Daniel Straus finally got it right.
On Friday night in St. Louis, Missouri at Bellator 145, Straus defeated long-time nemesis and reigning featherweight champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47x2). The win earned Straus the title for the second time.
Spike Sports congratulated the new champion:
The NEW @BellatorMMA featherweight champion! #Bellator145 pic.twitter.com/R0Ko9lgqeK
— Spike Sports (@SpikeSports) November 7, 2015
The scorecards showing just a one-point margin were a little questionable. Straus looked to have won the first four rounds with a potential 10-8 frame in the second when he dropped Pitbull with a powerful left hand.
Check it out here:
Straus' length and speed appeared to control the striking sequences in the third and fourth rounds. The counter left hands bounced off Pitbull's resilient skull with regularity, though Straus appeared to hurt his power hand in the waning seconds of the fourth.
In the final round, Straus nearly choked away a certain victory for the second time against Pitbull. Back in January, Straus had beaten Pitbull through almost four rounds before making a tactical mistake.
In the final 10 seconds of the fourth round, Straus gave up his back and allowed Pitbull to rescue his title by submission via rear-naked choke. History almost repeated itself on Friday as Pitbull again took Straus' back—this time with just over two minutes left in the fifth round.
This time Straus would stay composed. He escaped the predicament and slugged it out with his opponent until the final bell. Here's the exciting finish:
When the fight was over, Straus talked about his "broken hand" and the possibility of a fourth fight with Pitbull:
Few would complain about another meeting between the two. The series is officially still 2-1 in favor of Freire, who also beat Straus back in 2011. If these two can continue to put together classic fights like they have the last two times out, Bellator will be all the better for it.
Brooks Beats Held at His Own Game
Marcin Held is one of the most deadly submission artists in the sport of MMA. Because of that, most thought Will Brooks needed to keep the fight standing to retain his Bellator lightweight title. That wasn't the case.
After a first round that saw him nearly submitted with a knee bar, Brooks proceeded to dominate Held on the ground with vicious ground-and-pound and expert-level submission defense.
Brooks had several opportunities to stand up and take advantage of a fatigued Held, but he elected to take him down and pound away through the Pole's guard.
When it was over, we found out that early knee bar from Held did more damage than it appeared. Here's Brooks talking about the injury he suffered that dictated his approach:
Quite honestly, the fact that the champion dominated a submission fighter of Held's ilk on the ground—with an injured knee—makes the win all the more impressive. It's time Brooks makes the climb on everyone's pound-for-pound list.
Here's a look at all of the televised results from Bellator 145.
| Matchups | Weight Class | Result |
| Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Justin Lawrence | Featherweight | Sanchez by split decision (29-28x2, 28-29) |
| James Thompson vs. Bobby Lashley | Heavyweight | Lashley by TKO in first round |
| David Rickels vs. Michael Chandler | Lightweight | Chandler by TKO in second round |
| (c) Will Brooks vs. Marcin Held | Bellator Lightweight Championship | Brooks by decision (50-45, 49-46x2) |
| (c) Patricio "Pitbull" Freire vs. Daniel Straus | Bellator Featherweight Championship | Straus by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47x2) |
Sanchez Wins Close One
After losing the first round, Emmanuel Sanchez needed something to stem the tide in the second frame. He found it just before the bell sounded with a right-leg kick that caught Justin Lawrence square on the chin.
Lawrence crumpled into the cage and was visibly hurt by the shot.
Because the kick landed so close to the end of the round, Sanchez didn't have a chance to finish what he started, but he had clearly taken the momentum. Here's a look at the kick:
In the third and final round, Sanchez resumed the aggression. To Lawrence's credit, he did a good job recovering enough to survive the final round, but the mobility he used to befuddle Sanchez in the first frame was gone.
Sanchez's activity earned him the round, and the fight on two of the three scorecards. When the fight was over, Sanchez paid respect to his opponent in his post-fight interview:
Lashley Collapses the Colossus
Bellator brought out WWE, TNA and Olympic legend Kurt Angle to commentate the Bobby Lashley vs. James "The Colossus" Thompson rematch, but the former gold medalist's services weren't needed for long.
Within the first minute of the fight, Lashley shot for a powerful single-leg takedown that hyperextended Thompson's left knee. The 6'5" giant crumpled as Lashley took top position and proceeded to pound on his injured foe.
A series of unanswered powerful ground-and-pound shots forced the referee to call an end to the fight. Here's a look at the finish:
Lashley wants to move toward a shot at the Bellator heavyweight championship. This was a solid step in that direction. Lashley's win avenged a previous controversial loss to Thompson in 2012.
Chandler Punishes the Caveman
The rematch between David "Caveman" Rickels and Michael Chandler lasted longer the initial bout, but the result was the same. Chandler bloodied Rickels and ultimately stopped him in the second round.
Here's a look at the finish:
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden thought the fight went on longer than it should have:
That beating went on longer than I am comfortable with. #Bellator145
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) November 7, 2015
Rickels showed improvement from the last time the two met in 2013, but in the end, Chandler simply has too many layers to his game. His strikes had more impact, and there was no question coming in that he was the superior wrestler.
After the fight, Chandler had high praise for himself:
With a second straight victory after a three-fight losing streak, Chandler may very well be prepared to make another strong run at the 155-pound title. He's already lost to Brooks twice, so he knows wrestling the title from him won't be easy.
Then again, that didn't stop Straus.
The Announcements
No major Bellator event is complete without at least one big announcement. This time, there were two. The first revealed an eight-man tournament to ring in the new year. It's called New Years Rizin, and King Mo Lawal will represent Bellator in a light heavyweight tournament in Japan.
The card will also feature the return of Fedor Emelianenko and a women's fight pitting former TNA Knockout Lei'D Tapa against Gabi Garcia.
The second announcement was something right out of the backyard and 1993. A double main event on February 19 in Houston will feature a commercially attractive scrap between Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000, and a throwback battle between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie.
I can't believe I typed that, but ESPN.com's Brian Campbell confirmed it with this tweet:
Bellator announces Kimbo Slice-Dada 5000 and Ken Shamrock-Royce Gracie fights on Feb. 19 in Houston.
— Brian Campbell (@BCampbellESPN) November 7, 2015
MMA GIFS said it best:
Ken Shamrock vs Royce Gracie 3 is actually happening... #Bellator145 pic.twitter.com/hVHyw4h2oS
— MMA GIFS (@mma_gifs_) November 7, 2015
Together, the two men are nearly 100 years old (Shamrock 50, Gracie 48), so it's hard to say this is an exciting bout. Some of us will be watching simply to see if something hilarious happens. In any case, it should at least be entertaining on some level.
I guess that's the name of the game.
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