This is the funniest ending to a UFC
fightBellato pulls out of the initial fight because he had herpes, and
then dies to an illegal upkick, only to wake up and try to fight
with the ref 😂😂😂#UFCAtlanta
pic.twitter.com/3oWZnity7k— The Fight Bubble (@thefightbubble)
June 15, 2025
UFC Atlanta prelims ended on a disappointing note as Rodolfo
Bellato and Paul Craig’s
light heavyweight showdown was declare a no contest after Craig
(17-9-1, 1 NC) landed an illegal upkick on Bellato midway through
the first round.
Things were just starting to heat up on the ground as Bellato
(12-2-1 1 NC) looked to pass Craig’s guard, the Scottish slugger
caught Bellato on the side of his face. Referee Kevin
MacDonald called a halt to the action, but Bellato was in no
condition to continue, even at on point trying to grapple with
MacDonald out of confusion.
Chiesa Handles Business in Atlanta
Michael
Chiesa picked up his third straight win with a clear decision
over Court McGee
(30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Chiesa floated and danced around McGee while
tagging him with shots. McGee opted to stay in the pocket and throw
heavy shots but found little throughout the fight. Chiesa (20-7)
isn’t known for having knockout power but kept McGee off him with
straight shots and consistent movement. McGee (22-15) dropped his
fourth in his last five fights.
Wellmaker Lamps Moutinho
Malcolm
Wellmaker has the goods to become a potential star in the UFC.
The budding fan-favorite bantamweight cemented another highlight
reel KO against the battle-tested and durable Kris
Moutinho in the first round (2:37).
Wellemaker (9-0, 2-0 UFC) launched bombs at Moutinho and lit his
body up with hooks and uppercuts. With Moutinho overwhelmed and
biting on his feints,
Wellmaker faked to the body and came upstairs with a flush right
hook that dropped Moutinho (14-7, 0-3 UFC) flat on his
face, out cold.
Ochoa Starches Durden
Jose
Ochoa (8-1, 1-1 UFC) came in on the road and starched Georgia
flyweight Cody Durden
in electrifying fashion.
After an explosive back-and-forth first round, Durden chirped
across the cage at Ochoa, ready to go back to war, but Ochoa had
other plans in mind.
The Chute Boxe product planted an uppercut so vicious
it catapulted Durden (17-9-1, 6-6-1 UFC) flat on his back with his
eyes crossed 11 seconds into the second round.
Simon Outguns Smotherman
Ricky
Simon (21-6, 10-5 UFC) was the last man to beat current UFC
bantamweight king Merab
Dvalishvili, but their careers have gone in vastly different
directions in the seven years since.
Despite Simon’s shortcomings, the 32-year-old is still a dangerous
bantamweight who is back on the rise after a unanimous decision win
over Cameron
Smotherman (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Simon controlled the fight
with crafty clinchwork and inside fighting. Simon smothered
Smotherman (12-6, 1-2 UFC) and weathered a late storm from the
Houstonian en route to his second straight win.
Rowe Rallies to Dispatch of Loosa
Philip
Rowe dug deep to keep his 100% finish rate intact against
Ange
Loosa.
The Congolese welterweight pushed, punished and dropped Rowe within
the first two rounds. Loosa looked confident, fresh and strong in
the clinch while “The Fresh Prince” looked a step slow for most of
the fight and was in serious danger of dropping his third
consecutive bout. But Rowe would awaken in the third frame with a
flury. He cracked Loosa with knees, smacked him with jabs and
popped out his mouthpiece with a flush right hand.
Rowe went in for the kill and busted Loosa (10-5, 2-2
UFC 1 NC) up without mercy until referee Brent McKeehan was forced
to call it (4:03).
With the win Rowe (11-5, 4-3 UFC) notched his first win since
2022.
Horth Dominates Reeling Demopoulos
Jamey-Lyn
Horth opened the card with a dominant bounce-back decision win
against Vanessa
Demopoulos (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Horth (8-2, 3-2 UFC) commanded the “Lil Monster” with her superior
height and reach, peppering the Columbus, Ohio, native with jabs,
crosses and straight kicks up the middle. Demopoulos hoped to make
it a dog fight and found success with her hooks on the inside, but
Horth’s hand speed and natural flyweight frame battered her foe.
Despite her grit, Demopoulos (11-8, 5-5 UFC) was too small to
overcome Horth’s length and dropped her third straight.