COMPLETE EVENT PHOTOS HERE — VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HERE

FRESNO, Calif. (Juni 17, 2016) — It was a rematch over three years in the making, it was a fight that was scheduled, cancelled and re-scheduled, naIjumaa katika “Bellator 156” inside Save Mart Center, Marcos Galvão (17-7-1) dhidi ya Eduardo Dantas (18-4) was also a barnburner of a main event with the Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship on the line.

Galvão, 33, walked into the arena with the belt in tow, riding high on his memorable victory at the expense of Joe Warren katika 2015. But over the course of 25 dakika, 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 “Dudu” 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 Darrion Caldwell dhidi ya Joe Taimanglo katika “Bellator 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, na Chidi Njokuani (15-4) looking to keep the fight at length and utilize his height and reach advantage, wakati 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 ya raundi ya mwisho, 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 Ijumaa event in Fresno, Brandon Halsey (9-2) made it clear that fans watching would see a new and improved “Bull,” and while the former Fresno State Bulldog did demonstrate a new array of striking, ilikuwa John Salter (12-3) who stole the show. The 31-year-old Wilmington, N.C. resident caught Halsey on the mat with a triangle choke submission, forcing him to tap out after 4:03 katika raundi ya kwanza. 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 “Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas,” Fresno’s own Chris HONEYCUTT (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, lakini Ijumaa, ilikuwa “Cutt” who got the better of the punching exchanges. Katika mwisho, 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.

Kadi Matokeo ya awali:

Jermaine McDermott (3-0) kushindwa Blake Watkins (5-1) via TKO at :20 ya duru moja

Paul Ruiz (7-3) kushindwa Chris Buron (5-1) kupitia uamuzi kupasuliwa (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Javy Ayala (9-5) kushindwa Roy Boughton (14-8) via TKO at 3:02 ya duru moja

Nick Bustamante (4-1) kushindwa Antoine Smith (2-6-1) kupitia uamuzi wa wengi (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)

Jose Cabezas (6-8) kushindwa John Paul Elias (3-1) via knockout at :25 ya duru moja

Chris Lewis (1-0) kushindwa Myron Smith (2-3) via TKO at 4:48 ya duru moja

Luis Jauregui (4-2) kushindwa Ryan Tobar (3-3) kupitia uamuzi usiojulikana (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ben Reiter (17-1-1) kushindwa A.J. Matthews (8-5) kupitia uamuzi usiojulikana (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Carrington Banks (5-0) kushindwa C.J. Keith (8-4) kupitia uamuzi usiojulikana (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

FRESNO, Calif. (Juni 16, 2016) – Only one day separates us from the ultra-compelling "Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2 " event at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. and Bellator’s digital team has yet again whipped up a fresh batch of exclusive new content in preparation of Ijumaacompetition. For an inside look and more behind-the-scenes footage, tune in to Bellator’s YouTube page sasa.

 

Foundations with Marcos Galvao After suffering a controversial loss to Joe Warren the first time they fought, Marcos “Loro” Galvão left no doubt who was the better fighter the second time around.	Foundations with Eduardo Dantas Jimmy Smith breaks down the fight that led to Dantas’ title shot with Galvao Ijumaa usiku.

What To Watch: Galvao vs Dantas Two teammates clash, as Marcos Galvao and Eduardo Dantas meet again in the cage with another belt on the line.	Slow Motion Kneebar Marcos Galvão flashes his bantamweight belt in this week’s #‎SlowMoMonday

Foundations with Brandon Halsey According to Jimmy Smith, “Brandon Halsey is the guy when he walks down the hallway, you get out of his way.” Can he walk his way to a win?	Foundations with John Salter John Salter doesn’t wait for the judges to decide the outcome of a fight. Jimmy Smith discusses Salter’s style and confidence.

Foundations with Chidi Njokuani It’s hard to prepare and battle a fighter like Chidi Njokuani. Jimmy Smith talks about Chidi’s advantage in the cage.

The Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title will be on the line in a rematch pitting Marcos "loro" Galvão (17-6-1) dhidi ya bingwa wa zamani Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (17-4) katika tukio kuu ya"Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2 " juu ya Juni 17 ndani ya Save Mart Center katika Fresno, Calif.

