CHICAGO – Sean O’Connell thought he was probably done with his fighting career. Then the Professional Fighters League came along and gave him a boost not just in the cage, but outside it, as well.

O’Connell (18-9) knocked out Ronny Markes (18-6) early in the second round Thursday at PFL 2 in Chicago. It was his first win in more than three years and his first fight in a year and a half after a seven-fight UFC run ended with a three-fight skid.

But O’Connell, who has had a successful radio show for years and does MMA broadcasting work, as well, didn’t just make his mark against Markes to open the main card. During the prelims, he spent some time in the broadcast booth working the Facebook-streamed portion of the card before he went to change clothes and get ready for a fist fight.

Two weeks prior, he was doing broadcast work for PFL 1 in New York City. That part of his career, as well as getting a spot in the light heavyweight season for a chance at $1 million, is something he’s thankful to his new league for.

“It’s not just in the actual cage,” O’Connell told MMAjunkie after his win. “I thought that with my multifaceted interests and professional abilities that being an exciting fighter for the UFC, that would open other avenues. I begged them for other opportunities to broadcast. I never got so much as a phone call about it. It took one phone conversation with the PFL to say, ‘Give me a chance … I promise you I will be good at this.’ They gave me a shot …”

O’Connell just ducked away from a flying knee from Markes early in the second, then planted him on the canvas with a punch. Dozens of punches on the ground later, he finally got the stoppage for five points. The main card aired on NBCSN. O’Connell and 11 other fighters in the division have a pair of regular-season fights in which they’ll earn points to qualify for this fall’s playoffs. At the end, the winners in each of six divisions will take home $1 million each.

Despite the win, O’Connell said he has some things to work on before his second regular-season fight.

“I’m going to go back and watch that thing and probably find some not-so-beautiful things about it, because that’s what happens every time I fight,” he said. “But the result is what matters, and the result is what I wanted … I thought I was done (with fighting), and now I feel like I’m just getting started again.

“I came into this through camp thinking, ‘Don’t let him take you down – if he takes you down, get right back up. Don’t let him get into an advantageous position.’ I let him do all those things, and I found a way to get out of it, which was encouraging. He hit me with a couple big shots standing, and missed with one that probably would’ve been really bad for me. … I’m a guy who if I land something on you, I feel like I have a great chance of finishing a fight. I’ve just got to get better at landing those things.”

For more from O’Connell, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of PFL 2, check out the MMA Events section of the site.