Kendall Grove made his debut with Bellator MMA on Friday night and he was able to score a decision victory over Joe Vedepo on the main card of Bellator 104.
The action opened with the fighters swinging away and Vedepo went for a takedown after Grove landed a knee. He was unable to get the fight to the ground and Grove broke away from him.
Grove landed a right hand that hurt Vedepo and he went on the attack. Vedepo was able to use the aggressiveness of Grove to take the fight to the ground. However, Grove was able to lock in a triangle choke from his back and Vedepo used punches to break out of it.
With the triangle choke being unsuccessful, Grove transitioned to an armbar but Vedepo would escape the submission. They would continue to scramble on the mat with Grove ending up in mount position. Vedepo would reverse the position but Grove once again went for a triangle choke. Vedepo would escape the submission attempt and the fight moved into the second round.
Vedepo was able to get the fight to the ground at the beginning of the second round. As Grove was working back to his feet, Vedepo attempted to get his back but it was unsuccessful. The fight would go back to the ground with Grove in top position this time. He would end up in the mount position but Vedepo would get him out of the position.
Grove was able to lock in a guillotine choke but Vedepo would once again escape the submission attempt. The fight would move back to the feet with thirty seconds left in the round and Grove scored a takedown before the round came to an end.
In the final round, Vedepo went for a takedown attempt in the opening thirty seconds of the round but Grove stopped the attempt. He would land multiple knees in the clinch and Vedepo countered by taking the fight to the ground.
While on his back, Grove looked for a submission and was able to get back to his feet. Grove landed several strikes on the feet before taking the fight back to the ground. Vedepo would limit the damage on the ground, get back to his feet and take the fight right back to the ground. The fight would remain on the ground until the final bell sounded and the judges scorecards would decide the winner.
All three judges scored the fight for Grove (19-13) and he has won back to back fights after losing three fights in a row.
Bellator 104 Results:
Kendall Grove def. Joe Vedepo via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Peter Graham def. Eric Prindle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Paul Bradley def. Karl Amoussou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Paul Sass def. Rod Montoya via submission (toe hold) – Round 1, 2:01
Rob Emerson def. Jared Downing via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:44
Brandon Girtz def. Mike Estus via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:25
Cliff Wright Jr. def. Derek Loffer via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:28
Andre Tieva def. Chris Lane via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:14