COMPLETE EVENT PHOTOS HERE — VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HERE
פרעסנאָ, קאַליף. (יוני 17, 2016) — It was a rematch over three years in the making, it was a fight that was scheduled, cancelled and re-scheduled, אוןאויף פרייטאג בייַ “Bellator 156” inside Save Mart Center, Marcos גאַלוואַאָ (17-7-1) קעגן Eduardo דאַנטאַס (18-4) was also a barnburner of a main event with the Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship on the line.
גאַלוואַאָ, 33, walked into the arena with the belt in tow, riding high on his memorable victory at the expense of דזשאָו וואָראַן אין 2015. But over the course of 25 מינוט, Dantas put a halt to any momentum “Loro” had, peppering his former training partner’s left-eye with punches, until it swelled shut. Galvao tried valiantly to slow the pace of “דודו” through grappling, but the 27-year-old did enough to earn the nod from the California State Athletic Commission judges and take back the belt that he claimed was his all along.
With the defeat, Galvao’s four-fight winning streak was snapped, while Dantas has now pieced together two consecutive victories. The Nova Uniao product will now set his sights on the winner of דאַרריאָן קאָלדוועל קעגן Joe Taimanglo בייַ “בעללאַטאָר 159,” a bout that will determine the new No. 1 contender for Dantas’ freshly won title.
Chidi Njokuani ‘Bang Bangs’ His Way to Knockout Victory
The co-main event of the evening featured contrasting styles, מיט טשידי נדזשאָקואַני (15-4) looking to keep the fight at length and utilize his height and reach advantage, ווייַלע Thiago Jambo (18-5) worked hard to close the distance and compete on the inside. “Chidi Bang Bang” won out, cracking the gut of Jambo with a kick that folded the Brazilian to the mat. Njokuani pounced, landing left and right punches until referee Mike Beltran waved the fight off at2:39 פון די לעצט קייַלעכיק, giving the Las Vegas native a knockout win. After the scrap, the 28-year-old made his interview concise, telling the welterweight division: “anyone can get it.”
John Salter Taps Brandon Halsey via Triangle Choke
Throughout the lead up to פרייטיק ס event in Fresno, בראַנדאָן כאַלסי (9-2) made it clear that fans watching would see a new and improved “ביק,” and while the former Fresno State Bulldog did demonstrate a new array of striking, עס איז געווען יוחנן סאָלטער (12-3) who stole the show. The 31-year-old Wilmington, נ.ק. resident caught Halsey on the mat with a triangle choke submission, forcing him to tap out after 4:03 אין דער ערשטער קייַלעכיק. Keeping with the trend of his career thus far, every fight Salter has won has been via submission, furthering his claim for a shot at the promotion’s 185-pound belt.
Honeycutt Impresses Hometown Crowd in Middleweight Debut
In the opening main card contest of “בעללאַטאָר 156: גאַלוואַאָ ווס. דאַנטאַס,” Fresno’s own קריס האָנייקוטט (8-1) welcomed Mikkel Parlo (13-3) back to the Bellator MMA cage with a complete 15-minute performance, building upon the wrestling pedigree he’s known for with a newfound dynamic striking arsenal. Usually Parlo, a Danish fighter who had not competed for the Scott Coker-led promotion since 2014, gets the better of his opponents when the fight stays upright, אָבער אויף פרייטאג, עס איז געווען “די קוטט” who got the better of the punching exchanges. אין די סוף, it was the 27-year-old Honeycutt who walked away with a unanimous decision, pushing out his current winning streak to two bouts and improving to 4-1 under the Bellator umbrella.
פּרעלימינאַרי קאַרד רעזולטאַטן:
Jermaine McDermott (3-0) דיפיטיד בלייק וואַטקינס (5-1) via TKO at :20 פון קייַלעכיק איינער
פאולוס רויז (7-3) דיפיטיד Chris Buron (5-1) דורך שפּאַלטן באַשלוס (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
דזשאַווי אַיאַלאַ (9-5) דיפיטיד רוי באָוגהטאָן (14-8) via TKO at 3:02 פון קייַלעכיק איינער
ניק בוסטאַמאַנטי (4-1) דיפיטיד Antoine Smith (2-6-1) דורך מערהייַט באַשלוס (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Jose Cabezas (6-8) דיפיטיד יוחנן פאולוס עליאַס (3-1) via knockout at :25 פון קייַלעכיק איינער
Chris Lewis (1-0) דיפיטיד Myron Smith (2-3) via TKO at 4:48 פון קייַלעכיק איינער
לויס יאַורייגווי (4-2) דיפיטיד ריאַן טאָבאַר (3-3) דורך יונאַנאַמאַס באַשלוס (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
בן רעיטער (17-1-1) דיפיטיד אַ.דזש. Matthews (8-5) דורך יונאַנאַמאַס באַשלוס (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Carrington Banks (5-0) דיפיטיד C.J. קיט (8-4) דורך יונאַנאַמאַס באַשלוס (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)