Neil Grove batters Eddie Sanchez in Bellator heavyweight tourney

Neil Grove came out swinging and Eddie Sanchez never quite recovered.

The night for Sanchez (12-4) ended 92 seconds into his fight with Grove (9-2-1) on Thursday at Bellator Fighting Championships' Season 3 premiere in Hollywood, Fla. The win moves Grove to the semifinal of Bellator's first heavyweight tournament.

A left from Grove sent Sanchez tumbling to the mat six seconds into the fight. Grove quickly leapt on him to throw several punches before backing off and forcing Sanchez to stand. Sanchez tried to clinch and gain time to clear his head, but he ended up hitting the mat two more times. The final time, he seemed reluctant to stand back up after Grove backed away, and referee Jorge Alonso decided to end the fight.

"I was really pleased," Grove said. "The refereeing here is so good. I think elsewhere it might have carried on and he would have been hurt badly."

It ranks as one of the biggest wins in Grove's career so far. Sanchez competed five times in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, going 3-2 from 2006 to 2008.

(Posted by Sergio Non)