Watch: Ortega stuns Edgar with 1st-round knockout at UFC 222

As of Saturday night, Brian Ortega breathes rarefied air.

The undefeated featherweight rocked Frankie Edgar with a standing left elbow, lifted him off his feet with an uppercut, then rained hammerfists on him to secure a first-round knockout - becoming the first man to put Edgar away within the distance - in UFC 222's co-headliner in Las Vegas.

The pair were booked to tangle just a month ago after an injured Max Holloway withdrew from a planned title defense against Edgar, and Ortega - typically a master of third-round stoppages - rose to the occasion and cemented himself as the champ's next taker with his sixth finish in as many walks to the Octagon.

It appeared as though Edgar would submit a vintage performance in the early going, as the durable vet rode his fluid footwork and crisp boxing while Ortega struggled to land much of consequence other than this jab. That is, until he countered a left hand from Edgar with the standing elbow that wobbled the former lightweight titleholder. The hellacious uppercut that rendered Edgar airborne soon followed, with the hammerfists sealing his fate with 16 seconds to go in Round 1.

The 36-year-old Edgar's first stoppage loss in over six-and-a-half hours of Octagon time snapped a two-fight win streak and dropped his UFC featherweight record to 7-3.