K.J. Noons of Kailua, Kona, defended his EliteXC lightweight championship

with a spectaclar first-round knockout of Yves Edwards today at the

Blaisdell Center Arena.

Noons dropped Edwards with a right hand to the chin, then followed up with a

series of unanswered punches and elbows. The referee stopped it, 48 seconds

into the first round. It was scheduled for five 5-minute rounds.

Noons, who improved to 6-1, was defending his title for the first time since

winning it in November. Edwards' record fell to 34-14-1.

The bout was the main event of the "Return of the King" mixed martial arts

card, and it was televised nationally on the Showtime cable network.