In a balanced fight, Leandro Higo surpasses Darrion Caldwell on points and gets closer to a title fight

L. Higo defeated D. Caldwell via split decision. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Responsible for the second most important fight in the Bellator 259, held this Friday (21), in the United States, Leandro Higo and Darrion Caldwell promoted one of the best duels of the night. In a confrontation marked by aggression, the Brazilian left the octagon with a victory in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) and managed to 'get even' in the reunion after three years.

See too

Cris Cyborg defeats Leslie Smith by knockout and retains belt at Bellator 259

Bellator 259: Cris Cyborg x Leslie Smith – Results

With the result, Higo is getting closer to a title fight in the bantamweight division (up to 61,2kg). Now, he extends the streak to three straight victories. The Brazilian has a record of 21 triumphs and five setbacks.

Darrion Caldwell suffered his second negative result in the organization. Thus, the North American has a record of 15 wins and five losses.

THE FIGHT

At the beginning of much study among fighters, Leandro Higo had the first initiative after a minute. He kicked low at the base of Darrion Caldwell, who took advantage of the first opportunity to fall. The Brazilian even threatened him with a guillotine, but was unable to adjust his position. Dominant, the North American took a stance and threw hard elbows, which soon cut his opponent's forehead. In the last seconds, Higo attacked Caldwell in an armbar, but his opponent defended the situation.

In the second round, Leandro Higo kicked low and made Darrion Caldwell lose his balance. The Brazilian tried to go to the back, but saw the North American reverse the situation and fall on top. Still, the 'Pitbull Brothers' athlete didn't give up and continued throwing other elbows, while his opponent – ​​even on top – didn't even try to make progress.

In the third and final round, Higo grabbed Caldwell's leg and lifted him up. However, the North American was faster and caught the Brazilian's back. The duel ended, with the Brazilian again threatening with a guillotine and, at the base, he ended up delivering an illegal knee, while his opponent was on all fours.

As soon as the fight resumed, Darrion Caldwell still had time to attack the takedown, but had to protect himself from the guillotine applied by Leandro Higo. Despite not taking the position, the Brazilian made the transition and continued on the back. In the last seconds, the North American exploded and fell on top.

Maycon Mendonça is surpassed by Jaleel Willis and debuts with defeat in Bellator

It didn't work for Maycon Mendonça. The Brazilian, who made his Bellator debut, faced Jaleel Willis on the main card of edition No. 259. In the fight, he suffered from hard falls from his opponent during the rounds and was defeated by unanimous decision from the judges (29-28, 30 -27, 29-28).

The first attacks of the fight were made by Maycon Mendonça. With low kicks, he reached Jaleel Willis, who preferred not to 'pay attention' and soon took the game to the ground. On top, the North American didn't even make progress in his attempts and saw the Brazilian get up. Still, he insisted on the grip on two other occasions, but it was ineffective.

Maycon Mendonça's strategy in the second round was to bet on his size advantage. Keeping his distance, the Brazilian delivered a straight shot to his opponent's face, but suffered a combination of jab and straight shot from Jaleel Willis. Based on muay-thai, Mendonça invested in the infamous calf kicks to inhibit the North American's movement. In an attempt to make it shorter, however, he was taken down again by Willis, who continued scoring on top until the end of the fight.

Finally, the Brazilian made his first attempts with low kicks again. However, on two occasions, he hit the American's genitals and was warned by the referee. As soon as the fight resumed, Maycon Mendonça crossed with a reverse elbow, but Jaleel Willis had the cleverness to take him down. At a disadvantage, the Rio native managed to free himself and continued chasing his opponent – ​​including with a flying knee. On the other hand, Willis 'knew how to suffer' and continued to counterattack until the end of the fight.

The victory made Jaleel Willis record his sixth career win in a row – his second in Bellator. Now, the North American has a record of 16 triumphs and two setbacks.

Maycon Mendonça ends his streak of five consecutive victories and suffers a setback in his debut with the organization. He has a record of 11 positive results and four negative results.

