Bellator 181 was held on Friday night and headlined by Derek Campos knocking off Brandon Girtz in a bloody main event that was stopped after the second round due to a cut on Girtz’s forehead.
Campos was seeking revenge for his 37-second knockout loss against Girtz at Bellator 146 in November 2015. That fight did represent a turning point in his career as it was his third defeat in four fights, and he’s since gone on to win four straight matches.
This marked the third fight between Campos and Girtz in their respective careers. Campos now holds a 2-1 advantage, also winning their first matchup at Bellator 96 in June 2013.
Here are the full results from Friday’s Bellator 181 main card:
Lightweight: Derek Campos def. Brandon Girtz via TKO (second round)
Middleweight: John Salter def. Kendall Grove via choke submission (first round)
Bantamweight: Joe Warren def. Steve Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Women’s Flyweight: Emily Ducote def. Jessica Middleton, via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 29-27)
Even though the finish to Campos-Girtz was underwhelming since the doctor stopped it between rounds, the two men more than delivered during their 10 minutes inside the cage.
Both fighters were trading heavy blows back and forth. The big shot was a knee delivered from Campos that caught Girtz square in the head and left a huge cut running down the middle of his forehead that would not stop bleeding.
In the middle of the second round, the referee briefly halted things between the two fighters so the doctor could examine the cut on Girtz’s forehead. The doctor allowed the fight to continue at that point since the cut wasn’t near his eye.
After the fight was called, Campos and Girtz earned high praise from fellow fighters on social media:
The semi-main event was a middleweight showdown in which John Salter submitted Kendall Grove with a rear-naked choke with 23 seconds remaining in the first round.
Salter has been unstoppable since making his Bellator debut in January 2015. The 32-year-old is 4-0 with the promotion, and all four of his victories have come via stoppage, including three straight in the first round.
The MMA Report’s Jason Floyd thinks Salter has done enough to put himself in title contention:
Rafael Carvalho is currently Bellator’s middleweight champion and will reportedly defend the crown against Alessio Sakara in December, per MMA Today’s Nolan King.
Because of Carvalho’s schedule, Salter may be forced to win one more fight if he wants a title shot. Based on his current run of success, it shouldn’t be a problem too great for him to overcome.
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