BLINK and you missed Bolton MMA fighter Saul Rogers' explosive victory in the inaugural Tanko Fighting Championships at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse.

Rogers, who runs his own MMA Academy in Cawdor Street, Farnworth, is one of the biggest names in Lightweight UK MMA and his bout with fellow former UFC fighter Andre Winner was headlining the bill.

Both fighters went into the bout on the back of victories, but it was Rogers who pulled out a show-stopping performance, overcoming veteran Winner after just 54 seconds of the opening round with an early submission to take the win.

“I’m buzzing, no one really finishes Andre like that," he said.

"He is a tough and smart guy who has been around a while. I took him down and got the finish much quicker than most though, it couldn’t have gone any better."

Manchester fight fans turned out in force to back Rogers and hometown fighters Brendan Loughnane and Eden Newton, who were co-headliners on a bill that included 17 bouts.

“It was great to soak up the crowd and the event, I felt at home out there," added Rogers. "It would be great to do it all over again on the upcoming UFC Manchester card in October.”

MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, encompassing disciplines from various martial arts and Olympic sports, such as boxing, kick-boxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, tae kwon do, wrestling and judo.

Rounds are five minutes in length and there are typically three rounds in a contest, unless it’s a championship fight in which case, the contest lasts five rounds.

Bolton boxer Amir Khan recently threw his weight behind the world's first MMA team league, dubbed the Super Fight League, which will start in India on Friday.

Khan recently admitted he would be interested in fighting the sport's biggest star Conor McGregor, as the sport moves into the mainstream.