Few fights went the distance Friday night at Bellator 125 from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, with the headliner being Melvin Manhoef scoring a wicked first-round knockout of Doug Marshall.
The card as a whole was entertaining from the preliminaries on up with some interesting last-minute shuffles due to injury and one spectacular debut on American soil fans will not soon forget.
Knockouts, upsets and more made for a violent affair Friday on national television, and the ramifications of the end results—especially that quick card headliner—will be felt for some time.
Below, let’s take a look at how the night unfolded.
Bellator 125 Fight Card Results
Goiti Yamauchi def. Martin Stapleton
It has been a rough few fights for 21-year-old Goiti Yamauchi, but Friday represented a chance for him to once again prove his worth as a title contender.
After a win at Bellator 120, Yamauchi did just that in an encounter with Martin Stapleton, making sure the fight did not progress past the inaugural round thanks to a rear-naked choke submission hold that forced his adversary to tap.
As Jason Floyd of TheMMAreport.com notes, Yamauchi has been on quite a tear over the course of his Bellator career:
To his credit, Stapleton attempted to punch his way out of trouble and did just that early on in the round, but it was clear Yamauchi’s skill on the mat, paired with his history for choke holds that prematurely end matches, would soon be too much.
For Yamauchi, it is a dominant way to reinforce the notion he is back to form. A title shot surely resides in his future.
Javy Ayala def. Rafael Butler
Well, Rafael Butler is undefeated no longer.
For a man that weighs 265 pounds, Javy Ayala closed in quicker than most probably would have imagined after the opening bell and ended the fight in a hurry with a dominant showing that wound up with a submission by the main card’s second rear-naked choke in as many fights.
After, Ayala just wanted to announce that he is a serious contender in the heavyweight division, as recorded by Bellator’s Twitter account:
No kidding. After wins over Thiago Santos and Eric Prindle in his last two bouts, Ayala is clearly on the right path as he continues to take down credible opposition that has been worthy of title shots themselves.
Rafael Carvalho def. Brian Rogers
In place of the injured Brett Cooper and making his Bellator debut right along with his first fight in the United States, Rafael Carvalho unleashed a barrage in the middle of the first round against Brian Rogers that forced a stoppage rather quickly.
Billed as a bout between two fighters who love to stand and exchange blows, Carvalho used his impressive length to his advantage and struck Rogers with the decisive blow that led to his being unable to defend himself.
He quickly took to Twitter to acknowledge his mistake that cost him the bout:
For Carvalho, it is win No. 10 in a row and a successful debut outside of his home turf in Brazil—on short notice, at that.
Given Carvalho’s uncanny length and his ability to actually put it to good use effectively, one has to think this is just the begging for the powerful Brazilian.
Melvin Manhoef def. Doug Marshall
Manhoef entered Friday with eight career knockouts in a minute or less, and while he did not add to that total against the 37-year-old Marshall, it was certainly no less dominant than any one of those quick showings.
Both men were the aggressors early on, but as most figured before the final bout of the night, all it took was one shot to send fans home early.
It was Manhoef who got just that via a glancing blow to the back of Marshall’s head that dropped him instantly. ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto put the finality of the moment into perspective:
The career outlook is not great for Marshall at his age, but for Manhoef, a title shot is now in the cards thanks to the brutal finish, as noted by the promotion after the fact:
In other words, another violent bout that will surely not go the distance is in the cards.
Then again, that seems to be the case whenever Manhoef steps in the cage. Friday night was business as usual for the 38-year-old star, and what he is heading for next is nothing but a good thing for fans and the promotion alike.
All stats and info via Bellator.com unless otherwise specified.
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