Bellator will resume their “Featherweight Grand Prix” on Thursday night, presenting two quarterfinal fights in the tournament at Bellator 252. Follow along throughout the evening for updates on the card, which is scheduled to happen at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA.
A preview of the card can be viewed here.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EST) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Trevor Gudde def. Khonry Gracie via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:28)
Bout 2: Roman Faraldo def. Pat Casey via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:30)
Bout 3: Lucas Brennan def. Andrew Salas via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Jornel Lugo def. Schyler Sootho via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Manny Muro def. Devin Powell via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Keri Melendez def. Emilee King via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:02)
Bout 7: Aaron Pico def. John de Jesus via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:12)
Main Card (7:00PM EST) (CBS Sports Network)
Bout 9: Yaroslav Amosov def. Logan Storley Decision, Split
Live Coverage:
Bout 10: Patricio Pitbull (30-4) vs. Pedro Carvalho (11-3) (Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal)
Pitbull Stops Carvalho Within A Minute To Defend Belt
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull defended his belt in the main event, stopping Pedro Carvalho within a round with punches. The win moved him into the semifinals of the Featherweight Grand Prix.
Pitbull was hurting Carvalho with strikes throughout the round, dropping him with a two-punch combo in the third minute to stop the fight.
The win was Pitbull’s fifth defence of his 145-pound title. With the win, he is set to fight Emmanuel Sanchez in the next round of the tournament.
Carvalho was undefeated in his four-fight Bellator run prior to the loss on Thursday.
Pitbull versus Carvalho play-by-play.
Bout 9: Yaroslav Amosov (24-0) vs. Logan Storley (11-0) (Welterweight)
Amosov Wins Split Decision To Defeat Storley
The co-main event of the evening saw Yaroslav Amosov take the undefeated record of Logan Storley with a split decision performance.
With strong striking and his ability to land takedowns, Amosov had success in the fight. While Storley landed many takedowns in the fight, Amosov was almost always quick to spring back up to the feet.
Storley’s best moment was late in the fight, where he looked for a rear naked choke on Amosov.
Amosov is still undefeated after 25 fights as a pro. Of those fights, six have come within Bellator.
Storley had 11-straight wins as a pro prior to his loss on Thursday.
Amosov versus Storley play-by-play.
Bout 8: Daniel Weichel (40-11) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4) (Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal)
Sanchez Controls Weichel To Advance To GP Semifinals
Emmanuel Sanchez moved on to the semifinals of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix to start the main card, winning a decision over Daniel Weichel after five rounds of action.
Sanchez had a crucial moment in the second round, hurting Weichel with a body shot. Dropping Weichel with strikes, Sanchez nearly finished the fight with strikes.
Sanchez was able to control the fight with strikes through the final three rounds.
Sanchez won in the first round of the tournament in 2019, defeating Tywan Claxton via triangle choke in the second round.
Sanchez versus Weichel play-by-play.
Bout 7: Aaron Pico (6-3) vs. John de Jesus (13-8) (Featherweight)
Pico Earns Third Win of 2020, Earns Stoppage Win In Longest Fight Yet
Aaron Pico finished the prelims with an explosive win, dropping John de Jesus with an overhand right in the second round, causing the fight to be stopped shortly after.
Pico showcased his ability on the ground in the fight, taking de Jesus down numerous times and being able to score with ground and pound.
Pico got in the face of de Jesus and his corner after the win, although he apologized after tensions cooled down.
“That’s not my character to do that,” said Pico in his post-fight interview.
Known for quick finishes, Thursday’s fight was the longest of Pico’s career so far. It was his third win of the year, with previous victories coming against Daniel Carey and Solo Hatley Jr.
De Jesus won his Bellator debut in August, defeating Vladyslav Parubchenko via decision.
Pico versus de Jesus play-by-play.
