Heavyweight champ Bruno Cappelozza hits the ground running at PFL 2

Reigning PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza kicked off his 2022 season in fine style with a first-round finish of England’s Stuart Austin in the main event of PFL 2 in Arlington, Texas.

Cappellozza finished former BAMMA heavyweight champion Austin via first-round ground and pound to secure maximum points from his first regular-season bout of 2022 as he bids to become a back-to-back PFL $1 million champion.

It was a big night, too, for Renan Ferreira, who claimed the fastest knockout in PFL heavyweight history with a 25-second demolition of Jamelle Jones.

Ferreira, who knocked out Austin in 31 seconds in a PFL non-season bout in August last year, improved on that mark by connecting with an unorthodox knee strike, then followed up with punches to his downed opponent to force the quick finish.

The event also marked the start of the 2022 featherweight season, and last year’s finalist Chris Wade made a fine start with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Lance Palmer.

The night’s other featherweight winners – Sheymon Moraes, Brendan Loughnane, Bubba Jenkins and Alejandro Flores – also claimed their wins on the scorecards, meaning the first round of bouts concluded with a five-way tie at the top of the 145-pound standings.