ピットブル圧勝‼️#Bellator255
pic.twitter.com/AGxAAxWs7X— エイジ (@ek420doggydogg)
April 3, 2021
Greatness comes in all shapes and sizes. In Bellator
MMA, it has taken the form of a 5-foot-6, 145-pound
Brazilian.
Patricio
Freire retained his undisputed featherweight championship, as
he choked Emmanuel
Sanchez unconscious with a guillotine in the first round of
their
Bellator 255 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Connecticut. Sanchez (20-5, 12-4 Bellator), who had
never before been finished, lost his grip on reality 3:35 into
Round 1.
Champion and challenger fought at a measured pace, their mutual
respect evident from the start. Midway through the first round,
Freire (32-4, 20-4 Bellator) stepped into punching range and
knocked down the Roufusport standout with a ringing left hook. In
his haste to return to his feet, Sanchez left his neck exposed.
“Pitbull” bit down on the choke, jumped into full guard and let his
squeeze do the rest.
In addition to serving as a successful title defense, the win
advanced Freire to the final of the promotion’s featherweight grand
prix. There, an undefeated A.J. McKee
awaits.
Jackson Upends Gracie in Co-Main Event
Former
Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Jason
Jackson extended his winning streak to four fights with a
unanimous decision over Neiman
Gracie in the three-round co-main event at 170 pounds. All
three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards for Jackson (14-4,
5-1 Bellator).
It was a disjointed encounter between two of the promotion’s
premier welterweights. Jackson struggled through a bizarre exchange
on the ground in the first round, as his face contacted the cage
and scraped downward, resulting in damage to his left eye. Gracie
(10-2, 8-2 Bellator) had accepted bottom position at the time of
the incident but reversed into full mount and appeared to be
closing in on a finish while his opponent was attempting to figure
out what happened. Jackson survived his efforts and extended the
fight into a second round, where he managed to gather himself. He
conceded two takedowns in the middle stanza but flexed his
superiority on the feet with leg kicks and crisp one-twos, slowly
turning the tide in his favor. Jackson did his best work in Round
3, where he defended a takedown from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt, landed in top position and piled up control time while
denying attempted sweeps.
Fortune Annihilates Replacement May
Arizona Combat Sports representative Tyrell
Fortune put away
Professional Fighters League and
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Jack May with
punches in the first round of their heavyweight feature. A
short-notice substitution for Matt
Mitrione, May (11-8, 1-1 Bellator) packed his bags 3:16 into
Round 1.
Fortune (10-1, 10-1 Bellator) popped the 6-foot-8 Californian with
a leg kick, closed the distance and secured a takedown inside the
first minute. He applied his ground-and-pound, gradually increased
the intensity of his strikes, advanced to three-quarter mount and cut loose with
punches and elbows to prompt the stoppage.
The 30-year-old Fortune has posted back-to-back wins and continues
to distance himself from a February 2020 knockout loss to Timothy
Johnson.
Nurmagomedov Subdues Hamel, Moves to 12-0
American Kickboxing Academy prospect Usman
Nurmagomedov climbed another rung on the lightweight ladder, as
he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Mike Hamel
in a three-round scrap at 155 pounds. Nurmagomedov (12-0, 1-0
Bellator) swept the scorecards with 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 marks
from the judges.
Hamel (7-5, 0-2 Bellator) played the bull to the promotional
newcomer’s matador, only to walk away bloody and empty-handed.
Nurmagomedov, 22, cracked the
MMA Lab product with kicks to the legs, arms, body and head,
pairing those efforts with a punishing jab and efficient movement.
Hamel spent the majority of his time in a frustrating pursuit, his
wild overhands finding nothing but air. Nurmagomedov had him
reeling with a front kick to the body late in the third round and
gave chase with punches before pumping the brakes once it became
clear a finish was not in the cards.
Unbeaten Watanabe Edges Lara
Takedowns, positional control and ground-and-pound spurred
Rizin Fighting Federation veteran Kana
Watanabe to a split decision over Alejandra
Lara in a three-round women’s flyweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with
Watanabe.
Lara (9-4, 3-3 Bellator) managed to stay upright for much of the
first round and enjoyed success with sharp punching combinations
and kicks to the body and legs. She even countered a takedown from
the Japanese judoka and briefly climbed to full mount. However,
prosperity was short-lived for the Colombian. Watanabe (10-0-1, 2-0
Bellator) neutralized her with takedowns in the second and third
rounds, progressed to dominant positions and stayed busy enough
with her ground-and-pound to avoid restarts.
Watanabe will enter her next assignment on the strength of eight
straight wins.
Surging Magomedov Throttles Hamilton
Former
Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Magomed
Magomedov submitted C.J.
Hamilton with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their
featured bantamweight prelim. The game but overmatched Hamilton
(15-8, 0-1 Bellator) tapped 1:22 into Round 2.
