Spectacular Eduardo Dantas Choke Submits Anthony Leone in Bellator 111 Main Event
Eduardo Dantas retained his title in spectacular fashion at
Bellator 111.| Photo: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com
Anthony Leone was not the man to dethrone Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas.
In a clear frontrunner for “Submission of the Year,” the gifted Dantas tapped Leone with a sublime second-round rear-naked choke and retained his 135-pound crown in the Bellator 111 main event on Friday at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. A replacement for the injured Rafael Silva, Leone (13-7, 3-4 Bellator) conceded defeat 2:04 into round two.
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The 25-year-old Dantas has won nine of his past 10 bouts.
Semifinal-Bound Johnson Halts Skid
Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce veteran Lavar Johnson took out Ryan Martinez with a left hook behind the ear and follow-up ground strikes in the first round of their Season 10 heavyweight tournament quarterfinal. Johnson (18-8, 1-1 Bellator) drew the curtain 4:22 into round one.
Martinez (10-4, 3-3 Bellator) gained an upper hand inside the first minute, as he moved into clinch range and brought it to the floor with a beautiful lateral drop. From there, he unleashed his ground-and-pound with short but powerful punches and hammerfists.
Johnson weathered the onslaught and created the necessary space to return to an upright position. The 36-year-old Californian then let loose with wild haymakers, backed Martinez into the cage, drove him to the canvas with a left hook and closed it out with unfettered right hands.
Johnson -- who entered the cage on a three-fight losing streak -- has finished all 18 of his victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, 16 of them inside one round.
‘Mighty Mo’ Smothers, Submits Graham
Siala-Mou Siliga submitted Australian kickboxer Peter Graham with a third-round scarf hold in the Season 10 heavyweight tournament quarterfinals. “Mighty Mo” finished it 2:31 into round three, extending his current winning streak to three fights.
Graham (9-7, 1-2 Bellator) controlled much of the first 10 minutes with a barrage of savage kicks to the inside and outside of the Samoan’s lead leg. His movement compromised by the punishment he had absorbed, Siliga (6-2, 3-0 Bellator) countered with a pair of takedowns in the second round, providing a glimpse of what was to come.
In the third, the 43-year-old delivered another takedown, moved to side control and locked down the fight-ending submission.
Volkov Blasts Overmatched Holata
Former champion Alexander Volkov dismissed Mark Holata with close-quarters punches and follow-up ground-and-pound in the first round of their Season 10 heavyweight tournament quarterfinal. Holata (12-5, 3-3 Bellator) wilted 1:21 into round one.
Volkov (20-4, 4-1 Bellator) withstood an early rush from the Oklahoman and settled into the clinch, his back to the cage. There, he uncorked a volley of knee strikes to the body, followed by a series of short lefts that drove Holata to the canvas. Volkov then pounced on his fallen prey, finishing it with unanswered blows from the top. The 25-year-old Russian has won 11 of his last 12 bouts.
Ivanov Outpoints Hale, Moves Into Semifinals
In preliminary action, 2008 combat sambo world champion Blagoi Ivanov (10-0, 5-0 Bellator) captured a unanimous decision over Rich Hale (21-7-1, 6-4 Bellator) in the Season 10 heavyweight tournament quarterfinals, sweeping the cards with 29-28 scores across the board; Cortez Coleman (10-5, 2-2 Bellator) struck Daniel Miller (4-3, 0-1 Bellator) into verbal submission 4:49 into the second round of their middleweight tilt; Javy Ayala (7-3, 2-0 Bellator) forced the cageside physician to call a halt to his heavyweight scrap with Eric Prindle (8-5, 3-4 Bellator) 2:05 into round three; Abdul Razak Alhassan (2-0, 1-0 Bellator) dispatched Matt Jones (4-7, 0-3 Bellator) with punches 1:23 into the first round of their 190-poind catchweight clash; Brent Primus (5-0, 3-0 Bellator) put away Chris Jones (8-3, 2-1 Bellator) with punches 1:45 into round one of their battle at 155 pounds; and Chris Gutierrez (2-1-1, 1-0 Bellator) wiped out Justin McNally (2-2, 2-1 Bellator) with a knee to the body and follow-up punches 2:50 into the first round of their bantamweight affair.
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