Full Event Photos Here

San Jose, Calif. (May 14, 2016) — In the main event of Bellator MMA’s return home to San Jose, Phil Davis and King Mo showcased why their widely regarded as two of the top light heavyweights on the planet. In the end, it was Davis who emerged victorious, taking home a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27.

The first ten minutes of action were razor thin, with both men using their strengths to gain the upper hand. For Lawal, the American Top Team standout relied heavily upon his power punching, throwing overhand rights with frequency. Davis used his lower limbs, keeping Mo at distance with leg kicks and short jabs. The tides really began to shift in the final frame though, as Davis clipped his opponent with a shot that he parlayed into a single-leg takedown, nearly finishing the bout with a kimura.

After his hand was raised, Davis was joined inside the cage by current Bellator 205-pound kingpin Liam McGeary who will likely face Davis in “Mr. Wonderful’s” next action. The two traded words and passed the eye test when it comes to a future Bellator MMA main event matchup.

Welterweight Bloodbath Ends in TKO Victory for Saad Awad

In the co-main event of “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo,” Saad Awad (19-7) provided one of the most entertaining performances of the night with a first round TKO win over “Cyborg” Santos (21-17). The knockout came just 4:31 into the bout, when Awad unleashed a flurry of hammer fists that left forced referee Jason Herzog to call a stop to the action. “Assassin” fought off a brutal toe hold earlier in the round and countered with relentless blows to the sides of Santos’ head, eventually opening a large cut that spilled blood onto the canvas. With victories in four of his last five bouts and now a victory at 170-pounds to boot, the options for Awad’s future with the promotion remain endless.

San Diego-Labiano Give it All in Swing Bout on SPIKE 

With two quick stoppages to start the card, Bellator aired a swing bout between Josh San Diego (7-1) and Jeremiah Labiano (9-5). A native of San Jose, “JSD” took full advantage of his opportunity on the big stage, and capped off the fight with a rapid flurry of attacks to end the final frame, earning himself a unanimous decision (29-28) victory over Labiano in front of a loud, hometown crowd. The win is “JSD’s” second with the promotion, both of which ended via unanimous decision.

Piccolotti Continues to Submit Opponents, Finishes Wood on Short Notice

In a highly emotional bout, Adam Piccolotti (8-0) thoroughly dominated Ray Wood (7-2) over the course of their lightweight bout, sealing the deal after 3:17 with a standing rear-naked choke submission. The win was Adam “Bomb’s” second first-round finish and the quickest of his budding career. With the victory, the Half Moon Bay, Calif. native remains undefeated and has solidified himself as one of the company’s brightest young prospects. Piccolotti was originally slated to fight Jordan Parsons before his death, which Bellator instated a memorial scholarship fund in his honor earlier on in the day.

Fialho Remains Unbeaten With Monstrous Hammer Fist Knockout

 

In the opening bout of the main card on SPIKE, Andre Fialho (7-0) finished Rick Reger (7-2) with a vicious hammer fist knockout 2:11 into the first frame. Fialho was the aggressor from the get-go, setting the tone early and often with heavy fists and quick combinations. The 22-year-old Portuguese star continues to climb the ranks in a stacked Bellator welterweight division, as he remains undefeated with six consecutive knockouts and back-to-back first round finishes since joining the Bellator fray. At the conclusion of the fight, Fialho took a moment to acknowledge the significance of his win, dedicating the victory to his friend who had recently passed away.

Preliminary Results:

James Chapman (1-0) defeated Sean Tucker (0-1) via TKO (punches) at 4:41 of round two

Anthony Taylor (1-1) defeated Victor Jones (0-2) via KO at 0:27 of round one

Danasabe Mohammed (4-0) defeated Martin Sano (4-2) via KO (punches) at 1:18 of round one

Josh Paiva (8-1) defeated Steven Gruber (5-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:14 of round two

Sam Spengler (9-5) defeated Doyle Childs (2-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Joshua Hardwick (1-0) defeated Jorge Acosta (1-2) via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:21 of round one

Jamielene Nievara (4-1) defeated Stephanie Frausto (5-6) via TKO at 2:43 of round three

Mark Dickman (11-2) defeated Thomas Diagne (5-6-1) via TKO (punches) at 3:05 of round three

