest TKO, Strikes
Bout 6: Bruna Ellen def. Desiree Yanez via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Steve Mowry def. Rakim Cleveland via Submission, Kimura
Main Card results
Arlene Blencowe def. Pam Sorenson via Decision, Unanimous
Aaron Pico def. Justin Gonzales via Decision, Unanimous
Linton Vassell def. Tyrell Fortune via Decision, Unanimous
Cris Cyborg def. Sinead Kavanagh via TKO, (RD 1, 1:32) (Bellator Featherweight Championship)
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