Brian Heden Clubs Heavyweight Rival Tyler East Into Retirement in Legacy 60 Main Event

Legacy Fighting Championship 60 was loaded with action on Friday, as a capacity crowd inside the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, was treated to knockouts, submissions and a little bit of controversy.

The main event pitted old rivals Brian Heden and Tyler East against each other, and it was a barnburner while it lasted. The towering East tagged Heden at the start of their heavyweight battle, and it seemed as though the Albuquerque, New Mexico, fighter was destined to end his night -- and career -- in highlight-reel fashion. However, Heden had other plans, drilled his adversary with a perfect counter overhand right during an exchange and permanently altered the direction of the fight.

East stumbled across the cage and covered up from the follow-up assault. With his left eye damaged and blood pouring from his nose and mouth, he did what he could to survive. Heden threw punches from every direction until referee Rocky Demier was forced to intervene. The end came 1:51 into round one, as Heden avenged a 2010 defeat to East, who announced his plans to retire in the weeks leading up to the event.

In the welterweight co-headliner, former “Ultimate Fighter” cast member Dakota Cochrane dominated Jos Eichelberger, as the powerful wrestler executed numerous takedowns and delivered some patented ground-and-pound to set up a second-round submission. As Cochrane wore down Eichelberger and sapped virtually all of his energy, he softened him with punches from the mount and snuck in a rear-naked choke when the North Dakota-based fighter rolled over out of desperation. Seeing there was no escape, Eichelberger tapped with just 13 seconds remaining on the clock in round two.

Meanwhile, featherweight prospect Nate Togbah Richardson was sensational in picking apart Nick Compton on his way to a third-round finish. Richardson used a crippling low-kick attack to weaken his counterpart. Once it became clear Compton was exhausted and beaten, Richardson dug knees to the body and punches to the head, prompting the stoppage 2:34 into round three.

In other action, Indalecio Tat Romero submitted Isaiah Pitts with an arm-triangle choke 3:50 into the first round of their welterweight duel; Marcus Edwards dropped fellow lightweight Billy Christianson with a left hook, resulting in a 12-second stoppage that elicited boos from a crowd that believed it to be premature; Cameron Olson was awarded a unanimous decision over Nick Wagner in their light heavyweight scrap, earning 29-28 marks across the board; and Maurice Green electrified onlookers by knocking out Zach Thumb with a head kick 25 seconds into the first round of their heavyweight affair.