ATLANTA --In a fast, brutal and surprising comeback, Ben Rothwell knocked out Brendan Schaub at UFC 145.

Seconds before that, Rothwell looked to be in a big trouble, stumbling backwards after a series of punches put him on his heels. But the entire fight changed on a dime when the veteran heavyweight unleashed a left hook that landed behind Schaub's ear and put him down. Rothwell jumped on him with a pair of strikes and ref Herb Dean saw enough, ending the action at 1:10 of the first round.

"I feel great," Rothwell said. "You could take a look at me and it speaks for itself. I worked very hard."

It was Rothwell's first win since June 2010 when he beat Gilbert Yvel at UFC 115. He's now 32-8.

"If you're going to stand in front of me, you're probably going to go down," he said. "There's the proof."

Former prospect Schaub suffered his second straight knockout loss, falling to 8-3. His last defeat was at the hands of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at last August's UFC 134.