Bellator 252 results and highlights: ‘Pitbull’ wrecks Carvalho, setting up Sanchez rematch

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See the full results and highlights from Thursday’s Bellator 252 card, including an explosive KO from Patricio Freire.

Bellator 252 is in the books, and the four semifinalists for the promotion’s featherweight tournament are now set in stone.

While AJ McKee and Darrion Caldwell will fight next week, tonight’s show saw Patricio “Pitbull” Freire successfully and easily defend his title against Pedro Carvalho. Awaiting him in the semis in what doubles as a championship defense is a familiar foe in Emmanuel Sanchez, who took apart Daniel Weichel in their rematch.

Patricio Freire def. Pedro Carvalho by KO (punches) at 2:10 of round 1

Not really a whole lot to say here other than Patricio is tremendous and Carvalho is not on his level. Freire rocked Carvalho with a right hand and looked to pounce with a guillotine choke. When that didn’t work, he returned to his feet and the beatdown continued. Another right hand had Carvalho on skates, followed by a left-right finishing combo to drop the SBG Ireland fighter for good. Chalk up a sixth straight win for Freire and his fourth successful title defense over two stints as champion.

Yaroslav Amosov def. Logan Storley by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Someone’s 0 had to go and it was Storley’s, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Both men expended a ton of energy with all of the wrestling and scrambling that occurred throughout this fight. Amosov had the upper hand in the opening frame by stifling the former NCAA standout’s takedowns and landing the cleaner shots.

Round two saw Amosov come close to finishing the American with a d’arce choke, but Storley was able to get his leg free and scramble out of danger, but not before eating a right hand for his troubles. Amosov had the biggest moments for much of the contest but even when he was taken down, he did well to get back to his feet.

The final round was awesome. Storley was finally able to get sustained control time on the mat and he had Amosov in serious trouble. The rear-naked choke was in play for Storley but Amosov fended it off the first time. On the next attempt it was a bit of a choke/crank combination and you could see the pain visible on Amosov’s face, but he brilliantly fought off and freed himself from Storley’s grip to get out of danger. They traded big bombs to cap off a great contest. I think we’ll see a rematch between these two down the line.

Emmanuel Sanchez def. Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision (48-46, 49-46, 49-45)

This was a one-sided fight and it served as a statement of intent from the Roufusport product. After a competitive, action-packed opening round, Sanchez took over in round two and never lost grip of the contest. A vicious left hook to the body had Weichel reeling, and another one eventually put him down. Sanchez went for the finish but was unable to get it, as Weichel demonstrated serious toughness to avoid the ref stoppage.

The remainder of the bout was not as lopsided as the second, but Sanchez continued to wear Weichel out by mixing up his strikes and maintaining a fast pace. Weichel was taken down in the fifth round just for good measure, summing up his day as he was unable to successfully implement his own wrestling game. Sanchez takes the rematch with ease and he’ll face Patricio Freire in the semifinals. Freire beat Sanchez by decision in their previous meeting two years ago.

Preliminary Card

Aaron Pico def. John de Jesus by KO (punches) at 4:15 of round 2

Keri Taylor-Melendez def. Emilee King by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of round 1

Manny Muro def. Devin Powell by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Jornel Lugo def. Schyler Sootho by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Roman Faraldo def. Pat Casey by KO (knee) at 2:30 of round 2

Trevor Gudde def. Khonry Gracie by TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of round 3