Strikeforce veteran Shana “Rock Solid” Nelson’s bantamweight debut did not go as planned, but she nevertheless scored a first-round TKO win over Sweden’s Lina “Lynx” Eklund tonight in Fargo, North Dakota. The lopsided bout was part of Cage Fighting Xtreme and Crowbar MMA’s “Winter Brawl.”

Nelson, who came in five pounds over the 135-pound limit, battered her smaller opponent with punches and knees throughout the one-round fight. Eklund tried to maintain space as she circled on the outside, but she had very little success and was eventually overwhelmed by Nelson’s punches.

Nelson (5-2-0) was aggressive right from the start of the fight and she scored with a flurry of punches that immediately put Eklund (1-1-0) on the defensive. The fighters soon clinched against the cage and Nelson’s strength and size advantage was clearly evident. She landed numerous uppercuts and knees and Eklund tried to circle away.

Nelson closed in and dropped Eklund with a left-right combo, then followed with more punches on the ground. Eklund managed to battle back to her feet, but Nelson stalked forward and landed strike after strike until Eklund collapsed to the mat. Nelson threw hammerfists from the top until the fight was mercifully stopped.

With the win, Nelson rebounded from the first two defeats of her career, but the failure to make weight could spell the end of her hopes at a run in the bantamweight division.

Winner: Shana Nelson by TKO (Punches) at 4:45 of round one. She improves to 5-2-0.

(Photo Credit: Christina Garcia)