Matt Mitrione survives scare to win Bellator debut

Matt Mitrione's first foray into the Bellator MMA cage was almost over before it started.

The former UFC heavyweight somehow survived getting rocked by an overhand right from unheralded Carl Seumanutafa to record a first-round knockout of his own just minutes later at Bellator 157 in St. Louis on Friday.

After stunning Mitrione, Seumanutafa made the odd decision to take his opponent's back. That gave Mitrione a chance to regain his bearings and he managed to reverse position and get into half-guard.

From there, Mitrione stood up while Seumanutafa chose to stay on the ground. That was a huge mistake as Mitrione put a stop to the fight with a perfectly timed diving punch that drove Seumanutafa's head into the canvas.

It was an important win for "Meathead," who signed with Bellator in March following a 14-fight run with the UFC in which he went 9-5.

Afterwards, Mitrione was told that he would be facing Oli Thompson at Bellator 158 on July 16 in London, assuming both fighters clear medicals.