Cherdleys joked before heading to the ring that he needed to be home in time for bed, and Jay Swingler delivered.
It took just 1:10 for Swingler to force a stoppage after knocking his opponent down twice in the first round, the second of which was a vicious right-hand shot that sent Cherdleys flying to the mat and prompted the referee to end the match nearly as quickly as it started.
It was the climax of an entertaining night on Saturday in Sheffield, England, for MF & DAZN: X Series 002, where there were several memorable matches. However, the best was saved for last as Swingler came out with a purpose and earned the knockout of the night with a vicious sequence.
"My opponent's crazy," Swingler said after the match before stating he'd "dedicate [his] life to the sport."
"I'm back. If they can get me on a January card, I'm down. If they can get me on multiple cards next year, I'm down," he said.
In the co-main event, Slim Albaher and Ryan Taylor went the distance, with Albaher on the front foot for most of the match and earning himself a victory via unanimous decision. Albaher called his blood-soaked opponent a "tough m—f—er" in the post-fight interview and said he was looking for bigger and better fights in the new year.
Check out all of the official results from the live blog below, and you can watch the replay right now with a DAZN subscription.