Flashing his fight-changing power, Brian Stann knocked out Alessio Sakara with short ground strikes during the first round of their UFC on FUEL 2 co-main event.

The bout got off to a blazing start, with the pair exchanging bombs in the center of the cage. Stann finally took control of the position, dropping Sakara with knees from the clinch. He swarmed, looking for the finish but Sakara regained his senses, at least briefly. Working from inside Sakara's guard moments later, Stann fired off a pair of hard left hands. Sakara's eyes rolled back, and Stann stopped throwing offense before the ref even had the chance to step in and call a finish.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:26 of round one.

The win was Stann's first since coming off his loss to Chael Sonnen last October in a No. 1 contenders fight. He improved to 12-4 with the win, and dedicated the victory to his late brother-in-law Louis Ruspi, Jr., who passed away prior to last Christmas.

Sakara, who was fighting for the first time since last March due to injuries and illnesses, fell to 15-9 with his second straight loss.