Patricio Pitbull made his first appearance in the Bellator cage since losing to featherweight champion Pat Curran earlier this year and defeated Jared Downing in the opening bout of the Bellator 97 main card.
The fight opened with Downing coming straight to the center of the cage and began to throw his strikes. Pitbull responded by landing a right hand that stunned downing and the fight went to the ground as Pitbull went for a guillotine choke.
Downing was able to survive the submission attempt and was able to have top position on the ground against the cage. Pitbull worked his way back to his feet and after a lack of action, the referee separated the fighters and the action moved back to the center of the cage.
After striking with each other for 45 seconds, Pitbull attempted to get the fight to the ground but Downing was able to stop the attempt. They went back to exchanging strikes and Pitbull landed a two punch combination that dropped Downing. He would get back to his feet and they clinched against the fence for the reminder of the opening round.
At the start of the second round, Pitbull landed a head kick but Downing continued to come forward. Pitbull continued to land his combinations and stunned Downing on several occasions. After landing a two punch combination and Downing falling to the mat, the referee saw enough and came end to call the fight.
Pitbull (18-2) now has seven career wins by knockout and he has now won four of his last five fights. He will now move into the season nine featherweight tournament which will begin in September and he will face former UFC fighter Diego Nunes in the quarterfinal.
Bellator 97 Results:
Patricio Pitbull def. Jared Downing via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, :54
Bubba Jenkins def. Mike Barreras via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:05
Anthony Leone def. Frank Baca via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:07
Rafael Silva def. Rodrigo Lima via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:03
Will Brooks def. Cris Leyva via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:20