Brandon Bettencourt is known for his wrestling, but on Saturday, at HFP4: Finished No Judges Required in Merced, his performance in the cage was defined by his right hand.

Facing Daniel Wehner in the Bantamweight division, Bettencourt landed a right hook in the early stages of round three that sent his opponent sprawling to the canvas. After landing several more punches to the head of Wehner, the fight was stopped by the referee and Bettencourt was awarded the first TKO victory of his amateur career, extending his record to 2-1.

“I just saw him throwing a little wild. I timed his first punch, I slipped it, and I came back with a right hand,” Bettencourt said. “He landed a couple, but I knew I hit way harder. And once I connected with that right hand he went down.”

Donning his blue and gold Turlock Wrestling shorts, Bettencourt controlled the majority of the fight as he used head kicks and takedown attempts to keep Wehner unbalanced. The second round proved to be the most precarious for Bettencourt as he spent much of the allotted two minutes defending against an arm bar, but he managed to escape the hold and finish the round in control.

“My elbow was past his hips,” Bettencourt said of the hold. “I didn’t want to waste a bunch of energy to try and throw him around. I just stay composed, waited for my opportunity to get by, then it was just ground and pound.”

Bettencourt came out in the third round and landed a knee and leg kick to Wehner’s body before landing the right hand that led to the end of the fight.

“It feels awesome. I want a lot more after this,” Bettencourt said of his first TKO win.

The win was Bettencourt’s second in a span of less than six weeks after a three-year hiatus from MMA competition.

“I just want to thank my buddy Ty Costa and Lewis Gonzalez for always being there for me and helping me train,” Bettencourt said. “And all my family friends, and everyone who’s helped me in this journey, I really appreciate it.”