(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
It was a night of firsts, as UFC veterans Michael McDonald and Valerie Letourneau made their promotional debuts at Bellator 191 on Friday night in Newcastle, England.
They also each notched their first Bellator victories, both winning hard-fought battles by way of unanimous decision.
“I was happy with the performance. He ate some heavy punches. I hit him hard enough to break my right hand again, so he’s very durable and I expected that from him,” said McDonald. “I think that I have some pretty high accolades for a bantamweight, but I really have no idea how that stacks up to the other guys in my division. We will let this hand heal up and find out soon.”
Following her victory, Letourneau said, “I think experience has taught me to be patient in the fight and to fight smart. You always want to put on a show, but sometimes it can cost you the fight. In my last fight, I didn’t do enough because I was too careful. I wanted to bring all that experience together and make the best of it.”
The promotion is now off for the holidays, returning to action with Bellator 192 on Jan. 20, 2018, in Los Angeles, where Douglas Lima puts his welterweight championship on the line against Rory MacDonald. The card also features Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen in the first quarterfinal bout of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Bellator 191: McDonald vs. Ligier
- Michael McDonald (18-4) defeated Peter Ligier (8-2-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Valerie Letourneau (9-6) defeated Kate Jackson (9-3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mohammad Yahya (4-1) defeated Ash Griffiths (4-5) via TKO at 3:26 of round one
- Philip De Fries (14-6, 1 NC) def. James Thompson (20-17, 1 NC) via submission (guillotine) at 1:33 of round one
- Jeremy Petley (12-8) def. Lewis Monarch (9-3) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
