P. Davis wins rematch against Lyoto. Photo: Reproduction / Bellator
Lyoto Machida e Phil Davis they met again more than seven years after their first clash, at UFC 163, and the duel seemed to follow the same script. In a studied fight, with both athletes respecting each other a lot, the North American prevailed in a split decision from the judges (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). The duel was the main attraction of Bellator 245, held this Friday the 11th), in Uncasville, USA.
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With the result, Davis once again defeats the Brazilian, adding his third consecutive victory and qualifying to challenge the light heavyweight champion Vadim nemkov. On the other hand, Machida suffers his second consecutive defeat in MMA – He has a record of 26 wins and 10 losses.
Bellator 245 will not bring back good memories for Brazilians. Acting on the preliminary card, Raphael Carvalho, former champion of the event, was beaten by Alex Polizzi, in a unanimous decision by the judges.
Davis wins rematch against Lyoto
In the first round, the tension was evident. Despite the study of both, there were also moments of action. A karate specialist, Lyoto made a lot of use of low kicks. Interestingly, Davis, known for his high-level wrestling, was not intimidated and exchanged blows with his opponent. The North American tried to move forward and alternated low kicks with high ones.
In the second round, Davis came back better. The North American was more active, landed the best blows, again, based on kicks, and, in one of the attacks, he even knocked Lyoto off balance. In the final part, the athlete pressed the Brazilian against the fence, looking for the takedown for the first time in the fight.
👊💥@PhilMrWonderful with the big right hand as round two winds down.#Bellaor245 pic.twitter.com/Hzc0NsZ0eW
- BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 12, 2020
Anyone who thinks the third round had more action is mistaken. In fact, it was as difficult to score as the first. This time, Davis alternated kicks with punches, but most of his attacks were empty. Lyoto, encouraged by his corner, who warned that he would have to define the fight to emerge victorious, was more active and landed the best blows on his opponent.
In the end, Davis, once again, beat Lyoto in another very even fight. Now, the former light heavyweight champion (93kg) has a clear path to revenge against Vadim nemkov, current number one in the category. Lyoto, who returned to light heavyweight, lost his second fight in a row in Bellator and finds himself in a delicate situation. At 42 years old, the veteran has two wins and two losses for the organization.
Zingano confirms favoritism
Without acting since December 2018, Zingano cat debuted in Bellator without giving a chance to bad luck. The former UFC athlete confirmed her favoritism by beating Gabby Holloway and, more than that, the triumph happened safely. Much more experienced than her opponent, Zingano showed her wrestling credentials and took advantage of it. In the first round, she did not venture into the fight on her feet, she stuck to her opponent and, once she was on the ground, she only left when the referee interrupted.
In the second round, more of the same. The combination of wrestling with ground and pound (ground attacks) was even more effective. Zingano's dominance was so great that he made room for a 10 × 8 in his favor.
With the advantage in the count, everything indicated that the third round would be mere protocol, but Zingano had a scare. Holloway took advantage of the veteran's hesitation, got on top of her on the ground and applied a series of elbows, which almost made the referee stop the fight. After getting rid of the attacks, Zingano ran after the damage and almost ended the fight.
At 38 years old, Zingano returns to the path of victories and, with her good performance, added to her popularity in MMA, she can find herself the featherweight champion (65,8kg), Chris Cyborg, shortly. It is worth remembering that the North American even fought for the UFC bantamweight belt (61,2kg).
Zebra ready
Ed Ruth is one of the best-known names in Bellator for being a high-level wrestler, but this time, he made a mistake, precisely in the sport he dominates. Against Taylor Johnson, he was willing to show his superiority in this area, but he was quickly surprised.
Johnson did not despair when he was taken down and, shrewdly, attacked Ruth's knee, which he defended with some difficulty. The athlete didn't give up and then made another lunge and applied a reversed heel lock to his opponent, who had to give three taps to give up.
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What a Bellator debut for @tombstonetaylor! #Bellator245 #LegLock game 💯
All this action took place in just 59 seconds of fighting and the interesting thing is that, despite the skill demonstrated by Johnson on the ground, this was his first submission victory in his career. Previously, 'Thombstone's' five wins were by knockout.
In turn, Ruth, little by little, leaves the spotlight. 'Easy' had lost his last fight, still at welterweight (77,6kg) and, in his debut at middleweight (83,9kg), the result was no different. Of Ruth's three defeats in his career, two were by submission, despite being a purple belt in jiu-jitsu.
Former champion loses another
the phase of Raphael Carvalho It's not good at all. If at the beginning of his career in Bellator, the Brazilian impressed by winning his first six fights, becoming middleweight champion (83,9kg), currently, he was relegated to the preliminary card and lost for the second time in a row. The executioner was the undefeated Alex Polizzi, who was making his debut in the organization.
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The fight was not exciting at all and, for the most part, it was fought close to the cage during the three rounds. Even though he was physically bigger than his opponent, Rafael was passive and, locked in, made the North American's job easier in the ring. Since switching from middleweight to light heavyweight (93kg), the Brazilian has yet to win and, at 34 years old, his current streak is four defeats in his last five fights.
Bellator 245 results
MAIN CARD
Light Heavyweight: Phil Davis derrotou Lyoto Machida in the judges' split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Feather weight: Zingano cat defeated Gabby Holloway via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Middleweight: Taylor Johnson defeated Ed Ruth via submission at 0m59s of R1
Welterweight: Raymond Daniels x Peter Stanonik ends in a no contest (No Contest) 1m0s from R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Light heavyweight: Alex Polizzi defeated Raphael Carvalho in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Leslie Smith defeated Amanda Bell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Tyrell Fortune x Jack May ends in no contest (No Contest) at 2m42s of R1
Catchweight (up to 64kg): Keith Lee defeated Vinicius Zani by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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