Chris Gonzalez wanted to make a statement after the first loss of his pro career, and he did it with authority.

Gonzalez (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) took out longtime Bellator fighter Saad Awad (24-14 MMA, 12-11 BMMA) with a big left head kick and a few follow-up punches on the canvas. It took the lightweight just 36 seconds to finish the fight.

Bellator 273 took place at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Chris Gonzalez BLASTS through Saad Awad!

A quick start from Gonzalez leads to a perfect finish, and his 3⃣rd career KO!

Catch the last #Bellator273 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE NOW on the #Bellator YouTube channel!
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Gonzalez never gave Awad a chance to get started. Gonzalez said before the fight he was prepared to be patient and go deep into the fight. Awad threw an early kick that Gonzalez blocked. But a few seconds later, the first strike he threw was the head kick that landed flush and put Awad on the canvas.

After Gonzalez landed several right hands on the mat, the fight was over. Awad’s 11th loss in Bellator is a new promotional record.

“Coach told me to be patient, so I was just feeling him out,” Gonzalez said in the cage. “I respected his power. Saad’s been around for a long time. I wanted to give him the respect he deserved. … When I saw my opportunity, strike first, strike hard, put him out.”

Gonzalez was stopped in the first round by Goiti Yamauchi in Jully 2021 at Bellator 263. It was the first loss of his pro career after a 6-0 start, including 5-0 in Bellator.

Gonzalez called for a chance to fight Peter Queally, who is coming off a vacant lightweight title fight loss to Patricky Freire. Queally is scheduled to fight Kane Mousah at Bellator 275 next month.