Sullivan Cauley hoped to steal some of the shine Ben Parrish accumulated in 2021, and he did just that.
Cauley faced Parrish in the light heavyweight opener of Bellator 273 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, and earned a dominant TKO at the 4:35 mark of the opening frame in front of a hometown crowd.
Watch the video of the finish below:
Parrish was hoping to keep the fight standing, but Cauley got the fight to the ground quickly. The undefeated fighter used incredible control in the half-guard and was delivering a flurry of shots over and over again to the viral sensation.
In the final minute, Cauley landed another flurry, which led to referee Mike Beltran to issue a warning to “Big Tuna” to defend himself. That only enhanced the intensity for Cauley as the big punches continued to land until Beltran called off the bout.
With the win, Cauley is 3-0 with all first-round finishes in the Bellator cage as a professional fighter. Parrish suffered defeat for just the second time in his career.