Chandler KOs Henderson in Bellator 243 main event

Michael Chandler knocked out Benson Henderson at 2:09 of the first round in the Bellator 243 main event Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Chandler, the former three-time lightweight champion, immediately pressured Henderson but missed a lot of his early offense. Henderson did a good job of working Chandler's body with punches and scoring leg kicks.

But just over two minutes into the headlining bout, Chandler got up close and blasted Henderson with a short left hand. "Smooth" was stunned and it only took one more shot to put the former UFC lightweight champion down for good.

With the victory, Chandler extended his winning streak to two, and he's now 2-0 against Henderson. They met in 2016 in a lightweight title bout, and Chandler - who held the belt at the time - edged out a split-decision victory.

This was the last fight on Chandler's current contract with Bellator, and the 34-year-old will now be allowed to test free agency. There was speculation ahead of Friday's rematch with Henderson that an impressive performance could finally punch Chandler's ticket to the UFC.

Chandler has been a Bellator fighter since his fourth pro bout in 2010, competing in the promotion a total of 23 times.

Henderson saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end with the defeat. This was only the second knockout loss of his 37-fight career, with the first coming against Rafael dos Anjos in 2014.