Bellator 284 video: Sullivan Cauley’s knee pulverizes Tyson Jefferies for faceplant knockout

Sullivan Cauley is pushed by Bellator as one of the promotion’s most highly-touted budding prospects. At Bellator 284, he showed a sample of perhaps why that is.

Bellator 284 took place Saturday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., and featured Cauley (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) against Tyson Jefferies (14-11 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in a middleweight prelim.

After some feeling out on the feet, Cauley clinched Jefferies against the cage. That’s where he clattered his knee off the side of Jefferies temple. The blow knocked Jefferies unconscious as he went facedown on the canvas. As referee Bobby Wombacher dove in, Cauley landed a hard punch on his downed foe. The TKO stoppage came at 1:39 of Round 1.

Cauley, 26, is an underling of Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. All of his professional fights have come under the Bellator banner. All four of which have ended via TKO.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 284 results include:

• Sullivan Cauley def. Tyson Jeffries via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:39

• Pat Downey def. Keyes Nelson via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:36

• Bailey Schoenfelder def. Mark Currier via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35

• Mitchell McKee def. Tony Ortega via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:28

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie