The Bendigo fighter was knocked out by his American opponent Jamahal Hill in the first round on their light heavyweight bout in Las Vegas.

The fight lasted just 48 seconds after Hill, who is renowned for his boxing skills, landed a brutal right hand to Crute's jaw that sent the Bendigonian crashing to the floor.

The referee had no choice but to stop the fight.

Crute was treated by medical staff in the octagon, but got back on his feet for the official announcement of the winner.

Crute had a badly swollen left eye and a cut across his nose.

"Jimmy is a tough dude,'' Hill said after the bout.

"He's obviously very talented and he's still young. I just wanted to come out and show myself and be myself."

The loss saw Crute's UFC record slip to 12 wins and three losses.

It was the 25-year-old's second-straight loss after he suffered a leg injury in a defeat to Anthony Smith nearly eight months ago.

Crute was ranked 13th in the light heavyweight division before the loss to Hill.

The pair were originally scheduled to meet in October, but the fight was pushed back to December 4 because of an arm injury suffered by Hill.

Read more: Kangaroo Flat teen drowns at Lake Nagambie

Read more: Winless streak over for Axe Creek in EVCA

Leading into the fight, Crute told the Bendigo Advertiser that he was in great condition after his long break.

"I haven't taken any time off at all after the last fight was postponed," he said.

"It's certainly been a long preparation and I am looking forward to showing the world all of the work that's gone into this - it's been a big build up.

"I've studied him (Hill) and the more I watch him, the more I respect his ability.

"Watching some of his previous fights has really opened my eyes to what he is capable of doing.

"But I know for sure that I've got what it takes to beat him.

"I am going to shut him down and shut him out."

It didn't work out that way for Crute, who earlier this year signed a new four-bout contract with the UFC.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: