Bellator 128 promised to bring one of the year’s best fight cards, and it didn’t disappoint.
The WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. was rocking on Friday night for a jam-packed main card featuring four exciting fights. Joe Warren upset Eduardo Dantas to win the Bellator bantamweight title in a five-round slugfest for the main event via unanimous decision.
The early bouts in the main card indicated that it could be a short night, with Alexander Sarnavskiy and Emiliano Sordi both winning in the opening round. But Michael Page went the distance in his bout with NahShon Burrell, and Warren followed suit in his five-round win.
Let’s break down all of the results from Bellator 128, and recap the main card bouts.
Joe Warren def. Eduardo Dantas
After a main card chock-full of favorites cruising to victory, it was only fitting to see the main event take an unexpected turn.
Joe Warren returned to stardom in Bellator on Friday night, toppling belt holder Eduardo Dantes in a five-round slugfest that ended in a unanimous-decision win.
The fight was as close as could be, with all three judges agreeing on a 48-47 score line. It was the 37-year-old underdog setting the pace early on, however, taking Round 1 convincingly.
Warren tried endlessly for a Round 2 takedown, which he needed after Dantas evening the score in the round. But in Round 3, Warren returned to his bread-and-butter—the ground and pound, as he seemed to win his second round of the fight.
In Round 5, it was looking more and more like Warren’s victory was inevitable—that is, until an illegal kick to Dantas had the referee stopping the fight for nearly a minute. He gave a stern warning to Warren rather than dock a point, which in hindsight would have proven detrimental for the eventual winner.
But that didn’t happen, and there was little doubt to Warren as he pranced and celebrated his victory before the result was even announced.
Bleacher Report’s Scott Harris noted just how big of an underdog Warren was:
Welterweight fighter Ben Askren noted Warren’s post-fight comments:
Friday night marked the first time Dantas has suffered a defeat in Bellator. He won his previous six appearances there, including two title defenses.
But the third proved unsuccessful thanks to Warren’s grit and determination. At the age of 37, Warren may not be on top for long but at least he has a second go-around as the top dog before his career winds to a close.
Michael Page def. NahShon Burrell
One of the most exciting and emerging names in Bellator continued his undefeated start Friday night when Michael Page toppled NahShon Burrell in a unanimous decision victory.
After the first two main-card bouts failed to make it out of the first round, Burrell made it clear in Round 1 that he wouldn’t be the third straight victim. Despite coming in off a defeat, Burrell threatened to be a serious contender early on by seeming to win the first round.
But Page turned it around and got his legs underneath him, and once that happened, it was game over. His high-octane approach started to take over, and Burrell couldn’t keep up.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto noted that although it wasn’t easy, it could be the right result for Page:
Burell suffered his second straight defeat with the loss, dropping his career record to 11-4 and 1-2 in Bellator. As for Page, he improves to a perfect 7-0 with the potential of contending for the title.
Alexander Sarnavskiy def. Dakota Cochrane
Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy validated his status as a big favorite in Friday night’s second main card bout, easily routing Dakota Cochrane in an opening-round submission.
Cochrane opened up the fight with a good pace, but it was quickly thwarted by Sarnavskiy’s powerful and unpredictable moves. First it was a knee, then a spinning fist that took Cochrane off his game.
When he followed that up with a powerful jab that rocked Cochrane and connected with another brutal knee, Cochrane fell to the canvas and made for an easy over-the-back submission for Sarnavskiy.
The lightweight contender is just 25 years old, so his game is developing as he improves his Bellator record to 5-2. CagePotato.com noticed a big difference in his striking:
Jason Floyd of TheMMAreport.com noted the historical significance in his win:
Tiger’s record improves to an impressive 29-2 with Friday’s win, but it was his first Bellator win in almost a year. A chance at a title bout could be in his near future if he can rattle off a few straight victories in competition.
Emiliano Sordi def. Bubba McDaniel
The first bout on the main card Friday night was over almost before it began, as Emiliano Sordi topped Bubba McDaniel early in Round 1 with a submission.
There were hardly any blows that connected in the contest, but they came early and largely from Sordi. He opened up with a hard-hitting low kick and a right hook that left McDaniel scouring for a takedown unsuccessfully.
Some 30 seconds in, the guillotine attempts came from Sordi. The first one didn’t come through, but he reset with McDaniel still under wraps and finished him off with a strong guillotine move.
Bleacher Report’s Scott Harris summed up McDaniel’s night:
McDaniel went a little too aggressive in the opening minute, leading to his demise as Luke Thomas of SB Nation noticed:
At just 23 years of age, Sordi—an Argentina native—simply continued his promising start to his career. He’s now 13-4 for his career.
Friday night was Sordi’s Bellator debut, but it’s safe to say after beating an established Bellator name like McDaniel so convincingly, he’ll be getting another main card bout sooner rather than later.
All information courtesy of Bellator.com unless otherwise noted.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com