TEMECULA, Calif. – Saad Awad had an obvious confidence in his power against Ryan Couture, and he showed why with a first-round TKO win in the Bellator 201 co-main event.

After landing his right hand multiple times in the opening round, Awad (23-9 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) connected clean on Couture (11-6 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) late in the frame for a resounding TKO finish.

Bellator 201 took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. Awad vs. Couture aired on the Paramount-televised main card following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Awad was the aggressor to begin the fight, picking his shots on Couture and immediately putting him into a defensive mode and hungry for the takedowns. Awad denied the initial entries, and even reversed position on Couture multiple times against the cage before breaking into free space. Awad was highly confident in his striking, gauging the distance for his right hand and landing it time and time again. A frustrated Couture got more desperate with his takedown attempts, but even when he got in the legs or hips, couldn’t produce enough power or an angle to get it down.

With roughly a minute remaining in the first round, Awad landed a huge right hand that put Couture on his heels and had him badly hurt. He attempted to make it through, but Awad’s offense onslaught was too much for Couture to withstand, and once he went down to a knee, referee Jason Herzog decided he’d seen enough and called it off at the 4:29 mark of the first round.

Afterward, Awad said he broke his hand in one of his first few punches, but managed to power through for the finish. He then called for a title shot.

“I don’t know who else is deserve of a title shot but me,” Awad said. “(Brett) Primus, get healthy. (Michael) Chandler, figure out what you’re going to do.”

For complete coverage of Bellator 201, check out the MMA Events section of the site.