Mansour Barnaoui had an impressive Bellator debut in the main event of Saturday’s card, submitting Adam Piccolotti in the second round to close out a one-sided performance.
Barnaoui’s victory headlined Bellator 287 from the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy.
Barnoui secured a rear naked choke against Piccolotti in the second round after minutes of domination on the ground. He took the back of Piccolotti in both frames, mostly using these positions to land punches and periodically search for a submission.
A tap emerged once Barnaoui applied the rear naked choke in the second round, causing the fight to end.
Barnaoui was entering the Bellator roster with a decorated career as an MMA fighter.
The 30-year-old French talent already had developed a seven-fight winning streak from previous years, with all of those victories coming via finish. He notably dominated the Korean promotion Road FC, where he held a lightweight championship.
Saturday was also Barnaoui’s return to the sport. He was inactive in recent years, with his previous appearance dating back to May 2019.
Piccolotti, a Bellator veteran, was appearing in his first main event for the promotion. He was looking for his second win of the year, coming off a decision victory over Georgi Karakhanyan in February.
Ranked Middleweight Edwards Picks Up Win
Second-ranked Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards added another win to his record in Saturday’s co-main event, going the distance against Charlie Ward to prevail via unanimous decision.
Edwards had the advantage in any position during the fight. He got the best of stand-up exchanges and spent a large portion of the second and third rounds in control on the ground. It was clear by the end of the bout that he would walk away with a decision win.
Edwards felt bad for the performance afterward, apologizing to the live audience for how the fight played out.
Nonetheless, he’s now on a two-fight winning streak. His previous fight saw him earn a first-round finish win against legendary MMA fighter Lyoto Machida.
Ward had a trio of wins in recent years before this fight, including a victory against Alan Carlos from May.
Wilde Earns Close Victory Over Rogers
Tim Wilde picked up the win in an incredibly close fight against Saul Rogers, walking away with a split decision victory after three rounds.
Wilde had to come back from a rough first round to steal the fight via decision.
Rogers gained an advantage early in the bout, using ground control in the opening frame to take a round on scorecards.
Wilde started to make his comeback as the bout returned to the feet in the second and third rounds. He had the better striking in the second round, visibly doing more damage between the two lightweights. While he continued to have the edge in stand-up late, it became a much closer battle in the closing minutes of the bout.
Wilde is currently on a roll in Bellator. Since late 2019, he has picked up three wins and one draw in the promotion.
Rogers was appearing for the first time in over a year. His prior fight was a victory, beating veteran Georgi Karakhanyan via decision in 2021.
Gonzales Out-Lands Fisher For Decision Win
Justin Gonzales cruised toward a unanimous decision victory on Saturday night, showcasing his striking skills against Andrew Fisher.
Gonzales out-landed Fisher on the feet throughout the bout. His high volume of shots gave him a clear lead in the fight, as reflected by the amount of damage that was on Fisher’s face by the end of the fight.
Gonzales has now won three of his four Bellator fights. He bounced back from his sole pro loss earlier this year, overcoming UFC alum Kai Kamaka III in a split decision.
Gonzales is currently eighth in the UFC featherweight division. He said afterward that he wants a fellow ranked fighter across from him the next time he appears.
“Everyone on the rankings is on my hit list,” said Gonzales in his post-fight interview.
Fisher, a veteran, took his first Bellator loss in this fight. He has previously beaten Ashleigh Grimshaw and Attila Korkmaz in the promotion.
The Rest of the Card
Daniele Scatizzi bounced back from a loss this Saturday, working toward a decision victory over Davy Gallon.
Costello van Steenis scored a submission win in his first appearance in over two years, piecing up Kamil Oniszczuk on the feet before earning a darce choke submission in the second round.
Alfie Davis returned to the win column Friday with a clear unanimous decision win against Thibault Gouti. The loss broke a four-fight winning streak that Gouti had, including a previous Bellator fight.
Despite being the significantly less active fighter in a three-round stand-up battle, Chiara Penco walked away with a split decision victory over Manuela Marconetto.
A ground control-heavy performance from Yves Landu earned him a unanimous decision victory against Walter Cogliandro.
Simon Biyong scored his second Bellator win this weekend, cutting Dragos Zubco open with a ground and pound elbow to stop the fight in the second round.
Nicolo Solli picked up a win in front of his home country, sneaking past Bourama Camara in a split decision result.
Luke Trainer bounced back from his sole pro loss on Friday night, securing an early rear naked choke submission against Lucas Alsina.
Steven Hill had nothing short of a dominant showing against Andrea Fusi, controlling him on the ground for almost every second of their three-round bout.
Undefeated Sarvadzhon Khamidov earned his 14th win to open the card, catching veteran Jose Maria Tome in the first round with a body kick to force a finish.
Quick Results
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 10:00PM CEST) (Showtime)
Bout 14: Mansour Barnaoui def. Adam Piccolotti via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 2:51)
Bout 13: Fabian Edwards def. Charlie Ward via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Tim Wilde def. Saul Rogers via Decision, Split
Bout 11: Justin Gonzales def. Andrew Fisher via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (12:30PM EDT / 6:30PM CEST) (Youtube)
Bout 10: Daniele Scatizzi def. Davy Gallon via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Costello van Steenis def. Kamil Oniszczuk via Submission, Darce Choke (RD 2, 3:02)
Bout 8: Alfie Davis def. Thibault Gouti via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Chiara Penco def. Manuela Marconetto via Decision, Split
Bout 6: Yves Landu def. Walter Cogliandro via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Simon Biyong def. Dragos Zubco via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:36)
Bout 4: Nicolo Solli def. Bourama Camara via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Luke Trainer def. Lucas Alsina via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:54)
Bout 2: Steven Hill def. Andrea Fusi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Sarvadzhon Khamidov def. Jose Maria Tome via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:01)
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