Britain’s Lewis McGrillen knocked out Alexander Luster in the second round to win the PFL Europe bantamweight title in Lyon, France.
McGrillen dropped his German opponent multiple times in the fight before landing the final blow with a huge left hand.
Victory earned the 24-year-old from Manchester the tournament-winning prize of $100,000 (£78,000).
“I go through trials and tribulations every day,” said McGrillen. “Not just in the gym but in my life. I’m a fighter, I’m a dog, I was born to fight.”
McGrillen came into the bout on the back of a remarkable semi-final performance, where he shared 14 knockdowns with opponent Dean Garnett, before ending the bout with a left hook.
His showdown with Luster delivered again as McGrillen stumbled the 26-year-old multiple times in the first round with his dangerous left hand.
Luster, who was sporting a bloodied nose, retaliated with kicks to the body and head, but he had no answer to the Briton’s power as he was floored with a straight left.
He survived until the second round, but the defining moment soon followed as McGrillen dropped Luster again with his left hand, before the referee stopped the contest on the ground as the German covered up.
McGrillen celebrated with his team in the cage, which included UFC star Lerone Murphy, as he extended his record to 11 wins and one defeat.
He became the second Briton to win a PFL title this year after fellow Mancunian Dakota Ditcheva’s victory in the global flyweight tournament last month.
“Thank you so much – shout out to every pub in Wythenshawe that streamed the fight, I love you to bits,” added McGrillen.
“I’ll be down for a beverage as soon as I’m back.”
Fellow Briton Hughes suffers defeat
There was disappointment for fellow Briton Connor Hughes, though, as he was stopped in the fourth round of his lightweight title bout with Poland’s Jakub Kaszuba.
Liverpool’s Hughes started brightly, dropping his 29-year-old opponent in the first round with a left hook and again in the second with an uppercut.
But Kaszuba, last year’s champion, took control in the third, landing a takedown early in the round and controlling the action on the ground with a number of elbows.
The same pattern followed in the fourth round as he took the fight to the ground again, attacking relentlessly with elbows, before the referee stepped in to end the contest.
Kaszuba joked “give me more elbows” in his post-fight interview, before revealing he fought with torn ligaments in his leg, which “was painful despite the adrenaline”.
While he extended his unbeaten record to 15 by retaining his title, the 27-year-old Hughes suffered the second defeat of his 12-fight career.
