Usman Nurmagomedov got the job done in his Bellator debut.

The lightweight, a cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, outpointed Mike Hamel on Friday for a unanimous decision on the main card at Bellator 255 in Uncasville, Conn. Nurmagomedov (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) won 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 on the judges’ scorecards.

It was a solid showing by Nurmagomedov, who mainly kept the fight on the feet to outclass Hamel (7-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) in the striking department.

In the first round, Nurmagomedov was active with kicks and punches. Hamel looked to fire back, but it was clear Nurmagomedov was the more active fighter. Interestingly enough, Nurmagomedov only attempted one takedown and was unable to get it.

The second round was very much like the first, but Hamel seemed to have more confidence. Hamel connected better than the first and even landed a brief takedown. It was a better round for Hamel, but even then Nurmagomedov bloodied Hamel’s face with many stiff jabs and was able to avoid any big shots.

The third was the most competitive round. Hamel carried over his momentum and pressured Nurmagomedov. He was able to connect more shots on a Nurmagomedov who seemed to be slowing down considerably. However, Nurmagomedov still had good success with his jabs, even though they weren’t coming as often. In one the exchanges with two minutes left in the round, Nurmagomedov connected with a good body kick and that slowed down Hamel. It wasn’t as dominant as the first round, but Nurmagomedov got the better of the striking.

It was the first time Nurmagomedov competed in the U.S. The 22-year-old mainly fought in Russia and the United Arab Emirates throughout his professional MMA career.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 255 results include:

• Usman Nurmagomedov def. Mike Hamel via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kana Watanabe def. Alejandra Lara via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Magomed Magomedov def. Cee Jay Hamilton via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:22
• Mandel Nallo def. Ricardo Seixas Filho via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:23
• Khalid Murtazaliev def. Fabio Aguiar via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chris Gonzalez def. Roger Huerta via submission (strikes) – Round 3, 3:01
• Jose Augusto def. Jonathan Wilson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:58
• Roman Faraldo def. Trevor Gudde via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:30
• Jordan Newman def. Branko Busick via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:30