Former Bellator champion Andrey Koreshkov made a triumphant return to competition on Friday when he defeated Chidi Njokuani in Bellator 181’s headliner at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.
Koreshkov (20-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) stepped back in the cage after losing the Bellator welterweight title in his previous bout when he earned a first-round TKO of Njokuani (17-5 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in the Spike-televised contest. Prelims streamed on MMAjunkie.
For all the numbers to come out of Bellator’s latest event, check below for 20 post-event facts.
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Betting favorites went 2-1 on the main card. One fight had even odds.
Betting favorites improved to 9-3 (with one at even odds) in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the four-bout main card was 45:10.
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Koreshkov’s 11 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with champion Douglas Lima for most in divisional history.
Koreshkov has earned 14 of his 20 career victories by stoppage.
Koreshkov has earned all of his Bellator stoppage victories by knockout.
Koreshkov’s six stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Michael Page for second most in divisional history behind Lima (seven).
Njokuani had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for his first defeat since March 2013.
Njokuani has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.
Njokuani suffered his first knockout loss since Aug. 20, 2011 – a span of 2,197 days and 15 fights.
Brennan Ward (14-6 MMA, 9-6 BMMA) fell to 4-3 since he dropped to the Bellator welterweight division in February 2015.
Ward has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.
All 15 of Ward’s Bellator fights have ended in a stoppage.
Bruna Ellen (4-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has earned both of her Bellator victories by decision.
Ellen has earned three of her four career victories by decision.
Veta Arteaga (3-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has suffered both of her career losses by decision.
A.J. McKee’s (9-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) nine-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.
McKee’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.
McKee’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Blair Tugman (10-7 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) fell to 2-1 since he moved up to the Bellator featherweight division in November 2016.
For complete coverage of Bellator 182, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
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