Bellator back-to-back results

by Brian Woodman Jr. on 09/16/20

(Uncasville CT – September 11, 12)

Mohegan Sun hosted Bellator 245 and 246 this weekend and it was memorable. A rematch between two light heavyweight stars, a title fight, two crotch shots and an illegal strike that effectively ended one bout were among the highlights.

Phil Davis (22-5 with one no-contest) defeated Lyoto Machida (26-10) by split decision in Friday night’s main event – their previous fight, which occurred in the UFC about seven years ago, ended in Machida’s defeat via unanimous decision.  Two judges ruled it 29-28 in favor of Davis and one scored it the same for Machida.

Both fighters essentially felt each other out during the first round but the pace picked up during the second with Davis landed a shot during the second round that put Machida on the ground. Machida recovered quickly but Davis yanked his legs out from under him and took his back – simultaneous striking ended with Machida on the ground later in the round.

Machida became more aggressive during the third round as more strikes were exchanged.

During a featherweight bout and the evening’s co-main event, Cat Zingano (11-4) generally outperformed Gabby Holloway (6-6). Zingano scored a few takedowns and attempted a rear naked choke near the end of the bout. Two judges scored it 30-26 in her favor and one scored it 29-27.

Taylor Johnson (6-1) made quick work of Ed Ruth (8-3) during their middleweight bout. Ruth shot for Taylor’s hips as the fight opened – the latter responded by submitting him with a heel hook at :59 in the first round.

A welterweight bout between Raymond Daniels (2-1 with one no-contest) and Peter Stanonik (5-4 with one no-contest) ended in a no-contest after a devastating crotch shot – the second fight to end this way during the evening. The first occurred on the preliminary card during a heavyweight bout between Tyrell Fortune (8-1 with one no-contest) and Jack May (11-6 with one no-contest) – Fortune accidently kneed May in the crotch during the first round.

Daniels opened his bout with an upper roundhouse kick and threw several more flashy kicks during the fight. He slipped while he threw one and Stanonik pounced before he assumed a mount – Daniels escaped and landed a high side kick to Stanonik’s face. They exchanged more strikes as the round ended.

Daniels threw a spinning back kick during the second round that prompted a referee stoppage. He made the same mistake as the fight restarted and the bout ended.

During the last fight on the preliminary card, Alex Polizzi (7-0) earned an unanimous decision over fellow light heavyweight Rafael Carvalho (16-5). All three judges scored it 30-27.

Polizzi generally dominated the fight with his takedowns and submission skills.

Leslie Smith (12-8-1) defeated Amanda Bell (7-7) by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the featherweight bout 29-28. Smith brought Bell to the ground during each round and attempted a rear naked choke during the second.

Keith Lee (7-3) defeated Vinicius Zani (11-7) by unanimous decision. Two judges scored it 29-28 and one scored it (30-27). Organizers contracted the fight at 144 pounds.

Zani attempted to apply a Muay Thai plum during the first round and scored at least one takedown.

Juan Archuleta (5-2) earned an unanimous decision over Patchy Mix (13-1) during the main event on Saturday and won the vacant bantamweight title. Two judges scored it 48-47 and one scored it 49-46.

Mix lifted and dropped Archuleta during their first round and latter attempted to apply a rear naked choke.

During the second round, Mix took Archuleta’s back – he attempted a rear naked choke and an inverted leg triangle. Archuleta tried to isolate Mix’s leg during the scramble and later attempted to ground-and-pound him.

The final three rounds were principally stand and striking exchanges with Archuleta apparently outpointing Mix.

Neiman Gracie (10-1) submitted Jon Fitch (32-8-2 with one no-contest) with a heel hook at 4:47 in the second round of the co-main event. Fitch announced his retirement following the welterweight bout.

Gracie brought Fitch during the first round and attempted an inverted heel hook. He later took Fitch’s back

During the second round, Gracie lifted and dropped Fitch, who responded by putting him a head lock. Gracie escaped and Fitch landed a few body shots after they went to their feet.

Gracie attempted to take Fitch’s back and later pulled his legs out from under him. He subsequently attempted a knee bar and heel hook toward the end of the fight.

Liz Carmouche (14-7) submitted DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1) with a rear naked choke at 3:17 in the third round of a flyweight bout. Carmouche generally dominated the fight, although Bennett attempted to ground and pound her during the second round.

Keoni Diggs (9-0) rendered Derek Campos (20-11) unconscious with a rear naked choke, winning their lightweight fight with a technical submission at 4:59 in the third round. Diggs attempted a rear naked choke during the first round, although Campos escaped and wound up on top as the fight ended. By the third round, Diggs was clearly more dominant and finished the fight with literally a second to spare.

During the preliminary card, Daniel Madrid (18-6) won by split decision over fellow middleweight Pat Casey (6-3).  Two judges scored it 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Madrid while one scored it 29-28 in favor of Casey, who took the fight on three days’ notice.

Ty Gwerder (5-1) defeated George “Tuco” Tokkos by TKO at 1:05 in the third round of their middleweight fight. Gwerder threw kicks and flying knees while Tokkos leaned punches and lower leg kicks. During the third round, Gwerder landed a knee to the chin and a punching combination that left Tokkos dazed although he still attempted to shoot for a takedown – he then stood up and apparently looked dazed enough for the referee to immediately wave the fight off.

Davion Franklin (2-0) earned a technical decision over Ras Hylton (6-5) after hitting him in the back of the head with what the referee ruled as an accidental foul in the third round. All three judges scored it 30-27.

Hylton kicked Franklin in the face early in the first round but the latter responded by scooping him up and dumping him before starting a ground-and-pound attack. Franklin later slammed Hylton again during the round.

Franklin took down Hylton a few times during the subsequent rounds and later launched a protracted ground-and-pound attack during the third despite appearing exhausted – he looked at the referee at one point as if hoping that he would stop the fight. The referee eventually stopped the fight and consulted with the ringside physician, who examined a wearied Hylton. The illegal strike was ruled accidental and judges tallied the points earned up until the stoppage.