Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold may have stumbled in his octagon debut this past year, but on Wednesday night, he showed UFC fans exactly what he’s capable of.

Rockhold (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) defeated fellow 185-pound contender Constantinos Philippou (12-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) via first-round knockout in the main event of UFC Fight Night 35 in Duluth, Ga., to record his first UFC victory in resounding fashion.

The 29-year-old was the recipient of a shocking spinning wheel kick knockout from Vitor Belfort this past May. But on this night, he bounced back to stop Philippou with help from a vicious liver kick.

To see what fans, media and fighters in the MMA community thought about Rockhold’s first-ever win inside the octagon, check out these Twitter reactions below:

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Main event time!! Rockhold vs Philippou coming up next! Who you got for the main event? #UFCFightNight pic.twitter.com/kckc0so9q2 — UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2014

Pick ’em game essentially over for @MMAjunkie staffers. We’ve all picked Rockhold. We rise or fall together. — Steven Marrocco (@MMAjunkieSteven) January 16, 2014

daaa liver kick!! — Mike Brown (@mikebrownmma) January 16, 2014

Wow. My ribs hurt just watching that. — Dave Doyle (@davedoylemma) January 16, 2014

Beautiful kick by Rockhold! Luke wasn’t leaving that place without a W! #UFCFightNight — Mark Bocek (@MarkBocek) January 16, 2014

Id like to say I like the kick at the end from @LukeRockhold finishers #ghettostomp lol — Michael Johnson (@FollowTheMenace) January 16, 2014

Glad luck won — Tim Sylvia (@timsylviamma) January 16, 2014

Way to go Luke! @LukeRockhold — Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) January 16, 2014

Great job @LukeRockhold . You looked great. — Dan Henderson (@danhendo) January 16, 2014

“I want Belfort!” –@LukeRockhold seconds after his victory over Philippou — Gorgeous George (@MMAjunkieGeorge) January 16, 2014

Luke Rockhold said he wants a rematch with Vitor Belfort, especially in the U.S. Then calls out Michael Bisping with a smile. — Josh Gross (@yay_yee) January 16, 2014

Luke Rockhold earns the 8th KO/TKO stemming from a kick to the body in UFC competition. #UFCFightNight — Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) January 16, 2014

Congrats @LukeRockhold on a great fight. With that said, LEAVE @bisping to me. You can have him after I smash him. — Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 16, 2014

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 35, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.