Bellator 255 promised to deliver excitement as the promotion’s first event of 2021 and did so with ease. The prelims alone had 6 finishes with a total of 8 on the night mixed with fun back and forth decisions that had a little bit of everything for the fans.
Bellator 255 Main Card Results
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire def. Emmanuel Sanchez via SUB ( 3:35 Rd 1)
- Jason Jackson def. Neiman Gracie via DEC. (29-28 x3)
- Tyrell Fortune def. Jack May via TKO (3:16 Rd 1)
- Usman Nurmagomedov def. Mike Hamel via DEC. (29-28, 30-27 x2)
- Kana Watanabe def. Alejandra Lara via Split Dec. (29-28,28-29, 29-28)
Bellator 255 Prelim Results
- Magomed Magomedov def. C.J Hamilton via SUB (1:22 Rd 2)
- Mandel Nallo def. Ricardo Seixes via KO (3:23 Rd 1)
- Khalid Murtazaliev def. Fabio Aguilar via DEC. (29-28, 30-27 x2)
- Chris Gonzalez def. Roger Huerta via SUB (3:01 Rd 3)
- Jose Augusto def. Jonathan Wilson via SUB (4:58 Rd 1)
- Roman Faraldo def. Trevor Gudde via TKO (1:30 Rd 1)
- Jordan Newman def. Branko Busick via TKO (2:30 Rd 2)
Magomed Magomedov Dominates Late Replacement, Calls for Top 5 Opponent
Dagestani standout Magomed Magomedov (18-1) proves why he belongs in Bellator’s top 5 bantamweights, after mauling newcomer Cee Jay Hamilton (15-8) in the Bellator 255 featured Prelim. The Russian’s second win under the Bellator banner showcased his dominant wrestling ability. Magomedov topped his impressive performance with a pouncing rear-naked choke that took only 8 seconds to finish after jumping on Hamilton’s back and grabbing ahold of his neck.
Now riding a 5-fight win streak, most MMA fans are familiar with Magomed Magomedov because of his 1-1 record against current #1 contender and former UFC Champion Petr Yan back in 2016 under the ACB promotion.
Magomedov told John McCarthy in his post-fight interview that he is looking for an opponent ahead of him in the bantamweight rankings. Magodemov is currently ranked #5 and is chasing the likes of Sergio Pettis, Patchy Mix, Raufeon Stots, James Gallagher, and the current champion Juan Archuleta.
Usman Nurmagomedov Impresses in Bellator Debut
The undefeated 12-0 Usman Nurmagomedov put on a technical striking masterclass in his Bellator debut, earning a comfortable decision victory over a very game Mike Hamel.
Throughout the first two rounds, Nurmagomedov was successful in using his kicks to the head, body, and calf to keep it at his ideal range. Hamel found minimal success in the third round after being able to sit in the pocket for stretches of time, catching Usman on occasions, while mixing it up with takedown attempts. In the end, it wasn’t enough to have Nurmagomedov in any danger, but the heart Hamel showed was unmatched on the night.
it would only be right to give Nurmagomedov a top 10 ranked opponent at lightweight next, names like Adam Piccolotti, Alfie Davis, or Aviv Gozali come to mind as potential matchups.
Patricio Pitbull Finishes Sanchez, Reaches the Finals of Bellator’s Featherweight World Grand Prix
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire finishes Emmanuel Sanchez for the first time in his career in a devastating fashion, booking himself a fight against A.J Mckee in a highly anticipated bout between the two top featherweights in its promotion.
The night could not have gone any smoother for the Bellator double champ. After landing a big left hand early dropping Sanchez, Patricio Pitbull finished it off with his 6th career guillotine choke at 3:35 in the first round.
A fight in which feels like years of anticipation has officially materialized for all the marbles in Bellator’s Featherweight World Grand Prix Final. A.J Mckee has bulldozed his way through the featherweight tournament so far with two submission finishes over Derek Campos and Darrion Caldwell respectively. While on the other side of the bracket Pitbull has two finishes of his own heading into the finals after knocking out Pedro Carvalho and submitting Emmanuel Sanchez both in the very first round.
Bellator 255 is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come in a month full of fun and exciting fights.
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Featured Image Credits to Bellator MMA
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