Bellator 149 results: Emmanuel Sanchez surges past tough Daniel Pineda

Emmanuel Sanchez

HOUSTON – Early on their fight, Daniel Pineda fought Emmanuel Sanchez like he had endless energy and options to finish the fight.

By the time the third round came and Sanchez (13-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) was still around, Pineda (21-12 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) found out otherwise, losing the scramble for momentum to fall short on two of three judges’ scorecards.

The 150-pound catchweight bout took place on the Spike broadcast main card from Toyota Center in Houston following preliminary bouts on MMAjunkie.

The final scores were 29-28 and 29-27 for Sanchez while one judge dissented for Pineda. UFC vet Pineda remains winless in the Bellator cage while Sanchez has now won three straight.

Pineda kept Sanchez on his heels early in the fight, advancing briefly to back mount and outworking the younger fighter on the mat. Emboldened by his early success, Pineda attempted high-risk techniques in the second frame, launching a spinning elbow and capoeira-style kick that wound up handing Sanchez top position.

Sanchez made the most of his opportunities, landing heavy hammerfists to mark up Pineda’s right eye. Between rounds, it appeared Pineda’s risks had caught up to his body, with the cageside doctor checking his right foot.

Pineda attempted to go back to basics in the third round by taking Sanchez to the mat but was reversed in scrambles and forced to slug it out. Sanchez turned up the tempo and damaged the veteran with flurries that backed him to the cage. In a last mad dash, Pineda threw a spinning wheel kick and wound up on bottom, allowing Sanchez to advance position and finish on top.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 149 results include:

• Emmanuel Sanchez def. Daniel Pineda via split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28)
• Isaac Villanueva def. Richard Knepp via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:42
• Jeremy Mahon def. Davis Sylvester via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:22
• Adrian Yanez def. Ryan Hollis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jason Langellier def. Anthony Ivy via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 2:09
• Justin Wren def. Juan Torres via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Mike Trinh def. Angel Zamora via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:49
• C.J. Hancock def. Ruben Esparsa submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:26
• Manny Lozoya def. Jacob Norsworthy via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:33

For more on Bellator 149, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.