Bout 6: Keri Melendez (4-0) vs. Emilee King (4-3) (Strawweight)
Melendez Stops King With First-Round Choke
Keri Melendez picked up her fifth win as a pro on the prelims, landing a series of strikes that allowed her to put in a rear naked choke to defeat Emilee King in the first round.
After hurting King with shots to the body before, Melendez landed a knee to the body that dropped King during the opening round. She then took the back of King, putting in a rear naked choke that stopped the fight.
Melendez has won her five previous fights in Bellator as well. The previous fight was a year ago, defeating Mandy Polk via decision.
King won her Bellator debut in January, defeating former boxer Ava KNight via rear naked choke.
Melendez versus King play-by-play.
Bout 5: Devin Powell (10-4) vs. Manny Muro (11-6) (Lightweight)
Powell Retires Following Loss To Muro
Manny Muro was successful in his second Bellator fight, picking up a decision win against Devin Powell on the prelims. Powell announced retirement after the loss, putting his gloves on the floor. He shared an emotional moment with Muro after the fight.
Powell, a former UFC fighter, made his Bellator debut in 2019 by defeating Marcus Surin. He fought 15 times as a pro in total.
Muro won via decision after a strong performance that included solid striking and takedowns.
Muro’s previous win was in October of 2019, defeating Nick Newell via split decision.
Powell versus Muro play-by-play.
Bout 4: Jornel Lugo (4-0) vs. Schyler Sootho (4-0) (Bantamweight)
Lugo Takes Undefeated Record of Sootho With Decision Win
Jornel Lugo remained undefeated on the prelims, defeating Schyler Sootho via decision after three rounds. The fight saw Lugo have his best moments against Sootho by pressuring him with clinching and takedowns.
Lugo competed in Bellator once before, defeating John Douma in 2019. He has since won once more on the regional scene, defeating Cortavious Romious.
The fight saw Sootho’s first loss as a pro through five fights.
Lugo versus Sootho play-by-play.
Bout 3: Lucas Brennan (3-0) vs. Andrew Salas (6-4) (Featherweight)
Brennan Earns First Decision Win, Controls Salas For 15 Minutes
Lucas Brennan had a dominating grappling performance on the prelims, defeating Andrew Salas via decision after three rounds. The fight saw Brennan dictate the fight on the floor.
The fight was Brennan’s fourth win as a pro and his first via decision. His three previous wins, all in Bellator, were finish victories. He last fought in August, defeating Will Smith.
Brennan missed weight for the fight, coming in two pounds over the non-championship featherweight limit.
Salas’ previous fight was a loss to Mike Gonzalez on a Ring of Combat card.
Brennan versus Salas play-by-play.
Bout 2: Roman Faraldo (3-0) vs. Pat Casey (6-3) (Welterweight)
Faraldo Wins Bellator Debut With Flying Knee
A strong striking performance from Roman Faraldo came to a close in the second round, dropping Pat Casey with a flying knee to end the fight. The win was Faraldo’s Bellator debut after three wins on the regional scene.
Faraldo scored a knockdown at the end of the first round as well, dropping Casey with a left hand only seconds before the round ran out of time.
Casey has now lost three-straight fights. His previous appearance was in September, dropping a split decision to Daniel Madrid at Bellator 246.
Faraldo versus Casey play-by-play.
Bout 1: Khonry Gracie (2-1) vs. Trevor Gudde (1-1) (Welterweight)
Gudde Wins Bellator Debut, Hands Gracie Loss
Trevor Gudde won his Bellator debut on the prelims, dropping Khonry Gracie in the third round with a knee to the head. Gudde won the fight moments after the knee, putting together ground and pound that caused the referee to step in.
Gudde had a competitive fight before the stoppage, controlling Gracie with clinches often.
Gracie scored one takedown in the fight, landing it in the latter half of the second round.
Gudde’s previous fight was his first win as a pro, defeating Montoyia Swilling, who came into the bout after 14-straight losses.
The fight ended a two-fight win streak for Gracie.
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