Cyborg destroys Kavanagh in under 2 minutes to retain Bellator title

Cris Cyborg turned in another dominant performance Friday to retain the Bellator women's featherweight belt.

Cyborg knocked out Sinead Kavanagh at the 1:32 mark of the first round in the Bellator 271 main event in Hollywood, Florida, recording her third successful title defense.

The Brazilian champion rocked the challenger with a right hook and then put Kavanagh down with another big right hand. Cyborg followed up with a few hammerfists on the ground before the referee stepped in.

Cyborg, a former UFC women's featherweight titleholder, scored her first victory in Round 1 since a March 2018 bout against Yana Kunitskaya.

One of the only remaining challenges for Cyborg is a potential fight with PFL women's lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, who became a free agent in October after the 2021 season. Harrison was in attendance at Bellator 271, and Cyborg said she would be willing to face her should she sign with Bellator.

Cyborg and Kavanagh exchanged punches in the opening seconds of the fight. Kavanagh appeared willing to trade on the feet with Cyborg, who's known for her devastating knockout power, and that proved to be her downfall less than two minutes in.

Cyborg, one of the most dominant fighters in women's MMA history, made her Bellator debut in January 2020 following a three-year stint in the UFC. She captured the title against Julia Budd and has defended it against Arlene Blencowe, Leslie Smith, and now Kavanagh.

The 36-year-old has only lost once since her professional debut 16 years ago, falling against Amanda Nunes in a UFC title bout in December 2018.

She improved her pro record to 25-2 with the triumph over Kavanagh, whose two-fight winning streak ended. The Ireland native fell to 4-5 in Bellator since debuting in the promotion in 2016.