Some might be a tad bit crazy to stand in front of a fighter that is 6′-6″ and 261 pounds and swing leather. Then again, most people aren’t Matt Mitrione. The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 alum floored Christian Morecraft with a 1-2 combination and walked away as the ref jumped in, signaling the end of the fight at 4:28 of the 2nd round of their UFC Live fight.

Mitrione looked the better man from the beginning of the fight, bouncing in and out and using his reach to land successive strikes, while carefully avoiding almost everything Morecraft through at him. After flooring Morecraft in the first round, Mitrione was content to keep the fight standing, never following him down and working the Bombsquad product on the feet.

Taken down once in the first round and again in the 2nd, Mitrione stayed composed and collected, working his way back to the feet and continuing to punish the bigger, but slower man to the punch on almost every exchange, adding in some leg kicks to keep his opponent honest. Mitrione floored Morecraft on several occasions, finally ending the fight landing two crisp strikes that found their home on the giant’s chin, sending him crumpling to the mat and his mouthpiece out of his mouth. Mitrione never followed up on the fallen Morecraft, simply walking away as the referee ran in, waving his arms signaling the end of the fight.

With the win, Mitrione picks up his 5th win in his career, all coming inside the UFC. The former defensive lineman at Purdue and for a short time inside the NFL with several teams including the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings, Mitrione has continued to progress in his young fight career, shedding the “Meathead” image that his former coach on the show, Rashad Evans, had given him.

Mitrione has quickly picked up many of the aspects of mixed martial arts, including improving his striking to showcase solid footwork and crisp hands to go along with his power and natural athletic ability. While Mitrione’s NFL career didn’t last as long as he might have liked, his MMA career seems to be going ahead at full steam.