Patricio Freire doesn’t get paid by the hour.

Bellator’s lightweight and featherweight champion put his latter belt on the line Thursday night against Pedro Carvalho in a matchup that doubled as a Bellator grand prix quarterfinal bout. And he wasted little time getting the job done, earning the knockout at 2:10 of the opening round at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

With the win, “Pitbull” moves on to the semifinals to meet Emmanuel Sanchez, who earned a unanimous decision over Daniel Weichel earlier on the evening’s main card.

The legend of @BellatorMMA double champ @PatricioPitbull grew stronger with a brutal KO of Pedro Carvalho in Thursday’s grand prix quarterfinal.#Bellator252 | More: https://t.co/kT7NZHrHcN pic.twitter.com/yxuXSFPIv0

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) November 13, 2020

SBG Ireland’s Carvalho (11-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) was touted for his ground game, but Freire (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) scored an early takedown, got Carvalho to the mat, and worked for chokes from Carvalho’s back.

Carvalho scrambled back to his feet, but the end was near. Freire blasted Carvalho with a right hand, then dropped him with a second ferocious right. Referee Mike Beltran immediately waved things off.

“He’s tough, and I respect that,” Freire said of Sanchez. “Now he’s more dynamic. I look forward to the fight.”

The victory was Friere’s 19th Bellator victory, which is a promotional record. It was his sixth consecutive win, his fourth successful title defense, and his 22nd career finish.

Carvalho had a six-fight winning streak snapped.

Complete Bellator 252 results:

• Patricio Freire def. Pedro Carvalho via knockout (punch) — Round 1, 2:10
• Yaroslav Amosov def. Logan Storley via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Emmanuel Sanchez def. Daniel Weichel via unanimous decision (48-46, 49-46, 49-45) — featherweight grand prix quarterfinal
• Aaron Pico def. John DeJesus via knockout (punch) — Round 2, 4:14
• Keri Melendez def. Emilee King via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:03
• Manny Muro def. Devin Powell via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Jornel Lugo def. Schyler Sootho via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Lucas Brennan def. Andrew Salas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
• Roman Faraldo def. Pat Casey via knockout (flying knee) – Round 2, 2:30
• Trevor Gudde def. Khonry Gracie via TKO (knee, strikes) – Round 3, 3:28