Tonight’s Bellator 268 event was co-headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout which pits Corey Anderson up against Ryan Bader.

Bader (28-7 MMA) had advanced to the tournament semifinals by earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Lyoto Machida. Prior to that win, ‘Darth‘ was coming off a TKO loss to Vadim Nemkov, where he surrendered the promotions 205lbs title.

Meanwhile, Corey Anderson (16-5 MMA) had gone 2-0 since joining the Bellator ranks in the fall of 2020. ‘Overtime’ earned his spot in tonight’s semifinal matchup by defeating Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov earlier this Spring.

Tonight’s Bellator 268 co-main event did not last long. Corey Anderson was able to connect with a right hand in the early seconds of the fight that sent Ryan Bader crashing down to the canvas. From there, ‘Overtime’ began to unload ground and pound which forced the referee to mercifully step in and call a stop to the action.

Official Bellator 268 Result: Corey Anderson def. Ryan Bader at 0:51 of Round 1

Check out how the pros reacted to Anderson vs. Bader below:

Let’s go @ryanbader

— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) October 17, 2021

Wow, Corey Anderson just absolutely demolished Ryan Bader

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 17, 2021

Post-fight reactions to Corey Anderson defeating Ryan Bader below:

.@CoreyA_MMA just stunned this crowd in @FootprintCNTR. Wow #bellator268

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) October 17, 2021

@CoreyA_MMA looked amazing tonight! Sky is the limit!

— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) October 17, 2021

The Ultimate Ultimate Fighter.
TUF 19 winner just beat TUF 8 Winner.#TUFNeverDies https://t.co/5zZMgSBir6

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 17, 2021

Following tonight’s sensational win, Corey Anderson will now face the winner of the Vadim Nemkov vs. Julius Anglickas semifinal match in the tournament finale.