Kiwi Carlos Ulberg has continued his charge through the light heavyweight division with a first-round demolition of Ihor Potieria on Sunday (NZ time).
'The Black Jag' was scarcely troubled through just over two minutes of action at the UFC Fight Night in Charlotte, defending some early takedown attempts before catching Potieria with his patented check left hook.
That sent the Ukrainian stumbling to the mat, where Ulberg swooped with a flurry of shots. Realising his opponent was defenceless, he eventually stopped the assault himself, which prompted the referee to intervene and make the TKO official at the 2m 09s mark.
"I saw his head go down, his eyes roll back," Ulberg said after the fight. "I knew he was done."
The result sees the City Kickboxing product claim his fourth straight win, with the last three coming via emphatic first-round knockout.
The performance should also lift the Aucklander into the all-important Top 15 in the division rankings, with a significant step up in quality of opposition for his next date in the Octagon.
With the relatively shallow light heavyweight division crying out for legitimate new contenders, Ulberg is making an undeniable and timely impression.
"I don't do names but I do numbers," Ulberg replied when asked who he'd like to fight next. "I know there's a top 15 coming."
"You know what they say - when it rains, it pours, so pour on the cheddar and make it better baby."
A two-time King in the Ring champion, Ulberg's professional MMA record now stands at 8-1, with his only defeat coming in his promotional debut.
The next cab off the City Kickboxing rank is flyweight Kai Kara-France, who'll face Amir Albazi in the headline act of the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on June 4.
In other action in Charlotte, Brazilian Jailton Almeida finished Jairzinho Rozenstruik via submission in the first round of the main event, after Johnny Walker had fought to a unanimous decision win over Anthony Smith.
