Alexander Shlemenko needed less than 30 seconds to avenge his 2014 loss to Brandon Halsey.
The two Bellator veterans met in the main event of M-1 Challenge 79 in St. Petersburg on Thursday, where the headlining bout lasted a total of 25 seconds before Shlemenko secured the knockout victory. It marked the first time that the two competitors met since Halsey won the Bellator title from Shlemenko with a 35-second submission in 2014.
Shlemenko is on a five-fight win streak since he tested positive for anabolic steroids in California back in 2015. Four of those wins took place under the M-1 Global banner, where the Russian fighter competed while serving his suspension in North America.