Bellator returned to London on Saturday night time, and locals went excellent up till the primary occasion on the OVO Wembley.
With a middleweight title bout between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards cancelled simply days earlier than the present, Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins was elevated to the primary occasion slot. The winner probably will earn a shot in opposition to Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, who faces PFL queen Larissa Pacheco in a superfight subsequent month in Saudi Arabia, and Collins made the a lot of the alternative.
Collins almost knocked McCourt out chilly with a brutal proper hand early within the first spherical, however McCourt in some way survived the shock. Collins stored the assault and transitioned to the again, instantly going for the rear-naked choke. McCourt tried to struggle the arms, however was pressured to faucet on the 2:25 mark.
“Cyborg, I’m coming,” Collins stated after the win, with a smile on her face.
The co-main occasion noticed England’s personal Simeon Powell digging deep to emerge victorious in opposition to Brazilian-German gentle heavyweight Rafael Xavier. Xavier got here out sturdy early and rocked Powell twice within the opening spherical, touchdown a entrance kick flush to the chin and a left hand within the last seconds of the spherical, however Powell survived the scare. The 2 engaged in an in depth putting battle with hand blows landed within the following rounds, with Powell rising victorious through break up determination.
Powell’s teammate Luke Coach stored his streak alive within the Bellator cage with a fast end over Laurynas Urbonavicius, dropping the promotional newcomer with a left hand and pounding him on the bottom earlier than taking the again and securing the rear-naked choke to power the faucet in simply over the 4 minutes-mark, enhancing to 6-1 below the corporate’s banner.
Coach known as out Bellator gentle heavyweight champion Corey Anderson in his post-fight interview.
“Mr. Corey Anderson, hold my belt heat as a result of subsequent yr I’m coming for you,” Coach stated after the win. “In the event you guys make me undergo Karl Moore first, I’ve acquired him, after which Mr. Anderson. My belt, let’s go.”
Light-weight veteran Marc Diakiese opened the primary card for his Bellator debut, 10 months after strolling away from the UFC with a win over Kaue Fernandes, and dominated Tim Wilde all through 10 minutes with superior putting and well-timed takedowns. Diakiese slowed down within the third, however did sufficient within the first two rounds to win a call and have a good time his first victory within the round cage in London.
Mike Shipman delivered the spotlight of the preliminary card with an enormous knee to the face of promotional newcomer Eslam Abdul Baset, scoring his third straight victory below the Bellator banner with a second-round stoppage. Moments earlier, Joseph Luciano pressured Steven Hill to faucet to a decent anaconda choke within the second stanza.
Verify the finishes beneath, and click on right here for full Bellator London outcomes.
