RAFAEL CARVALHO STEALS SPLIT DECISION, RETAINING MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE IN ‘BELLATOR 155’ MAIN EVENT
BOISE, IDAHO (May 20, 2016) – Rafael Carvalho (13-1) defended his middleweight belt in controversial fashion at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho on Friday night, taking home a split decision win over at the expense of Melvin Manhoef (30-13).
The packed house was less than enthusiastic with the judges’ decision, which amounted to two 48-47 scores for Carvalho, while Manhoef took home one of the same tally.
With the victory, the 29-year old Brazilian is now 4-0 under the Bellator MMA umbrella and continues to ride his remarkable 13-fight winning streak.
Featherweight Co-Main Event Ends in Unanimous Decision Victory for Pat Curran
It took all three rounds to determine a winner in the evening’s co-main event, but in the end, former two-time Bellator champion Pat Curran (22-7) emerged victorious with a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) win over Georgi Karakhanyan (24-6-1). “Paddy Mike” connected with a great left hook that dropped Karakhanyan to the mat. The Chicago native relied heavily on his ground game in this one, consistently forcing Karakhanyan into uncomfortable positions and ultimately leading to the featherweight’s 12th win under the Bellator MMA fray.
Heavyweight Slugfest Ends in Draw for Dan Charles and Augusto Sakai
The evening’s second heavyweight feature fight was heavily overshadowed by multiple low blows from the foot of Augusto Sakai (9-0-1), leaving Dan Charles (10-3-1) curled over the canvas and gasping for air. In a bout that took every bit of 15 minutes, the judges’ scorecard concluded a majority draw (30-26 Charles, 28-28, 28-28), making it just the ninth in Bellator MMA history. Although the Brazilian Sakai remains undefeated, his nine-fight winning streak came to an end with the bittersweet finish at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. For Charles, it was the third time in his five-year career that a fight went the distance and the first of his 14 bouts to end in a majority draw.
Alexis Dufresne Shocks MMA World With Submission Victory Over Marloes Coenen
In a highly-anticipated female catchweight bout, Alexis Dufresne (6-2) delivered one of the largest upsets of the year by finishing Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen (23-7) with an armbar submission 4:33 into the first round. Along with Miesha Tate, “Sneaky Zebra” becomes just the second fighter ever to force Coenen to tap out. Not far removed from the birth of her first child, the 25-year-old Dufresne was able to impress in her Bellator MMA debut, despite being a +500 underdog.
Gormley Outlasts Beltran in Heavyweight Opener
During the opening contest at “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef,” Joey Beltran (17-13) and Chase Gormley (13-5) traded blows in what was a heavyweight dogfight that took all three rounds to claim a victor. In the end, it was Gormley that came out on top with the split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) win over “The Mexicutioner.” Gormley, a 32-year-old native of Los Angeles is now 7-0 when his fights go to the judges table. The win is his first with the Bellator MMA promotion and sixth of his last seven bouts.
Preliminary Card Results:
Vince Morales (4-1) defeated Hamilton Ash (3-2) via KO at 2:32 of round three
Joe Hamilton (4-0) defeated Tyler Freeland (3-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:22 of round one
Casey Johnson (5-0) defeated Brendon Raftery (4-3) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:16 of round two
Marcin Held (22-4) defeated Dave Jansen (20-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 2x)
Jesse Brock (22-8) defeated Olly Bradstreet (39-13) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:57 of round three
Will Noland (16-6) defeated Sean Powers (9-6) via KO (punches) at 3:29 of round one
Scott Thometz (10-5) defeated Josh Tyler (7-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-25)
Veta Arteaga (2-0) defeated Jackie Vandenburgh (0-2) via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 29-28)