Hanna Guy defeats Valeire Loureda in unanimous decision of the judges

In a fight that opened the main card of the Bellator 259, Hanna Guy and Valeire Loureda faced each other in the women's flyweight division (up to 56,7kg.). In a duel that marked his debut for the organization, Guy was superior to his opponent and won by unanimous decision from the judges (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

The fight started with a lot of action between the combatants, with Hanna Guy trying to take him down in the opening seconds of the fight. Soon after, however, Valeire Loureda landed a beautiful left cross that hit her opponent squarely. The payback was given when Guy went down and got an armbar. She tried to adjust her game, but saw Loureda recover and get out of position.

On the way back, Hanna Guy cornered Valeire Loureda, but suffered the reversal. Quickly, however, she managed to reverse the game and calmly moved to mount. Even though she was bleeding, the American stabilized her position and threw hard punches. Guy tried another armbar, but saw Loureda survive again.

In the last and decisive round, Guy fell on bottom and even risked the guillotine, but was unable to get the position. Standing, she attacked the clinch footprints next to the fence and even threw knees at the waist. Appearing to be exhausted, Loureda was not even able to apply other blows without being hit. The final stretch was marked, once again, by another fall from Hanna, who continued 'crushing' her opponent until the bell sounded.

With the result, Hanna Guy enters Bellator on the right foot and scores her third career victory. She has also lost once. On the other hand, Valerie Loureda feels the bitter taste of her first career setback. Previously, she managed to win on three occasions.

In complete dominance, Austin Vanderford triumphs against Fabian Edwards and remains undefeated in his career

In a fight valid for the middleweight division (up to 83,9kg.), Austin vanderford showed superiority in the Wrestling game to win Fabian Edwards in the three rounds (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The duel was also marked by a 'bloodbath' from the North American in the final seconds of the duel.

Right at the beginning of the fight, Austin vanderford scored a takedown and managed to control much of the round. On the other hand, Fabian Edwards managed to recover and returned to the duel on the feet, but had a disadvantage in striking. Meanwhile, Austin continued to be superior and, again, managed to take him down, finishing on top.

In the following rounds, Vanderford once again showed superiority. He combined a jab and straight, in addition to delivering a high kick. Still with the advantage, the fighter managed to take down once again. 'Mr. VanZant' continued to progress and combine hard ground and pound strikes. In the final stretch, Fabian Edwards managed to land an elbow from below that opened his opponent's forehead and left him bloodied. However, the fight was already in its last seconds and was stopped only at the end of the round.

Ex-UFC husband paige vanzant, Austin vanderford remains undefeated in his career. In total, there are 12 victories and no defeats. Fabian Edwards, Leon's brother, suffered his second setback in a row. The Englishman also has nine triumphs.

Bellator 259 RESULTS

MAIN CARD

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Chris Cyborg x Leslie Smith – Fight for the belt

Bantam weight (up to 61,2kg): Leandro Higo defeated Darrion Caldwell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Average weight (up to 93kg): Austin vanderford derrotou Fabian Edwards in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Welterweight (up to 77kg.) Jaleel Willis defeated Maycon Mendonça in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Hannah Guy defeated Valerie Loureda by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Saad Awad defeated Nate Andrews by knockout at 3:16 of R1

Light heavyweight (up to 93kg): Grant Neal submitted Tyree Fortune with a rear naked choke at 4m20s of R1

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Sumiko Inaba defeated Kristina Katsikis by technical knockout at 3:35 of R3

Lightweight (up to 70,3kg): Aviv Gozali submitted Sean Felton with a leg lock 1m17s into R1

Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Davion Franklin defeated Tyler King by knockout at 2:02 of R1

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Leah McCourt submitted Janay Harding with a triangle at 2m42s of R2

Bantamweight (up to 61,2kg): Danny Sabatello defeated Brett johns in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Lightweight (up to 70,3kg): Alexander Shabliy defeated Alfie Davis in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)