Submitted photo – Arcata’s Cass Bell, right, won his fight at Bellator 226 on Saturday night. Bell’s teammate Tyson Miller, left, is also scheduled to fight later tonight. Also pictured os trainer John “Juan” Thompson.

Cass Bell broke with tradition on Saturday night.

This time he won in the first round instead of waiting until the second.

Making his fourth trip to the prestigious Bellator events, the Arcata native ended his bantamweight fight against Isaiah Rocha at the 1:21 mark of the first round.

“He did everything he was supposed to,” Bell’s trainer John “Juan” Thompson said from the SAP Center in San Jose where the fight took place. “Everything we worked on. Everything went according to plan.”

Bell, who won his three previous Bellator fights in the second round, improved to 4-0 as a pro.

It was his most emphatic win yet.

“Cass caught him with a left hook  and he dropped and Cass pounced,” Thompson said. “He choked him out. His opponent passed out.”

Bell’s teammate Tyon Miller, a former Eureka High wrestler, will make his professional debut on the same card later tonight at around 10:30 p.m.

More to follow …

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.