Bellator’s return has finally approached, with the American MMA promotion returning on Friday night with a seven-fight card from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. Headlining the card is bantamweights Sergio Pettis and Ricky Bandejas. Follow this article along throughout the night for live updates.
The article has the latest update at the top of the feed below.
Click here to read a full preview of the card.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (8:45PM EDT) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Ras Hylton def. Rudy Schaffroth via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Raufeon Stots def. Cass Bell via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 1:24)
Bout 3: Mark Lemminger def. Jake Smith via TKO, Punches (RD 2, 4:46)
Main Card (10:00PM EDT) (Paramount Network)
Bout 4: Aaron Pico def. Solo Hatley Jr. via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:10)
Bout 5: Jay Jay Wilson def. Tywan Claxton via Decision, Split
Bout 6: Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Sergio Pettis def. Ricky Bandejas via Decision, Unanimous
Live Coverage:
Bout 7: Sergio Pettis (19-5) vs. Ricky Bandejas (13-3) (Bantamweight)
Pettis Earns Scorecard Victory Over Bandejas
In the main event of Bellator 242, Sergio Pettis won a unanimous decision over Ricky Bandejas. Apart from two takedowns in the fight, Pettis was able to out-strike Bandejas through 15 minutes.
The win was the second for Pettis since joining Bellator, with his debut in January being a guillotine win over Alfred Khashakyan. Pettis is now on a three-fight winning streak.
Bandejas had his two-fight streak of wins broken, which were both stoppage wins in Bellator.
Pettis versus Bandejas play-by-play.
Bout 6: Jordan Mein (31-12) vs. Jason Jackson (11-4) (Welterweight)
Mein Gets Swept By Jackson In Bellator Debut
Jordan Mein had a rough return to MMA, losing a one-sided fight on the scorecards to Jason Jackson. The fight was Mein’s first in Bellator, with his two previous bouts from 2018 being in the UFC.
Jackson was the better striker throughout, even dropping Mein in the final round for a moment. Part of his success was his ability to stop takedowns.
The fight was the second Bellator win for Jackson, as he defeated Kiichi Kunimoto in his December appearance.
Jackson versus Mein play-by-play.
Bout 5: Tywan Claxton (6-1) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (5-0) (Featherweight)
Wilson Earns Split Decision Over Wilson
Remaining undefeated, Jay Jay Wilson picked up a split decision win over Tywan Claxton. The fight saw differing scorecards, with a judge each giving all three rounds to a fighter.
Wilson’s win was the first time he went all 15 minutes, having his best moments when he tried for submissions on the ground.
Claxton was most successful in the second and third rounds, where he pressed Wilson against the cage. He would leave a clinch for a moment, landing a strike before returning to the position.
Wilson got his fifth fight in Bellator, with his previous fight being a win in January against Mario Navarro.
Wilson versus Claxton play-by-play.
Bout 4: Aaron Pico (5-3) vs. Solo Hatley Jr. (8-2) (Featherweight)
Pico Gets First Submission Win
Getting his first submission win, Aaron Pico submitted Solo Hatley Jr. in the first round with a rear naked choke. The finish came after Pico landed a series of strikes on the ground, switching positions often.
The win was Pico’s second consecutive win, having stopped Daniel Carey in a January bout.
“I owe it to my coaches … Greg Jackson’s really slowed things down for me,” said Pico in his post-fight interview, talking about how he has changed his style of fighting.
Hatley Jr. was not in the cage for the official decision after the fight.
Hatley Jr.’s previous fight was his Bellator debut, defeating Gaston Bolanos via split decision.
Pico versus Hatley Jr. play-by-play.
Bout 3: Jake Smith (7-3) vs. Mark Lemminger (10-1) (Welterweight)
Lemminger Wins Bellator Debut
Finishing off the prelims, Mark Lemminger had a successful Bellator debut against Jake Smith. The finish in the second round mirrored the end of the first round, as Lemminger continued with punches on the ground until the referee stepped in.
The fight was a short notice appearance for Smith, who replaced Logan Storley who pulled out due to injury.
Lemminger had a three-fight streak of wins leading up to the fight on Friday including one in regional promotion LFA.
Lemminger versus Smith play-by-play.
Bout 2: Raufeon Stots (13-1) vs. Cass Bell (5-0) (Bantamweight)
Stots Takes Bell’s Undefeated Record
Taking the undefeated record of Cass Bell, Raufeon Stots won his fight in the third round with a rear naked choke. The choke came after two successful previous rounds that showed high level grappling from both fighters.
The win was Stots’ second in Bellator, with his promotional debut being a win last December versus Cheyden Leialoha.
Bell’s five previous fights all came in Bellator and were all wins. This matchup was his first against a fighter who had double digits of wins.
Stots versus Bell play-by-play.
Bout 1: Rudy Schaffroth (6-1) vs. Ras Hylton (5-4) (Heavyweight)
Hylton Scores Upset Win Over Schaffroth
Taking a fight on three-days notice proved to be a smart choice for Ras Hylton, who got a unanimous decision win over Rudy Schaffroth. Hylton replaced Steve Mowry, who was taken off of the card due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Cardio became a clear issue for Schaffroth, who was engaging less and moving slower in the later rounds. The amount of strikes from Hylton on the feet and ground gave him the edge in the rounds he won.
Schaffroth’s best round was his first, scoring a two-punch knockdown against Hylton.
The fight was the second-straight loss for Schaffroth in Bellator, who lost to Tyrell Fortune just under a year ago.
Hylton bounced back from a loss in February in a regional MMA promotion. The win was his first in Bellator.
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