Brennan Ward once again put pressure on an opponent in front of his home crowd, finishing fellow welterweight puncher Saad Awad earlier tonight (Fri., Nov. 4, 2016) at Bellator 163 live on Spike TV from Uncasville, Connecticut. It was Ward's fifth career first-round finish on home turf.
The 28-year-old Irishman withstood some early punishment from Awad, but after backing the veteran up into the cage Ward landed heavy leather in succession. Awad swung back and stayed in the pocket, but there wasn't much he could do after Ward cracked him with a timely left hook.
The memorable first-round finish can be seen below, courtesy of Bellator MMA:
.@SwaggleBerryFin in Connecticut = madness. thrown for the hometown win #Bellator163 pic.twitter.com/wV9bYIL4eA
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 5, 2016
With this win, Ward yet again reenters the title discussion in the 170-pound division. When Ward is able to get off first and land heavy shots early, he's as dangerous as anyone in the weight class.
For complete Bellator 163 results and coverage click here.