BOISE, IDAHO (Kia 20, 2016) - Rafael Carvalho (13-1) defended his middleweight belt in controversial fashion at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho i runga i te Paraire po, taking home a split decision win over at the expense of Melvin Manhoef (30-13).
The packed house was less than enthusiastic with the judges’ whakatau, which amounted to two 48-47 scores for Carvalho, while Manhoef took home one of the same tally.
Ki te te wikitoria, the 29-year old Brazilian is now 4-0 under the Bellator MMA umbrella and continues to ride his remarkable 13-fight winning streak.
BELLATOR KICKBOXING: ST. LOUIS ANNOUNCED
The first fight for “Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis” has been announced in a rematch of sorts, pitting Joe Schilling ki Hisaki Kato. When the two first met at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov,” Kato stunned Schilling with a “Superman punch” knockout that many pundits considered to be the “2015 Knockout of the Year.” That was MMA, and this time the two will fight in a kickboxing match. A world champion kickboxer, “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling will look for revenge against Kato, a karate striker.
Tahi atu whawhai, including a main event matchup will be announced shortly.
The second event for the brand new Bellator Kickboxing promotion will take place on Pipiri 24, immediately following “Bellator: Dynamite 2” at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, and will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE.
Featherweight Co-Main Event Ends in Unanimous Decision Victory for Pat Curran
It took all three rounds to determine a winner in the evening’s co-main event, engari i roto i te mutunga, former two-time Bellator champion Pat Curran (22-7) emerged victorious with a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) riro i runga i Georgi Karakhanyan (24-6-1). “Paddy Mike” connected with a great left hook that dropped Karakhanyan to the mat. The Chicago native relied heavily on his ground game in this one, consistently forcing Karakhanyan into uncomfortable positions and ultimately leading to the featherweight’s 12th win under the Bellator MMA fray.
Heavyweight Slugfest Ends in Draw for Dan Charles and Augusto Sakai
The evening’s second heavyweight feature fight was heavily overshadowed by multiple low blows from the foot of Augusto Sakai (9-0-1), leaving Rana Charles (10-3-1) curled over the canvas and gasping for air. In a bout that took every bit of 15 meneti, the judges’ scorecard concluded a majority draw (30-26 Charles, 28-28, 28-28), making it just the ninth in Bellator MMA history. Although the Brazilian Sakai remains undefeated, his nine-fight winning streak came to an end with the bittersweet finish at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. For Charles, it was the third time in his five-year career that a fight went the distance and the first of his 14 bouts to end in a majority draw.
Alexis Dufresne Shocks MMA World With Submission Victory Over Marloes Coenen
In a highly-anticipated female catchweight bout, Alexis Dufresne (6-2) delivered one of the largest upsets of the year by finishing Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen (23-7) with an armbar submission 4:33 ki te tawhio tuatahi. Along with Miesha Tate, “Sneaky Zebra” becomes just the second fighter ever to force Coenen to tap out. Not far removed from the birth of her first child, the 25-year-old Dufresne was able to impress in her Bellator MMA debut, despite being a +500 underdog.
Gormley Outlasts Beltran in Heavyweight Opener
During the opening contest at "Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef," Joey Beltran (17-13) a Chase Gormley (13-5) traded blows in what was a heavyweight dogfight that took all three rounds to claim a victor. I roto i te mutunga, it was Gormley that came out on top with the split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) win over “The Mexicutioner.” Gormley, a 32-year-old native of Los Angeles is now 7-0 when his fights go to the judges table. The win is his first with the Bellator MMA promotion and sixth of his last seven bouts.
Hua Kāri hukihuki:
Vince Morales (4-1) patua Kirikiriroa Ash (3-2) via KO at 2:32 o te a tawhio noa e toru
Joe Kirikiriroa (4-0) patua Tyler Freeland (3-1) mā tāpaetanga (kowaowaotia iho muri-tahanga) i 0:22 o te tetahi a tawhio noa
Casey Johnson (5-0) patua Brendon Raftery (4-3) mā tāpaetanga (kowaowaotia iho muri-tahanga) i 1:16 o te a tawhio noa e rua
Marcin Held (22-4) patua Dave Jansen (20-4) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (30-27, 29-28 2x)
Hehe Brock (22-8) patua Olly Bradstreet (39-13) mā tāpaetanga (kowaowaotia iho muri-tahanga) i 3:57 o te a tawhio noa e toru
Will Noland (16-6) patua Sean Powers (9-6) mā KO (nifó) i 3:29 o te tetahi a tawhio noa
Scott Thometz (10-5) patua Josh Tyler (7-4) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (30-27, 30-25, 30-25)
Veta Arteaga (2-0) patua Jackie Vandenburgh (0-2) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (29-27, 30-27, 29-28)