Just a week before his better known teammate is set to defend the most prestigious heavyweight championship in MMA, Cole Konrad won a belt of his own, capturing the Bellator heavyweight championship with a keylock submission victory over Neil Grove at Bellator 32.
Konrad, a two-time collegiate All-American who trains with UFC champ Brock Lesnar in Minnesota, followed the same blueprint that took him to the finals, overpowering his opponent with a takedown midway through the first. But unlike his previous two tournament bouts, he found a finish, moving to mount before locking in the fight-ending submission with just 15 seconds left in the first round.
“I’ve been working all aspects of the game every day but submissions flow so well from wrestling so it’s a little bit easier to pick up right now,” he said. “I felt great tonight, hats off to Neil. He’s a great competitor and I had to be on my toes from the get-go. Fortunately I was.”