American Top Team product Roman Faraldo is now 8-0 after another thunderous first-round knockout on the prelims of Bellator 283.
Faraldo starched Luis Iniguez with a straight left at the 3:42 mark of the opening frame on Friday at Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Wash.
Check out the finish below.
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Another one for the highlight reel. @RomanFaraldo just loves a 1st round finish.
Tune in to the #Bellator283 prelims, brought to you by @MonsterEnergy and fueled by @SuperiorGrocers.
https://t.co/pCLsMdTGuO pic.twitter.com/za4yX1glmn
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) July 23, 2022
It was the third straight first-round finish for Faraldo, who made an appearance on “Knockout of the Year” lists for his flying-knee knockout at Bellator 271 this past fall.
This time around, Faraldo pursued his opponent as if the finish was inevitable, which it appeared to be after the two traded power shots and Iniguez got on his bicycle. Wary of becoming another highlight victim, Iniguez circled off the cage to avoid the flying knee, which arrived on several occasions. He couldn’t avoid the fists of Faraldo, however, and took several hard punches before the fight-ending shot.
Iniguez suffers the second loss of his seven-fight pro career, while Faraldo makes another argument for a main-card spot – and a ranked opponent.