Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas dismantled Marcos Galvao to regain the Bellator bantamweight championship on Friday night in Fresno, California.
Dantas scored a dominating unanimous-decision victory with a vastly superior stand-up attack, and Galvao had no answer. Here's the official scores from the judges: (50-43, 50-44, 50-45)
The rout started early when Dantas battered Galvao with leg kicks and a stiff jab. The 27-year-old Brazilian would punish his 33-year-old countryman on almost every part of his body over the course of the 25-minute bout.
In the second, the jab continued to be a major factor, but Dantas began to follow up with hard right hands. Galvao's face was breaking up and his right eye began to swell.
With the onslaught persisting through the third and fourth frames, it appeared as if Galvao's corner might stop the bout, but they didn't.
Galvao came out for the last round and survived, but he was a beaten man both physically and mentally. You'll be hard pressed to find a more complete blowout without a stoppage in any championship fight.
This was the second time Galvao had faced Dantas. Their first meeting ended in a loss as well back in February 2013, but that one was a KO defeat. Galvao had won four fights in a row—including defeating Joe Warren for the title in March 2015.
This was his first defense, but Dantas clearly has his number.
After the bout, per Bellator on Twitter, Dantas was a happy man having regained his belt:
Goals. #Bellator156 @DuduDantasMMA pic.twitter.com/O3ShTGcuDH
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 18, 2016
Next up for Dantas is a defense against the winner of the Darrion Caldwell and Joe Taimanglo bout at Bellator 159 on July 22. If Caldwell wins—as expected—he and Dantas come create a classic bout in Bellator's 135-pound division.
Here's a look at all of the results from the prelims (non-televised on Spike TV) and the rest of the main card.
Main Card Results
- Chidi Njokuani def. Thiago Jambo via KO (Body Kick and Punches) R3 2:39
- John Salter def. Brandon Halsey via Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 4:03
- Chris Honeycutt def. Mikkel Parlo via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) R3 5:00
Preliminary Results
- Jermaine McDermott (3-0) defeated Blake Watkins (5-1) via TKO at :20 of round one
- Paul Ruiz (7-3) defeated Chris Buron (5-1) via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
- Javy Ayala (9-5) defeated Roy Boughton (14-8) via TKO at 3:02 of round one
- Nick Bustamante (4-1) defeated Antoine Smith (2-6-1) via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Jose Cabezas (6-8) defeated John Paul Elias (3-1) via knockout at :25 of round one
- Chris Lewis (1-0) defeated Myron Smith (2-3) via TKO at 4:48 of round one
- Luis Jauregui (4-2) defeated Ryan Tobar (3-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ben Reiter (17-1-1) defeated A.J. Matthews (8-5) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Carrington Banks (5-0) defeated C.J. Keith (8-4) via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)
Njokuani Manhandles Jambo
Chidi Njokuani enjoyed a four-inch height advantage over Thiago Jambo, and he used every inch of it to earn the stoppage victory in the co-main event.
With fast hands and well-placed kicks, Njokuani was able to keep Jambo at bay. He punished him every time he attempted to close the distance and finally looked like the talented fighter many in the MMA community know him to be.
Jambo was no match for Njokuani's length and sophisticated striking game. A body kick and follow-up punches brought matters to a halt in third round.
When it was over, Njokuani was asked who he wanted to face next at 170 pounds, and he said "anyone can get it."
He's been known to turn in some listless performances, but this wasn't one of them. If he fights the way he did on Friday night, he could give just about any welterweight in Bellator a tough night.
Salter Chokes out Halsey
It might be time for Brandon "The Bull" Halsey to push the panic button. The former Bellator middleweight champion lost his second straight fight on Friday when he was forced to submit to a triangle choke from John Salter in the first round.
Halsey has shown himself to be a dominant wrestler, but the other aspects of his game have been lacking. He displayed some improved striking techniques, but it was obvious his submission defense is still a work in progress.
Salter was allowed to transition to the choke too easily, and quite honestly, Halsey should have been more cautious of going to the ground.
Every one of Salter's wins has come by submission. Tactical areas led to yet another defeat for the Bull.
Honeycutt Takes Care of Parlo
Patience and improved striking were the two biggest factors in Chris Honeycutt's win over Mikkel Parlo. Honeycutt was fighting in front of his hometown fans, so one might have expected him to come out too aggressive.
After all, that has been a problem for him in the past.
Instead, he picked his spots and used his superior athleticism to win an easy unanimous decision. Surprisingly, Honeycutt did the better work in stand-up exchanges and never really had to fall back on his noted wrestling skills.
Parlo's striking is well respected, so it was impressive to see Honeycutt more than hold his own in this area of the fight.
Honeycutt may not be quite ready for champion Rafael Carvalho, but he's moving in the right direction in Bellator's middleweight divison.
