COMPLETE EVENT PHOTOS HERE — VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS HERE

FRESNO, California. (Lub rau hli ntuj 17, 2016) — It was a rematch over three years in the making, it was a fight that was scheduled, cancelled and re-scheduled, thiabon Friday ntawm “Bellator 156” inside Save Mart Center, Marcos Galvao (17-7-1) tiv tiag Eduardo Dantas (18-4) was also a barnburner of a main event with the Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship on the line.

Galvao, 33, walked into the arena with the belt in tow, riding high on his memorable victory at the expense of Joe Warren nyob rau hauv 2015. But over the course of 25 feeb, 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 tiv thaiv Joe Taimanglo ntawm “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, nrog Chidi Njokuani (15-4) looking to keep the fight at length and utilize his height and reach advantage, thaum lub sij hawm 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 ntawm qhov kawg puag ncig, 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 Friday tus event in Fresno, Brandon Halsey (9-2) made it clear that fans watching would see a new and improved “Heev nyuj,” and while the former Fresno State Bulldog did demonstrate a new array of striking, nws yog 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 nyob rau hauv thawj puag ncig. 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: Galvao 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, tab sis on Friday, nws yog “Lub Cutt” who got the better of the punching exchanges. Nyob rau hauv lub kawg, 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.

Preliminary Card tau:

Jermaine McDermott (3-0) yeej Blake Watkins (5-1) via TKO at :20 ntawm puag ncig ib

Paul Ruiz (7-3) yeej Chris Buron (5-1) ntawm cais kev txiav txim siab (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Javy Ayala (9-5) yeej Roy Boughton (14-8) via TKO at 3:02 ntawm puag ncig ib

Nick Bustamante (4-1) yeej Antoine Smith (2-6-1) ntawm feem ntau txiav txim (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)

Jose Cabezas (6-8) yeej John Paul Elias (3-1) via knockout at :25 ntawm puag ncig ib

Chris Lewis (1-0) yeej Myron Smith (2-3) via TKO at 4:48 ntawm puag ncig ib

Luis Jauregui (4-2) yeej Ryan Tobar (3-3) ntawm unanimous kev txiav txim siab (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ben Reiter (17-1-1) yeej A.J. Matthews (8-5) ntawm unanimous kev txiav txim siab (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Carrington Banks (5-0) yeej C.J. Keith (8-4) ntawm unanimous kev txiav txim siab (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

FRESNO, California. (Lub rau hli ntuj 16, 2016) – Only one day separates us from the ultra-compelling "Bellator 156: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " event at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. and Bellator’s digital team has yet again whipped up a fresh batch of exclusive new content in preparation of Friday tuscompetition. For an inside look and more behind-the-scenes footage, tune in to Bellator’s YouTube page tam sim no.

 

Foundations with Marcos Galvao After suffering a controversial loss to Joe Warren the first time they fought, Marcos “Loro” Galvao 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 on Friday hmo ntuj.

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" Galvao (17-6-1) tiv thaiv yav tas los yeej Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (17-4) nyob rau hauv lub ntsiab kev tshwm sim ntawm"Bellator 156: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " rau Lub rau hli ntuj 17 hauv Txuag Mart Center nyob rau hauv Fresno, California.

 

Nyob rau hauv tas li ntawd, 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. haiv neeg 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,” pib thaum 8 p.m. THIAB/7 p.m. I, 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: Galvao 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, California., and airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. I, while the highly entertaining preliminary card will stream live on Bellator.com thiab Lub Bellator Mobile App.

LIVE AND FREE ON SPIKE – RAU HLI 17

 

Raug Monica, California. (Lub rau hli ntuj 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: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " Pitting Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang” Njokuani (14-4) tiv thaiv Thiago Jambo (18-4) Lub rau hli ntuj 17 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, XWS LI. 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 Galvao (17-6-1) tiv thaiv Eduardo Dantas (17-4), while Fresno native, Chris Honeycutt (7-1) returns home to take on Mikkel Parlo (13-2) in a middleweight slugfest. Pub muab kwv yees tawm lub ntsiab card, John Salter (11-3) thiab Brandon Halsey (9-1) duke it out in a 185-pound feature bout.

 

 

"Bellator 156: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 " airs LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. THIAB/8 p.m. I, thaum ua ntej bouts yuav kwj nyob rau Bellator.com thiabLub Bellator Mobile App. Daim pib rau cov kev tshwm sim pib tom xwb $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: Galvao 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 Lub rau hli ntuj 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.

 

Sau kom tiav "Bellator 156: Galvao vs.. Dantas 2 "Card:

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

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

 

Preliminary Card:

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

Bellator MMA teeb Heavyweight Yam ua ntej 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 Hnav Yam ua ntej Bout: Nick Bustamante (5-1) vs. Antoine Smith (3-5)

Bellator MMA Hnav Yam ua ntej Bout: C.J. Keith (8-3) vs. Carrington Banks (4-0)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Yam ua ntej Bout: Justin Smitley (10-7) vs. TBD

Bellator MMA teeb Heavyweight Yam ua ntej 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 Hnav Yam ua ntej Bout: Luis Jauregui (3-2) vs. Ryan Tobar (3-2)