 

Aidha, Thiago Jambo (18-4) will be making his Bellator MMA debut in a welterweight co-main event against Chidi Njokuani (14-4). The main card also includes a middleweight matchup between Calif. asili Brandon Halsey (9-1) and knockout specialist John Salter (11-3). “Bellator 156” also features one of Fresno’s own, Chris HONEYCUTT (7-1), who will look to put on a clinic in front of thousands of his biggest fans when he challenges Mikkel Parlo (13-2) in a middleweight clash.

 

Be sure to tune in to the live streaming preliminary card of “Bellator 156,” kuanzia saa 8 p.m. NA/7 p.m. CT, where you can watch the highly-anticipated professional debut of California’s No. 1 ranked amateur heavyweight, Chris Lewis.

 

Very few tickets remain for "Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2 " so secure your seat now by visiting the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. The event takes place at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., and airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, while the highly entertaining preliminary card will stream live on Bellator.com na Bellator Simu App.

LIVE AND FREE ON SPIKE – Juni 17

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Juni 10, 2016) – An undisclosed injury to “Bellator 158” competitor Josh Koscheck has paved the way for a new co-main feature bout at "Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2 " pitting Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang” Njokuani (14-4) dhidi ya Thiago Jambo (18-4) Juni 17 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Kama vile. Jambo will be making his promotional debut in place of Douglas Lima.

 

The fight completes a card that features a Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title rematch pitting Marcos Galvão (17-6-1) dhidi ya Eduardo Dantas (17-4), while Fresno native, Chris HONEYCUTT (7-1) returns home to take on Mikkel Parlo (13-2) in a middleweight slugfest. Rounding nje kadi kuu, John Salter (11-3) na Brandon Halsey (9-1) duke it out in a 185-pound feature bout.

 

 

"Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2 " airs LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. NA/8 p.m. CT, wakati kikohozi awali mkondo kuishi kwenye Bellator.com naBellator Simu App. Tiketi kwa ajili ya tukio kuanza saa tu $25 and are currently on sale at the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

 

 

Having not lost a fight in his last six appearances dating back to 2013, “Chidi Bang Bang” will try to keep the train rolling as he prepares for Jambo. The 27-year-old Las Vegas native finished his 2015 campaign on a high note, recording a unanimous decision victory over Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey in his promotional debut at "Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef. " Njokuani will face one of the stiffest tests of his career when he meets Jambo in the co-headliner of "Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas 2.”

 

The 35-year-old Goncalves has landed himself a golden opportunity when he steps into the cage with Njokuani in the co-feature on Juni 17. The 12-year professional most recently earned his 18^th career win by defeating Matt Baker via technical knockout in the second round of their contest and now the Brazilian welterweight will be making his Bellator MMA debut after impressively recording six wins over his last seven fights dating back to 2010.

 

Kamili "Bellator 156: Galvão vs. Dantas Kadi 2 ":

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title Bout: Marcos Galvão (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Chidi Njokuani (14-4) vs. Thiago Jambo Gonçalves (18-4)

Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Brandon Halsey (9-1) vs. John Salter (11-3)

Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Chris HONEYCUTT (7-1) vs. Mikkel Parlo (13-2)

 

Awali Kadi:

Bellator MMA Middleweight Awali Bout: A.J. Matthews (8-4) vs. Ben Reiter (16-1)

Bellator MMA Mwanga Heavyweight Awali Bout: Jermaine McDermott (2-0) vs. Blake Watkins (5-0)

Bellator MMA 140lb. Preliminary Bout: Paul Ruiz (6-4) vs. Christian Navarro (5-0)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Javy Ayala (8-5) vs. Roy Boughton (14-7)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Awali Bout: Nick Bustamante (5-1) vs. Antoine Smith (3-5)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Awali Bout: C.J. Keith (8-3) vs. Carrington Banks (4-0)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Awali Bout: Justin Smitley (10-7) vs. TBD

Bellator MMA Mwanga Heavyweight Awali Bout: John Paul Elias (3-0) vs. Jose Cabesas (5-8)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Chris Lewis (0-0) vs. Gil Medina (1-0)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Awali Bout: Luis Jauregui (3-2) vs. Ryan Tobar (3-2)