Super Darragh Kelly submits Mathias Poiron in first round

Once Darragh Kelly put Mathias Poiron into the guillotine, the was no way out for the Frenchman.

'Moville Mauler' Kelly moves to 6-0 (2 KOs, 2 subs) as a professional after a real statement win on the Bellator Champions Series card at the 3Arena on Saturday night.

Kelly sent a message of intent to the lightweight division with the submission win via guillotine choke.

The fight was stopped just one minute and 29 seconds into the bout.

There was a real pointer to Donegal as Kelly took to the stage, walking out to the hauntingly brilliant Theme from Harry's Game by Clannad.

Looking pristine when weighing in at 155.7lbs on Friday, Kelly was back in the cage for the first time since a ground-and-pound stoppage of Jelle Zeegers last September.

Kelly locked the guillotine early and kept it bolted when slamming Poiron to the floor.

The bout was scheduled for three five-minute rounds, but it was already seeming to be a short shift – and so it proved.

Poiron won his first seven fights, but lost to Keweny Lopes in January when the MMA GP Vacant Lightweight Championship was up for grabs in France.

The 28-year-old, out of the Climax Fight Academy in Lyon, touched the scales at 155.1lbs on Friday, but he made a swift exit here. Poiron, making his Bellator debut, looked as if he might tap when Kelly took him to the ground, but the referee, Dan Miragliotta, soon stepped in to wave off the bout.

Earlier this year needed surgery to repair torn ligaments after in his hand and was out for seven weeks, an ailment that prevented him taking his place on a Bellator card in Belfast in March.

Kelly was back on familiar territory at the 3Arena. At the Dublin Docklands venue, he had wins over Junior Morgan, Kye Stevens, Dorval Jordan and Zeegers under his belt as a pro.

Nine months after his last appearance, Kelly extended his winning streak to 14 fights – and will look for another bout on a Bellator card before the end of 2024.

Jordan Moore, an Irish titlist as a boxer who now operates the FightR gym with Olympian Emmet Brennan, was in Kelly's corner alongside John Kavanagh. Kelly changed things up for this camp and trained at FightR regularly in the last couple of months.

It was at Straight Blast Gym, though, where the game plan was put into place and UFC ace Conor McGregor was among Kelly's sparring partners

Kelly's plan might've been to showcase more work standing up but it will keep for again as the Moville man cartwheeled across the octagon to toast the quickest win of his pro career.