All photos by: Bellator MMA/Eric Coleman
TEMECULA, Calif. (Có thể 15, 2015) – While Brandon “Bò đực” Halsey (9-0) can no longer say he’s Bellator MMA’s Middleweight World Champion, he’s still managed to show his talent with a one-sided destruction of proven veteran Kendall “Các Spyder” Grove (21-15).
The contest served as the feature main event of Thứ sáu của “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” card at Pechanga Resort & Casino ở Temecula, Calif.
Halsey nearly finished the fight in the early going, moving to an arm-triangle choke that would have finished a lesser opponent, but Grove somehow battled through the effort. Còn, it was a one-sided round for the former champ.
Grove was able to avoid such a precarious position in the second, but he was still forced to be on the defensive throughout most of the frame. With a high-paced wrestling attack, Halsey simply pushed his way to the floor and enjoyed top position for almost the entirety of the round.
The pattern continued as the fight wore on, with Halsey simply overpowering his opponent and constantly earning himself the dominant position. Grove briefly threatened with an armbar in the fourth frame, but Halsey simply yanked his limb free and pounded away with punches shortly after until he earned the TKO win at the 2:25 mark of the frame.
The undefeated Halsey, who was stripped of the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Title for failing to make weight, will look to again earn the belt in his next appearance.
“I was my own worst enemy. It was how I performed. He didn’t throw anything at me that I wasn’t ready for. I was just trying to tough through the injury. I had to tough it out and come out with the victory,” Halsey said.
"Chắc chắn, you want to be as dominant as possible. I just felt like I couldn’t explode through my combinations or explode through the fight and finish how I wanted to. But like I said, you’ve got to deal with adversity, and I did it the best I could,” Halsey continued.
“I learned my lesson. I thank Bellator. I apologize to the commission. It’s unprofessional not to make weight. Không có lời bào chữa, but anybody knows that it’s hard to cut weight with an injury. The belt’s just a decoration, so I’m still the champ in my eyes. No one has taken the belt from me.”
In the night’s co-main event, former Bellator MMA Bantamweight World Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (17-4), of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, took a step toward another shot at the title with a hard-fought decision victory over the hard-hitting Làm biếng “The Marine” Richman, of Rose Mount, Từ.
While Richman showed excellent takedown defense throughout the 15-minute affair, Dantas’ work rate helped him earn the favor of the judges. Constantly pressing and looking to bring the fight to the floor, Dantas was able to just edge out Richman on the cards, 29-28 according to all three officials.
“I went out there and fought the way I trained to fight,” Dantas said after the win. “I knew Mike Richman was going to come with everything, but I wanted to win this fight and get back to the title. The only fight that makes sense next is for the title.
In a welterweight contest, Fernando “Các Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez (24-13), of Menifee, Calif., scored a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over “Curtious” Curtis Millender (7-2), San Bernardino, Calif.
With Millender enjoying a six-inch height advantage, the smaller Gonzalez struggled to score points in the first two rounds. But when the fight hit the floor in the third, Gonzalez latched onto a guillotine choke and earned a tap from his opponent at the 1:14 của vòng chung kết.
“Tôi 4-0 ngay bây giờ,” Gonzalez said after the win. “That’s one step closer to the title, and I’m excited to get in there and mix it up with whoever is next.”
With the result, Gonzalez now boasts four-straight Bellator MMA victories and put himself in line for a potential shot at the promotion’s Welterweight Title.
In the night’s first main-card matchup, khách hàng tiềm năng bất khả chiến bại Darrion “Sói” Caldwell (7-0), of Rahway, N.J., used a superior wrestling game to outwork more experienced opponent Rafael “Morcego” Silva (22-5), of Lajes, Brazil, en route a unanimous-decision victory.
With Caldwell scoring takedowns throughout the matchup, Silva looked for submissions when available, but he simply couldn’t find the necessary hold to work past his opponent’s defense. Thay thế, Caldwell kept his pressure high, and judges awarded him the fight, 29-28 trên cả ba thẻ.
After the victory, Caldwell made it clear he’s clearing his way to a shot at the Bellator MMA World Title.
“I don’t think there are any fighters out there as explosive as me at 135 pounds, or as fast,” Caldwell said. “Sau cùng, I’ll be able to prove that.”
In the night’s final preliminary bout, Guam’s Joe Taimanglo (21-6-1) scored a third-round knockout of Mexico’s Antonio Duarte (18-6).
Ngoài ra, triển vọng lông Jordan Parsons (11-1), San Diego, Calif., earned a third-round decision win over the previously undefeated Brazilian Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-1).
Trong một cuộc thi nặng nhẹ, Virgil Zwicker (14-4-1), of Temecula, Calif., earned a first-round knockout win over Razak Al-Hassan (12-5), của Milwaukee, Wisc.
And in the night’s first fight, Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey (11-3), of Gastonia, N.C., earned a second-round knockout win over Jessie Juarez (22-10), Torrance, Calif.
Brandon Halsey (9-0) def. Kendall Grove (21-15)
Eduardo Dantas (17-4) def. Mike Richman (18-6 )
Fernando Gonzalez (24-14) def. Curtis Millender (7-2)
Darrion Caldwell (7-0) def. Rafael Silva (22-5)
Về Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA là một tổ chức võ thuật hỗn hợp có tính năng hàng đầu của nhiều máy bay chiến đấu tốt nhất thế giới. Dưới sự chỉ đạo của cựu chiến binh chiến đấu promoter Scott Coker, Bellator có sẵn đến gần 400 triệu gia đình trên toàn thế giới trong hơn 120 nước. Tại Hoa Kỳ, Bellator có thể được nhìn thấy trên Spike, các nhà lãnh đạo truyền hình MMA. Bellator MMA này bao gồm một đội ngũ điều hành bao gồm các chuyên gia ngành công nghiệp hàng đầu trong sản xuất truyền hình, live dàn nhạc sự kiện, phát triển máy bay chiến đấu / quan hệ, mua sắm địa điểm, tạo tài trợ / phát triển, cấp giấy phép quốc tế, thị trường, quảng cáo, công khai mối quan hệ và hoa hồng. Bellator có trụ sở tại Santa Monica, California và thuộc sở hữu của giải trí khổng lồ Viacom, nhà để thương hiệu giải trí hàng đầu thế giới kết nối với khán giả thông qua nội dung hấp dẫn trên truyền hình, hình ảnh chuyển động, các nền tảng trực tuyến và điện thoại di động.
Về Spike:
Spike có sẵn trong 98.7 triệu gia đình và là một bộ phận của Viacom Media Networks. Một đơn vị của Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks là một trong những người sáng tạo hàng đầu thế giới về lập trình và nội dung trên tất cả các nền tảng truyền thông. Địa chỉ Internet của Spike là www.spike.com và up-to-the-phút và lưu trữ thông tin báo chí và hình ảnh, ghé thăm trang web của báo chí Spike tại http://www.spike.com/press. Thực hiện theo chúng tôi trên Twitter spiketvpr cho mới nhất trong việc phá vỡ tin tức cập nhật, đằng sau hậu trường và thông tin hình ảnh.