Check out the results and video from Bellator 166 including Eduardo Dantas retaining his Bellator bantamweight title in his rematch with Joe Warren.
Bellator 166 finished in style as Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas exacted his revenge, and defended his title, with a somewhat peculiar majority decision victory over former bantamweight king Joe Warren. The co-main event on the evening saw featherweight prospect A.J. McKee in a tumultuous situation against Ray Wood, and successfully overcome the particular predicament.
Main Card:
Eduardo Dantas def. Joe Warren via Majority Decision (47-47, 49-44, 48-46)
Eduardo Dantas started his rematch with Joe Warren by aggressively establishing his jab early and using it rather often. Warren struggled to close the distance against Dantas due to not only the disruptive jab but his active footwork as well.
Eduardo Dantas started to work his leg kicks off of his punching combinations which seemed to really take a toll on the 40 year old legs of Joe Warren. Despite the damage sustained from eating constant jabs to the face and unsuspecting kicks to his legs, Joe Warren continued to press forward.
Joe Warren came running right at Eduardo Dantas to start the final round. A couple fouls occurred during the fight, which prompted a couple halts in the action, but one such low blow in the fifth round resulted in the referee deducting a point from Eduardo Dantas.
Once the action resumed, Joe Warren managed to lockdown “Dudu” Dantas against the fence but was unable to score any significant damage from the position. Despite the late surge from Joe Warren, and losing a point in the fifth, Eduardo Dantas did enough to receive the nod from 2 out of the 3 judges and retain his title.
Check out the story of the night from Eduardo Dantas vs. Joe Warren 2:
Welcome to “Jab 101” #Bellator166 NOW on @spike! pic.twitter.com/UT9fYUtpzj
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 3, 2016
Beautiful combinations in the first round by @dududantasmma! #Bellator166 pic.twitter.com/RGJtbCsigg
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 3, 2016
A.J. McKee def. Ray Wood via Unanimous Decision (29-27, 30-29, 30-27)
A.J. McKee had to overcome early adversity en route to keeping his undefeated record intact. Ray Wood connected with his shin off of a jump knee that seemed to stun A.J. McKee. Wood instantly jumped on a Guillotine to which McKee responded by pressing his oppressor against the cage, and securing a takedown.
McKee found success with multiple takedowns and successfully planted Ray Wood multiple times throughout. While on the ground, McKee was able to maintain top pressure while launching numerous ground blows to Wood’s body and head. Ray Wood spent a fat chunk of the third round on his back, or with his back taken. A.J. McKee’s output only increased deep into the third as he was able to maintain the dominant position while continuing to land strikes.
Watch A.J. McKee put Ray Wood on his back in style:
Trademark #McKee Wrestling on display! #Bellator166 NOW on @spike @AJMcKeeJr pic.twitter.com/6ApimAnOsC
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 3, 2016
Marcos Galvao def. L.C. Davis via Split Decision (29-28 Davis, 29-28 Galvao, 29-28 Galvao)
The former Bellator bantamweight champion Marcos Galvao earned a split decision victory over L.C. Davis in a back-and-forth affair. Galvao started strong against Davis as he was able to secure several takedowns. A lot of jockeying for position took place from the over-under position as reversals were commonplace throughout each round.
Marcos Galvao appeared to slow down a bit heading into the third round as L.C. Davis looked to pick up the pace. Davis marched forward connecting with straight punches to the face of the former champion. Galvao was able to grab a hold Davis as they grappled on their feet against the cage. Davis was able to score some late body shots from the clinch but it was too little too late as only 1 judge saw the bout in his favor.
Chris Honeycutt def. Ben Reiter via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-25 x2)
NCAA All American Chris Honeycutt outclassed Ben Reiter to earn himself a unanimous decision victory involving multiple 10-8 rounds. Honeycutt was able to secure a couple of takedowns over the course of 3 rounds, but Reiter was able to return to his feet on multiple occasions as well.
Although Reiter was able to get back to his feet, he was unable to produce any offense to fend off the more aggressive Honeycutt. Chris Honeycutt was throwing some wild strikes; however, Ben Reiter kept his distance and found himself spectating instead of returning fire. The fight ended with Chris Honeycutt on Ben Reiter’s back scoring with punches.After putting on a complete performance against a physically strong middleweight, what will be next for Chris Honeycutt?
Check out Chris Honeycutt’s brutal combo on Ben Reiter:
Bunches of punches courtesy of @ChrisTheCutt! #Bellator166 NOW on @spike! pic.twitter.com/Eh6zL6UwWR
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 3, 2016
Preliminary Card results (via MMA Fighting)
Derrick Adkins def. Chris Jones via submission (D’arce choke) (Round 2, 4:09)Gregory Babene def. Emiliano Sordi via submission (guillotine) (1st, 3:11)Kinny Spotwood def. John King via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)Treston Thomison def. Dawond Pickney via submission (arm bar) (Round 1, 0:51)