With just twenty seconds left in the five round championship main event at Bellator 112, Pat Curran regained his featherweight strap when he forced Daniel Straus to submit with a rear-naked choke.
The finish was necessary for the first ever Bellator fighter to hold the featherweight strap multiple times, as the first four rounds in the fight played out to close to comfort for Curran. Each round was back-and-forth on the feet, on the ground, and in the clinch, with each fighter landed their fair share of hard shots and submission attempts.
For the fifth time, Curran (20-5) was able to rebound with a victory following a loss and Straus (22-5) was impressive in defeat and is deserving of a re-match, but it was announced on the broadcast that Curran’s next title defense would be against Patricio Freire, a season nine tournament winner.
Koreshkov puts Burrell away early
Andrey Koreshkov stamped his ticket into the next round of the welterweight tournament by knocking Nah-Shon Burrell down with a heavy body kick and then finishing him off with ground strikes in the beginning portion of the first frame.
It’s been over a year since Andrey Koreshkov last won in the Bellator cage, but he did a stellar job of reminding viewers of his lethal striking.
For the ninth time in his career, Koreshkov (15-1) won a fight via KO or TKO, and Burrell (10-4, 1 NC) was finished by that fashion for just the second time as a professional.
Oropeza knocks Souza out in the first
Sam Oropeza is headed to the semifinals of this season’s welterweight tournament after he knocked out Cristiano Souza in the first with a right hook.
Souza’s legs immediately gave out after he was tagged by the right, and Oropeza added a couple of more punches to the temple until referee Rob Madrigal halted the contest.
Oropeza (11-2) has finished his opponents in all eleven of his professional victories. With the loss, Souza’s (7-1) record suffered it’s first blemish.
McDonough out-grapples Juarez to win decision
In what played out as a back-and-forth grappling match, Adam McDonough was able to get the better of Jesse Juarez in the latter two rounds of their welterweight tournament bout to earn a unanimous decision victory.
McDonough spent the majority of rounds two and three defending Jesse Juarez’s takedowns and controlling him from a positional standpoint. Adam McDonough was also active on the ground from a striking standpoint, landing 89% of his total strikes when the fight played out there.
McDonough (10-0), who came into the fight as a slight underdog, won a fight via decision for just the second time. The loss snaps Juarez’s (21-9) recent stretch of four victories.
Coy tops Bradley on the scorecards
Nathan Coy advanced to the semifinals of the season ten welterweight tournament by winning a unanimous decision over Paul Bradley.
Coy, a southpaw striker, used his reach to command the stand-up battle between both fighters. In all three rounds, Coy was able to consistently find a home for his jab, land his stiff straight left, and defend Bradley’s attacks with proper movement.
It was a big opportunity for Nathan Coy (14-4), who extends his win streak to six. His fight with Paul Bradley (21-6, 1 NC) was originally supposed to be a tournament reserve bout, but it was upgraded after War Machine, Joe Riggs, and Mark Scanlon pulled out of the bracket last week.
Caldwell impresses in his debut
NCAA Champion wrestler Darrion Caldwell made a statement in his Bellator debut, submitting Lance Surma with a guillotine choke in under a minute.
Caldwell rocked Surma with a flying knee to start and then began to work for the fight-ending submission once Surma attempted a takedown. After tinkering with the choke, Caldwell was able to elicit a tap.
Caldwell (4-0) remains unbeaten and won by submission for the first time in his career, while Lance Surma (2-1) faced his first defeat as a professional fighter.
The complete Bellator 112 results are below.
Main Card: (Spike TV)
Pat Curran def. Daniel Straus via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 5, 4:46
Andrey Koreshkov def. Nah-Shon Burrell via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, :41
Sam Oropeza def. Cristiano Souza KO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:07
Adam McDonough def. Jesse Juarez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card: (Spike.com)
Diego Marlon def. Lloyd Carter via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:10
Nathan Coy def. Paul Bradley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Belal Muhammed def. A.J. Matthews via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Darrion Caldwell def. Lance Surma via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, :50
Derek Loffer def. Bobby Reardanz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Anthony Gomez def. Jason Guida via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Daniel James def. Erick Correa via submission (strikes) – Round 2, 4:30