Michael Chandler emerged victorious over late fill-in Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 237 thanks to a first-round knockout in Saitama, Japan, on Saturday (Sunday in Japan Standard Time).

Outlaw replaced the injured Benson Henderson, who announced Dec. 5 that he was pulling out of the fight because of an injury.

A lightning-quick right hand led to the knockout at 2:59:

The 33-year-old Chandler was 19-5 before the Outlaw battle. The Bellator veteran is a three-time lightweight champion and recently lost the belt to Patricio Freire via first-round TKO.

Chandler's next fight was supposed to be a rematch with Henderson, who said in his announcement that he hoped Bellator would reschedule the bout. Chandler beat Henderson via split decision in a November 2016 title bout.

As for Outlaw, the up-and-coming 27-year-old began the evening with a nine-match winning streak and a 14-3 mark. He recently signed with Bellator and debuted Nov. 15, taking down Roger Huerta via unanimous decision.

Bellator and Rizin Japan co-produced the fight card, which took place at Saitama Super Arena.