Ben Rothwell and Alistair Overeem turned the first round of their heavyweight bout into a slugfest Friday, but only the former was left standing.

The underdog's right hand countered a left hook and caught Overeem above the ear, giving Rothwell the opportunity to finish their UFC Fight Night 50 match with a barrage of uncontested blows at Ledyard, Connecticut.

Like Us on Facebook

Overeem's mix of body and knee attacks initially proved to have varying success in stopping Big Ben. However, Rothwell's uppercuts and big right hand became the Demolition Man's bane.

Rothwell, who ended the bout at 2:19, said that this victory was a result of his self-confidence. He added that he knew what he had to do from the start and that he's now ready to make his way to the title.

"Anything can happen," said Rothwell in an interview. "I'm a living life story of that."

This is a huge victory for Rothwell after a one-year suspension from the UFC. The heavyweight defeated Brandon Vera via TKO in their August 2013 fight but was proven violating the terms of his therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone-replacement therapy.

Rothwell was seen with an arm brace shortly after the match. According to his initial statement, he believes that the former Strikeforce and Dream champion's powerful leg kicks broke his right arm. Conflicting reports were revealed after further examination, some citing nerve injury instead of broken bones.

The 32-year-old Rothwell has hopscotched between wins and losses and has suffered an anterior crutiate ligament injury since his UFC debut. He has a professional career record of 34 wins and 9 losses. He is more likely to appear on the higher ranks after this latest victory.

Overeem who has been finished thrice in his past four bouts is currently ranked as No.7 among UFC heavyweight contenders. The 34-year-old Demolition Man standing at a record of 37-14 has expressed the desire to continue fighting.

TagsMMA, UFC, alistair overeem, Ben Rothwell, ufc fight night 50