Kyle Bolt Record: 8-4-0

Regional run and Bellator

The heart of Bolt's career came in a busy 2012 and 2013 stretch. He submitted Josiah Grieves by first-round rear-naked choke at Gladiator Challenge, then showed his durability and power in a fifth-round TKO of Jeremy Rosales at IFC: Warriors Challenge 29. Those performances opened the door to Bellator MMA, the sport's number-two promotion at the time. His first Bellator appearance came in February 2013 against the unbeaten Joe Pacheco at Bellator 89, where Bolt was stopped by strikes in the second round – one of three career losses he suffered by knockout.

Later fights

Bolt rebounded from the Pacheco setback with back-to-back first-round TKO finishes of Edward Darby and Coby O'Neil in 2013, underscoring his knack for early stoppages whenever he could impose his power. He returned to Bellator in November 2014 against AJ Matthews at Bellator 131, falling by first-round knockout in what would prove the final documented bout of his career, a scheduled 2015 matchup having fallen through.

Fighting style

Bolt was a pure finisher – every one of his eight wins came inside the distance, for a 100% finish rate, with five submissions and three knockouts. That blend made him a threat to end fights in any phase, whether by hunting the rear-naked choke or by leaning on heavy hands. The flip side of that all-or-nothing approach showed in his losses: three of his four defeats came by knockout, a pattern that reflected a high-risk, high-reward style in which Bolt was always swinging for a finish but could be caught when the power exchanges went the other way.

Career highlights

• Perfect finish rate — ended all eight of his professional wins inside the distance, five by submission and three by knockout.
• Two-time Bellator competitor — reached the sport's number-two promotion, sharing the cage with unbeaten prospect Joe Pacheco at Bellator 89.
• Fifth-round finisher — showed deep-water toughness in a fifth-round TKO of Jeremy Rosales at IFC: Warriors Challenge 29.