Nottingham's Dan Hardy proved his UFC debut was no fluke when he knocked out Rory Markham in the first round on UFC 95 at the O2 Arena.

Hardy got in an early leg kick and blooded Markham's nose with a stiff jab.

Markham threw a big left but Hardy countered with a stunning text-book left hook and followed up with a right on the ground before the referee rightly dived in.

"No matter where I am in the world, England is in my heart," said a proud Hardy after the fight.

In other action, Stefan Struve was knocked out in the first round by Junior dos Santos.

England's Terry Etim stopped Brian Cobb on second-round strikes, while unbeaten Evan Dunham had an emphatic TKO victory over Sweden's Per Eklund.

Heavyweight Mike Ciesnolevicz submitted big Neil Grove with a first-round heel hook. Paul Kelly cut Hawaiian Troy Mandaloniz but had to settle for unanimous points decision. Others:

Nate Marquardt bt Wilson Gouveia 3rd-round TKO; Demian Maia bt Chael Sonnen 1st round triangle choke; Paulo Thiago bt Josh Koscheck 1st-round KO.