SAAD AWAD-‘CYBORG’ SANTOS & ADAM PICCOLOTTI-RAY WOOD ARE OFFICIAL

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (May 5, 2016) – A welterweight matchup pitting “Cyborg” Santos (21-16) against Bellator MMA veteran Saad Awad (18-7) and a lightweight meeting featuring Adam Piccolotti (7-0) versus Ray Wood (6-1) have been added to the main card of “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo,” which airs LIVE and FREE on SPIKE and takes place on May 14 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

These matchups join an electric main event between light heavyweight phenoms “King Mo” (19-4, 1 NC) and Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (15-3, 1 NC). In addition, a heavyweight bout between Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) and Josh Appelt (12-5) will serve as the evening’s co-main event and undefeated Andre Fialho (6-0) will face Rick Reger (7-1) in a welterweight feature fight.

The contests make up the televised portion of “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo,” which airs LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT while the preliminary card will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. Tickets start at just $30 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster, and the SAP Center Box Office.

After beginning his career with five consecutive victories, the 32-year-old Saad Awad has continued to put together an impressive resume, including significant wins over the likes of Joe Duarte, Sergio Rios, and most recently Rob Sinclair. A 10-time veteran of Bellator MMA, “Assassin” has three first-round knockout wins, two of which came in the first 45 seconds of the bout. In 2013, the California native handed Will Brooks the only loss of his career thus far, stopping hiim with a punch only 43-seconds into the fight.

“Cyborg” Santos has begun his 2016 campaign with a bang, recording victories in each of his first two bouts, including a crowd-silencing win over hometown favorite Brennan Ward in his Bellator MMA debut at “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson.” Of his 21 career wins, the 38-year-old welterweight has recorded 12 knockouts, 10 of which came in the opening frame of the bout. The heavy-handed Brazilian originally made four appearances under the Strikeforce banner from 2009 to 2011, before signing a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA in March of 2016. “Cyborg” will look to add to his current winning streak when he challenges Saad Awad, who will be moving up in weight class to 170-pounds.

The 27-year-old Piccolotti has been flawless early in his young career, earning victories in all seven of his professional bouts, including three wins since joining the Bellator MMA team. A native of Northern California, he made his promotional debut against Andrew Ramm at “Bellator 133: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko,” with a unanimous decision win and then added to his admirable resume by finishing his 2015 campaign with a victory over Mario Soto at“Bellator 147: Thomson vs. Villaseca.” Making his 2016 debut, the submission specialist will have little time to prepare for his new opponent Ray Wood as the two look to square off on May 14 at the SAP Center.

Ray “All Business” Wood made a splash in his Bellator MMA debut, when he finished Chris Jones with a spinning-back fist that resulted in a first round knockout at “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell.” The 26-year-old Maine native has begun his professional career with a flashy 6-1 record, including four knockout victories and two first-round finishes. After beginning his career under the direction of regional promotions, Wood now has his eyes set on establishing himself among the top of Bellator’s always-competitive featherweight division. Watch the fight below.

Complete “Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo” Fight Card:

Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Main Event: Phil Davis (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (19-4, 1 NC)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) vs. Josh Appelt (12-5)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Adam Piccolotti (7-0) vs. Ray Wood (6-1)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Saad Awad (18-7) vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (21-16)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Andre Fialho (6-0) vs. Rick Reger (7-1)

 

Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA (160 lb.) “VOW” Prelim Bout: Joshua Hardwick (Debut) vs. Jorge Acosta (1-1)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Prelim Bout: Victor Jones (0-1) vs. Anthony Taylor (0-1)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Prelim Bout: Danasabe Mohammed (3-0) vs. Martin Sano (4-1)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Prelim Bout: Josh Paiva (7-1) vs. Steven Gruber (5-1)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Prelim Bout: Sam Spengler (8-5) vs. Doyle Childs (2-1)

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Prelim Bout: Josh San Diego (6-1) vs. Jeremiah Labiano (9-4)

Bellator MMA (130 lb.) Catchweight Prelim Bout: Alvin Cacdac (16-12) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (10-5)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Prelim Bout: Thomas Diagne (5-5-1) vs. Mark Dickman (10-2)

Bellator MMA Strawweight Prelim Bout: Stephanie Frausto (5-5) vs. Jamielene Nievara (3-1)

Bellator MMA Middleweight Prelim Bout: Andres Alcantar (3-0) vs. Nick Pica (5-0)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Prelim Bout: James Chapman (Debut) vs. Sean Tucker (Debut)