Magomedov (18-1, 2-0 Bellator) completed his first takedown with
roughly two minutes to go in the first round and proceeded to
systematically dismantle the
Dana White’s Contender Series alum. He achieved full mount,
advanced to the back and flattened out Hamilton, then assaulted him
with punches and hammerfists until the bell sounded. Early in the
middle stanza, Magomedov corralled his counterpart along the fence,
jumped onto his back and cinched a standing
rear-naked choke. Hamilton collapsed soon after and
surrendered.
The 29-year-old Magomedov has pieced together five consecutive
victories since his April 2017 decision defeat to Petr Yan.
Tristar’s Nallo Wrecks Seixas
Tristar Gym representative Mandel
Nallo cut down Ricardo
Seixas in the first round of their lightweight affair. Seixas
(9-3, 1-1 Bellator) met his end 3:23 into Round 1, as he lost for
the third time in four outings.
Nallo (8-1-1, 3-1 Bellator) stung the
Kings MMA-based Brazilian with punishing jabs and kicks to the
upper and lower lead leg. As he settled into a rhythm, he delivered
a spinning back kick to the body and forced Seixas into a state of
repeat with a chopping right hand that opened a cut across the
bridge of the nose. Nallo pressed forward with punches and mixed in a
front kick to the face before sitting down his adversary with a
Superman punch. By then, referee Dan Miragliotta had seen
enough.
Relentless Murtazaliev Outpoints Aguiar
Effective counters and timely takedowns carried
Jackson-Wink MMA rep Khalid
Murtazaliev to a unanimous decision over Fabio
Aguiar in a three-round middleweight battle. All three cageside
judges scored it for Murtazaliev (15-2, 1-0 Bellator): 29-28, 30-27
and 30-27.
Aguiar (17-2, 0-1 Bellator) derailed after a competitive first
round. In his first appearance since Sept. 15, 2018, Murtazaliev
answered his looping punches with tighter shots of his own, then
turned his attention to the ground. He secured takedowns in the
second and third rounds, dictating the terms of the engagement on
the mat. Aguiar had his chances. The Brazilian tried to advance to
the back in Round 3 but failed to secure position and left himself
open for a reversal.
The defeat snapped Aguiar’s nine-fight winning streak.
Undefeated Gonzalez Dismisses Huerta
Team Alpha Male export Christopher
Gonzalez struck Roger
Huerta into submission in the third round of their catchweight
confrontation at 160 pounds. Huerta (24-13-1, 1-6 Bellator) raised
the white flag 3:01 into Round 3, as he suffered his fourth
straight defeat.
Gonzalez (6-0, 5-0 Bellator) manhandled the
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran with explosive
takedowns, suffocating control and effective ground-and-pound. He
executed takedowns in all three rounds, methodically drawing out
Huerta’s will to compete. Gonzalez struck for a takedown midway
through the third round, climbed to the back and dropped punches to prompt
the tapout.
Huerta, 37, has not posted a win since Dec. 22, 2017.
Barros Choke Submits Wilson
Pitbull Brothers standout
Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros submitted Jonathan
Wilson with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their
light heavyweight encounter. Wilson (9-4, 0-1 Bellator) conceded
defeat 4:58 into Round 1, closing the book on his modest two-fight
winning streak.
The 29-year-old Barros (7-2, 1-0 Bellator) surrendered a takedown
but sprang a reversal into top position under threat of an armbar.
From there, he moved to side control and climbed to the mounted
crucifix, at which point he uncorked punches and elbows. The
Brazilian then drew Wilson away from the cage, framed the arm-triangle and forced the
tapout.
Barros has won five fights in a row.
Faraldo Buries Overmatched Gudde
American Top Team’s Roman
Faraldo remained undefeated and did so in spectacular fashion,
as he wiped out Trevor
Gudde with punches in the first round of their welterweight
clash. The 6-foot-7 Gudde (2-2, 1-1 Bellator) bowed out 90 seconds
into Round 1.
Faraldo (5-0, 2-0 Bellator) touched off his offensive onslaught
with a leg kick and multi-punch volley that set his counterpart on
his heels. He then knocked down Gudde twice with left hooks,
inviting him back to his feet each time. After Faraldo floored his counterpart a third time
with yet another left hook, the stoppage was called.
The 27-year-old Faraldo has finished all five of his opponents,
three of them inside one round.
Unbeaten Newman Batters Busick
Roufusport prospect Jordan
Newman kept his perfect professional record intact, as he put
away Branko
Busick with ground-and-pound in the second round of their
middleweight pairing. Busick (2-2, 0-2 Bellator) succumbed to blows
2:30 into Round 2.
Newman (3-0, 3-0 Bellator) controlled virtually every second of the
fight. He scrambled into top position in the first round, drew
blood with a series of elbows and ultimately threatened with a
rear-naked choke. Busick denied his initial advances, but he was
living on borrowed time. Newman struck for a takedown in the second
round, progressed to the mounted crucifix and unleashed a
sustained burst of punches and elbows until the job was done.