Eddie Alvarez needed less than four minutes to win the UFC title.
A heavy underdog against incumbent champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90, Alvarez threw leather from the opening bell, landing crisp and clean punches.
Dominating dos Anjos from the outset, Alvarez boxed his way inside, rocking the Brazilian with a long right hook. With dos Anjos dazed and wobbly, Alvarez leaped in for an ill-advised flying knee, momentarily bringing the fight to the ground.
The pair quickly popped back up to their feet, but it was Alvarez who continued to batter and stun the opposition with punches, while dos Anjos covered up to avoid further damage.
Referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the action at 3:52 of the first round.
"I was put through the ringer ... my mind was getting really bitter towards MMA ... this has always been like a marathon, not a sprint," commented Alvarez, who spent the majority of 2013 on the sidelines after he was contractually blocked from joining the UFC. "I can't take much credit ... I owe everything to my coaches and teammates."
With the win, his third straight, Alvarez earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
In the evening's co-main event, heavyweight Derrick Lewis scored a surprising decision over tenth-ranked Roy Nelson.
Landing the bigger punches and kicks throughout the contest, Lewis earned his first career decision win. But the victory was not without controversy, as Nelson took Lewis down repeatedly and poured on the ground and pound.
With the rounds even after two periods, Lewis and Nelson went to the wire, trading big shots.
"I was surprised at how tough Roy Nelson is. I believe he has the toughest chin in the UFC and he took everything I've got in that first round," commented Lewis, who immediately asked for a second bout with Nelson. "I felt I took his shots well and he did well to take me down. It's intense with Roy on top of you, but I managed to get up and look for a finish. I wanted that finish and just kept throwing when we were standing, but he's tough."
A pair of welterweights took the evening's Fight of the Night, as Alan Jouban handed UFC newcomer Belal Muhammad his first career loss.
Knocking down Muhammad twice in the first round -- once with a left hook and the other with a head kick -- Jouban was unable to find the finish. And while Jouban dropped the opposition in the second round, Muhammad looked stronger as the fight progressed, winning the third round with his pressure and boxing.
In the end, Jouban earned the unanimous nod, his fifth career win inside the Octagon.
"What can I say, he's a really tough guy and it was tough fight," stated Jouban. "He came out in the third round strong and showed he was undefeated for a reason. I didn't underestimate his abilities coming into this fight -- I knew what to expect. He hasn't been finished in his career and I gave him all I could."
Kicking off the evening's UFC Fight Pass main card, Irishman Joe Duffy returned to the win column with a swift finish of Mitch Clarke.
Dropping Clarke with an overhand right, Duffy quickly followed the Canadian to the ground, where he secured the rear-naked choke. The stoppage came just 25 seconds into the first round.
"It's never easy fighting in the Octagon, even if it's only 25 seconds," offered Duffy. "I've been working my butt off in the gym since my last fight and a lot of hard work has paid off. A lot of effort goes into those 25 seconds. I was coming off a loss and that motivated me. "
Brazilian Pedro Munhoz earned the other Performance of the Night bonus for a first round guillotine choke over Russell Doane.
UFC Fight Night 90 Results
Eddie Alvarez def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:49
Derrick Lewis def. Roy Nelson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alan Jouban def. Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-27)
Joe Duffy def. Mitch Clarke via submission (rear naked choke) R1, 0:25
Alberto Mina def. Mike Pyle via KO (flying knee and punches) R2, 1:17
John Makdessi def. Mehdi Baghdad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Anthony Birchak def. Dileno Lopes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Pedro Munhoz def. Russell Doane via submission (guillotine choke) R1, 2:08
Felipe Arantes def. Jerrod Sanders via submission (armbar) R1, 1:39
Gilbert Burns def. Lukasz Sajewski via submission (armbar) R1, 4:57
Marco Beltran def. Reginaldo Viera via submission (rear naked choke) R2, 3:04
Vicente Luque def. Alvaro Herrera via submission (d'arce choke) R2, 3:52