It wasn't a rip roaring beginning, but the finish was unequivocal. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi submitted Mike Kyle at 4:09 of the first round at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Saturday night.

The two began striking, but Mousasi seemed lethargic and unable to land with either authority or precision. While Kyle wasn't able to land at will, he did get the better of Mousasi in several early exchanges along the fence.

Eventually, however, Mousasi used a scoop double to plant Kyle on the mat. From there it was the beginning of the end as he eventually passed to mount. Once in the highly advantageous position, Mousasi pounded on Kyle to force the AKA product to turn belly down. Mousasi then sunk the rear-naked choke, forcing the tap with less than a minute in the round.

Mousasi moves to 33-3-2 in professional MMA and 4-1-1- in Strikeforce.