Sergey Spivak dispatched Greg Hardy quickly to kick off the UFC 272 main card on Saturday night.

Spivak’s game plan was clear after he immediately put Hardy on the ground and began looking for submissions as well as ground and pound from the top. After establishing his dominance by moving into the mount, Spivak simply began raining down a barrage of punches that blasted Hardy in succession, forcing referee Marc Goddard to call the fight off.

The first round ended at 2:16 p.m.

“I always say that I don’t pick opponents. “If the UFC gives me a fight, I’ll take it.”

Spivak got inside, grabbed Hardy, and connected with a well-timed throw to bring the fight crashing down to the canvas after a brief exchange on the feet to start the fight. Spivak was attempting a head and arm choke, but Hardy was able to resist and get back to his feet.

Hardy’s success was fleeting because he could never break free from Spivak’s body lock before tossing him back down to the ground again and again.

After gaining control of Hardy’s body with a takedown, Spivak ripped through the former NFL player’s defence to move into the mount, where he simply began throwing a brutal series of punches. Hardy had no chance of escaping with the shots just eating him alive, resulting in Spivak’s stoppage victory.

Spivak improves to 4-1 in his last five fights, while Hardy suffers his third loss in a row, all by knockout or TKO.