“The Alpha Ginger” Spike Carlyle made quite the impression in his first octagon bout.
Carlyle steamrolled fellow newcomer Aalon Cruz in the second preliminary-card bout of the night, earning a TKO at the 1:25 mark of the opening frame. But he also briefly faced questions about the legality of a strike that set the end in motion.
A head kick rocked Cruz early, leading to a clinch where Carlyle used a sideways elbow that appeared close to the area that’s considered back of the head. Carlyle pounced and reigned down strikes until the referee stepped in to stop the bout.