Former NFL star turned MMA fighter Greg Hardy was expected to receive a tough test from fellow rising prospect Juan Adams at UFC Fight Night in San Antonio, but the bout finished quickly after an anticlimactic clash in Texas.
Hardy - who was thrown out of the NFL after a domestic abuse scandal that saw him convicted, only to have the charges dropped when his alleged victim failed to show for the appeal hearing - has visibly grown in confidence and allowed his personality to show through in recent interviews and appearances.
And that personality was criticized by Adams, whose disdain for Hardy and his past was placed front and center during the build-up to the contest.
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After the pair exchanged a succession of solid jabs, Adams looked to take Hardy to the mat, only for "The Prince of War" to end up on top.
Adams kept a hold of a single leg in a bid to eventually establish top position on the mat, but he never made it that far, as Hardy rained down a succession of powerful right hands that led referee Dan Miragliotta to move in and tell Adams to move and get out of trouble.
And when Adams didn't move at all, the official waved off the contest to give Hardy a 45-second TKO victory as the crowd rained boos down on the octagon.
After the fight, Hardy declared that "saying my name has consequences," but said he loved the fans, whether they cheered him or booed him.
With his past still very much a part of his story, Hardy moves on to bigger things in the UFC, seemingly with more fans waiting for him to lose than hoping for him to win.