NEW YORK -- During an already unpredictable and bizarre night at Bellator NYC, the question quickly became what could Matt Mitrione and Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko possibly do to up the ante.

How about a double knockout?

The pair of heavyweights came close to providing that on Saturday, giving the Madison Square Garden crowd plenty to scream about during an insane 74-second co-main event that was simply par for the course in a wild pay-per-view.

In the end, Mitrione (12-5), a UFC veteran and former New York Giants lineman who put on his No. 98 jersey after the bout, collected a first-round knockout that won't soon be forgotten.

Emelianenko (36-5), still considered by many as the greatest fighter in MMA history, made his first appearance in the United States since 2011 in a Bellator debut that was made chilling by both his stoic entrance and the violent nature in which he went out.

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Mitrione finished off Emelianenko after a near double knockout. Bellator MMA

The action inside the cage quickly heated up as both heavyweights connected with right hands at the same time, sending both to their backs in opposite directions. The crowd was instantly insane, wondering for a brief second whether both had been knocked cold.

Mitrione, 38, reached his feet first and jumped onto Emelianenko, landing a series of brutal uppercuts from his knees while Emelianenko attempted to sit up and defend. The final right hand knocked Fedor out and referee Dan Miragliotta was quick to jump in immediately as Emelianenko's head hit the canvas.

"I told my coaches and my trainers all week long that this is just going to be how I knocked out Derrick Lewis," Mitrione said of his first-round KO in 2014 with UFC. "I knew we would connect at the same time and may the best man win."

Mitrione used his platform after the fight to grab the microphone and petition President Donald Trump to invite him to the White House after the victory.

"Hey President Trump, f--- the Golden State Warriors," Mitrione said. "I'm a real warrior."

Emelianenko, 40, snapped a deceiving five-fight win streak dating back to 2011, which included a three-year retirement in between. The legendary heavyweight looked well past his prime in recent bouts, including a 2016 majority decision win over Fabio Maldonado in Russia that most observers believed he had lost handily.

The fight was rescheduled from February, when Mitrione pulled out of their Bellator 172 main event in San Jose on the day of with kidney stones.