The former UFC titlist shrugged off Riley’s attempts to clinch and put hard punches on the North American Allied Fight Series champion, dropping him a little more than two minutes in with a looping left hook off of a missed uppercut. Sylvia, who did some training with Mark DellaGrotte and Bas Rutten prior to the match, followed up with quick hammerfists on the floor for the stoppage.
Sylvia was far from lean at 287 pounds but still down from the 300-plus he came in against aged boxing star Ray Mercer in a disastrous loss earlier this year. That KO aired several times on the HDNet broadcast, raising the stakes for Sylvia. Sherdog.com reported Sylvia suffered a broken hand in the fight, which put off a planned debut in the Dream promotion in Japan on Oct. 25, possibly against Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem. A New Year’s Eve fight in Japan is now being considered.