Bellator 173 didn’t disappoint.
The big winners on the night are Liam McGeary and James Gallagher, who both finished their opponent in front of the Irish fans in Belfast in dominant fashion even if McGeary’s win came in a strange way via a doctor’s stoppage in Round 2.
McGeary won the fight but may have been disappointed by the stoppage. He was really beginning to get into a rhythm before the doctor called the bout. It appeared his opponent, Brett McDermott, was having trouble seeing after getting tagged with a brutal knee to the forehead.
The promotion needed a good card tonight after the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt Mitrione main event collapsed at Bellator 172, so hopefully the company can move on and try to regain the momentum it had at the beginning of the new year.
There were five total fights on the main card in Belfast, and here’s how it went down:
Bellator 173 Main Card Results
- Liam McGeary def. Brett McDermott by TKO (doctor’s stoppage). Round 2, 1:06
- James Gallagher def. Kirill Medvedovsky by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 2:53
- Iony Razafiarison def. Sinead Kavanagh by unanimous decision
- Alex Lohore def. Colin Fletcher by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 2, 2:42
- Shay Walsh def. James McErleane by unanimous decision
Walsh outlasts McErleane
In the first fight of the main card, Shay Walsh was able to narrowly defeat James McErleane in a tough battle in the bantamweight division.
For Walsh, it was a big victory over a tough opponent that should push him up the rankings even though he wasn’t able to secure the finish. He won over all three judges 29-28 in a tight contest though it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the fight went in favor of McErleane.
As all fighters know by now, it’s best to just finish the fight and not leave it up to the judges.
Lohore chokes out Fletcher
Alex Lohore was lucky to survive the first round, but he pulled himself together and was able to submit Colin Fletcher in the second round.
Lohore took Fletcher down 25 seconds in, and Fletcher worked hard on a D’Arce choke only to see Lohore escape. Fletcher then caught a Lohore kick, and after backing him up, leveled him with a massive right hand that sent Lohore to the canvas.
It looked like the fight was going to be stopped since Lohore went limp, but somehow, Lohore was able to regain consciousness and survived the round. In the second, Lohore got the mount and worked Fletcher’s head and body until Fletcher gave his back, which allowed Lohore to lock in a rear-naked choke and force the tap.
It was one hell of a debut for Lohore, and he may have gained a strong following with such a resilient, entertaining performance.
Razafiarison takes care of Kavanagh
Not many people expected Sinead Kavanagh to lose on home turf, but Iony Razafiarison was the better fighter Friday night.
Things started well for Kavanagh as she scored a knockdown in the opening minutes of the fight, but that was the only real moment that Kavanagh had the edge. Razafiarison took Kavanagh down with relative ease throughout the bout even though there times when she didn’t do much but lay on top of Kavanagh.
Having said that, Razafiarison did show some brutal ground-and-pound at times.
If Kavanagh was able to land a few more punches and show some type of activity, things might’ve turned out differently for her.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready for this type of grueling, frustrating fight.
Gallagher can’t be stopped
The reign of James Gallagher continues, and he just can’t stop choking out his opposition.
Gallagher had little trouble against Kirill Medvedovsky as he was able to take down Medvedovsky in the opening minutes of Round 1 and immediately get his back.
Once Gallagher gets your back, you’re going to sleep.
The Irishman has been on a tear to begin his young professional career. The 20-year old SBG product is now 5-0 as he moves up the featherweight rankings. And speaking of moving up the rankings, Gallagher knew exactly what to say after his victory and showed no mercy in calling out his future opponent.
Is A.J. McKee up next for the young Irishman? Fight fans certainly hope so.
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