Brian Bouland’s neck seemed to be in a bit of trouble early in the headlining bout of tonight’s Cage Warriors 91, but it was ultimately Wales’ Josh Reed who ended up in the last place he’d want to be: under some brutal ground-and-pound.

In what turned out to be a 2-0 night for Belgium against home products at Newport Center in Wales, Bouland needed less than 3 minutes to spoil the party and announce himself in scary fashion to the rest of the bantamweight division.

Bouland (7-1 MMA) is now two knockout wins removed from his sole career loss, while Reed (7-2 MMA) is riding his first skid. The bout streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, along with the rest of the main card following prelims on Facebook.

Both fighters looked confident early, putting power behind their strikes. It was Bouland who first managed to get Reed backed up against the fence, but the home product remained unfazed and soon had Bouland’s neck under his right arm. Reed managed to grab Bouland’s neck three times, but Bouland calmly freed it.

With Bouland in his guard, Reed tried to find some offense and landed some elbows, but Bouland snatched the momentum by standing up and returning with a big punch from the top.

Bouland took control from then on, landing blows from the top. It took repeating the process of standing up and getting leverage a couple of times, but he eventually found the punch that perforated Reed’s guard to land flush on his face. Bouland threw in some follow-up shots for good measure, but it was already lights out for Reed.

Khalid survives utter domination by Houston

Look no further than the 30-25, 30-27 and 30-26 scorecards to get an idea of how dominant Ross Houston was in the night’s co-headliner.

Whether it was using his hands, head-kicks or taking Aaron Khalid’s (6-4-1 MMA) back, Houston (6-0 MMA) tried his best to get a finish in the 176-pound catchweight bout. Khalid, however, showed just why he’s never been finished before by doing just enough to keep himself in the fight and not let Houston get too courageous on the ground.

It was at least one positive note on what was an otherwise dark week for Houston, who dedicated his win to his mother.

“I lost her this week,” Houston said. “I think she’s watching over us. That one’s for you, mom.”

The beginning of the first round was a sign of things to come. Houston was able to throw Khalid off-balance early with some blow, and soon saw himself working from the top. As the two resumed action on the feet, Houston threw some decent desperation punches, but it wasn’t long until Houston reversed a single leg attempt to land on top again. Khalid was able to get back on his feet but remained pressured against the cage until Houston decided to break away and return with some heavy shots. Seemingly rocked, Khalid resorted to the ground. Houston managed to take Khalid’s back, but the shots to the side of Khalid’s head weren’t enough to cause significant damage. With Houston’s legs secured around his waist, Khalid did no more than cover himself up from elbows and punches – but it was enough to survive the round.

Houston came out aggressive early in the second and an unintimidated Khalid was shaken once again. With his back on the ground, he tried to lure Houston in – but Houston wasn’t having it. Stood back up by the ref, Houston had Khalid once more on survival mode against the cage. Khalid stayed active enough to stop Houston from landing meaningful offense, but he didn’t produce any offense either. Houston would eventually break away and get back in to land some blows, before clinching back up. Houston tried to do work on the floor, but Khalid used his guard to block his advances. Once more, the final minute saw Houston taking Khalid’s back. Houston worked toward an armbar, but Khalid managed to survive the round again.

Khalid got creative with his striking early in the third, attempting spinning blows and an axe kick, but it wasn’t long before Houston had him against the fence again. Houston backed away just enough to propel himself back with punches and a solid head-kick. Houston kept backing away to throw big kicks, but the power just wasn’t there anymore. After a short, tired exchange on the feet, Houston had Khalid against the cage and then down on the ground. Following a familiar pattern, Houston managed to take Khalid’s back. With both hooks under Khalid’s legs, Houston threw short punches to the face of Khalid, who still did enough to defend himself. Khalid was eventually able to restore the guard, but Houston kept the pressure on top until the end.

Big finishes and stellar pro debut start off main card

The co-headliner was the only fight on the main card to go to a decision. First up, 18-year-old Cory Mckenna showed a lot of promise in her five-minute domination of Maria Vittoria Colonna – who didn’t return from her stool for a second round. In the second bout of the main card, Kris Edwards’ hands proved too much for Gavin Kelly, who was taking a beating against the cage when the ref decided to step in. Later, it was Donovan Desmae’s big right hand that dropped Richard Williams and saved the cageside judges the trouble.

Full Cage Warriors 91 results include:

• Brian Bouland def. Josh Reed via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:52
• Ross Houston def. Aaron Khalid via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-26)
• Donovan Desmae def. Richard Williams via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:50
• Kris Edwards def. Gavin Kelly via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:43
• Cory McKenna def. Maria Vittoria Colonna via TKO (corner’s stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00
• Mason Jones def. Lawrence Tracey via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:41
• Phill Wells def. Daniel Cassell  via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 2:55
• Scott Malone def. Jason Jenkins via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on Cage Warriors 91, check out the MMA Events section of the site.