Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Oliver Enkamp, Ricky Bandejas and Bec Rawlings also picked up victories at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Bellator kicked off their European Series for the year on Saturday night in Dublin, Ireland in front of an raucous and energetic crowd, which has come to be expected whenever the promotion visit the country. There was some solid action during Bellator 240 and on the prelims but the main card didn’t deliver on the night. The three-fight lineup didn’t look the best leading up to the event and that opinion was proven to be correct after seeing how the fights played out. By the time the main event came around, many fans had left the arena so not everyone was invested in the replacement, marquee bout which saw a prospect who Bellator are trying to build pick up another victory.
Former IMMAF world champion, Leah McCourt, used her grappling skills to earn a unanimous decision over promotional newcomer, Judith Ruis, in the Bellator Dublin headliner. Both fighters had their moments throughout the contest but it was McCourt who displayed her improved striking and effective throws from within the clinch to stay one step ahead of the German. The third round was the most dominant for McCourt as she got an early takedown, progressed to mount and landed some solid elbows. She will learn a lot from this fight and in hindsight it was the perfect test for her at this stage in her career.
The other two fights on the Bellator Dublin main card were very disappointing with minimal action taking place. Heavy-hitting Charlie Ward won in a lackluster display despite getting a late TKO stoppage in the final round over Kyle Kurtz. To add to this, former reality TV star, Aaron Chalmers, received the second loss of his professional career in a truly terrible fight against Austin Clem. The less said about both of these the better.
Brent Primus is making a habit of coming over to Europe and dominating domestic fighters as he recorded another first round submission victory in the Bellator 240 main event. His opponent, Chris Bungard, couldn’t defend an immediate takedown but unloaded with a series of elbows to try and deter the American. However, he wasn’t successful. Bungard then attempted a guillotine but Primus got straight out and progressed to mount very quickly. From there, he worked his way to the back and locked up a neck crank to secure the win. Primus has found it hard to compete regularly over the past few years so will likely want to return reasonably quickly to insert his name back into the title conversation.
In a highly anticipated bantamweight clash, Ricky Bandejas knocked out another SBG Ireland member as he finished Frans Mlambo in the second round. Both men opened up by exchanging strikes at distance before Mlambo dropped the American to the canvas with a big punch. The Irishman was close to sinking in a rear-naked choke shortly thereafter but Bandejas escaped and got back to his feet. Not long into the next round, Bandejas uncorked a series of punches from close range which face-planted Mlambo into the mat. The work he has been putting in at American Top Team is paying dividends and he is likely not far from a title shot.
Oliver Enkamp is now 2-0 in Bellator after his release from the UFC as he recorded a first round stoppage over Welshman, Lewis Long. The pair worked against the fence for most of the opening frame but when they exchanged strikes in open space, Enkamp landed a stunning spinning backfist which dropped Long. The Swedish welterweight swarmed with a few punches on the ground until the referee had seen enough and waved off the contest. Enkamp is someone who can continue being in prominent fights on the European scene if this recent form carries on.
Elsewhere on the Bellator 240 portion of the card, Bec Rawlings picked up her first win in the promotion as she defeated Elina Kallionidou by unanimous decision. Both ladies exchanged wild strikes on the feet throughout and threatened with different submissions on the ground. Kiefer Crosbie also picked up a split decision victory over Iamik Furtado in a back and forth contest to please the partisan crowd.
On the evening’s preliminary card, Georgi Karakhanyan made a successful move up to lightweight when he submitted Irish fan-favourite, Paul Redmond, by guillotine choke in the second round. George Hardwick picked up the win in his Bellator debut with a submission victory over Richard Kiely and rising prospect, Chris Duncan, remained undefeated when he stopped Mateusz Piskorz due to some heavy punches.
Complete Bellator Dublin and Bellator 240 results:-
Bellator Dublin: McCourt vs. Ruis
Leah McCourt defeated Judith Ruis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Charlie Ward defeated Kyle Kurtz via TKO at 4:24 of round 3
Austin Clem defeated Aaron Chalmers via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Bellator 240: Primus vs. Bungard
Brent Primus defeated Chris Bungard via submission (neck crank) at 1:55 of round 2
Kiefer Crosbie defeated Iamik Furtado via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Bec Rawlings defeated Elina Kallionidou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ricky Bandejas defeated Frans Mlambo via KO at 1:25 of round 2
Oliver Enkamp defeated Lewis Long via TKO at 4:10 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Ilias Bulaid defeated Diego Freitas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
George Hardwick defeated Richard Kiely via submission (guillotine) at 3:40 of round 2
Georgi Karakhanyan defeated Paul Redmond via submission (guillotine) at 0:42 of round 2
Danni Neilan defeated Chiara Penco via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Alberth Dias defeated Richie Smullen via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Will Fleury defeated Justin Moore via submission (arm triangle) at 4:14 of round 1
Chris Duncan defeated Mateusz Piskorz via TKO at 2:43 of round 2
Calum Murrie defeated Dylan Logan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:08 of round 1
Blaine O’Driscoll defeated Ezzoubair Bouarsa via TKO at 4:12 of round 1
Ciaran Clarke defeated Jamie Faulding via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
Constantin Blanita defeated Asael Adjoudj via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)