https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oEl2w3BnHs
This Saturday, Bellator’s crowded November-December season was set to continue with a card in Florence, Italy headlined by a middleweight title fight, with Rafael Carvalho defending against Melvin Manhoef for the second time. Unfortunately, Bellator announced on Sunday that Carvalho has suffered an injury, so the fight has been postponed, with home country Hero Alessio Sakara vs. Joey Beltran upgraded to the main event slot.
The first Carvalho-Manhoef fight in May was one of the consensus worst fights of the year, with Carvalho throwing minimal offense and Manhoef not showing his usual aggression. The whole affair got even stranger when Carvalho won the decision, including taking the first round, where Bellator’s official Compustrike stats had him landing zero strikes and zero takedowns. It was a rare case where announcers Sean Grande and Jimmy Smith were audibly dismayed and talking about what an awful decision they felt it was. Smith was also vocal on Twitter after the fact:
I did. Told him it was the worst decision I had ever seen. I don't trash people behind their backs and not confront them
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) May 21, 2016