As is usually the case when Paul Daley (38-13) is involved with some form of combat sports action, “Semtex” exploded at “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich,” showcasing his world-renown offense and further positioning himself for a title shot — or grudge match against Josh Koscheck (17-10) – later in 2016.
The finish of Andy Uhrich (11-6) came by way of knockout two minutes into the first round, extending Daley’s winning streak to five – six if you include his “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1” kickboxing victory – and giving him the opportunity to let those in attendance at Save Mart Center in Fresno know what he thought about Koscheck.
Bellator 148 Results: Daley steamrolls Uhrich, Pitbull gets first round KO
“Most definitely, I did my part. First of all, thanks to all the fans for coming out to see me ‘cause your homeown boy sat it out like a b*tch,” Daley said. “You guys would have been sleeping in your seats today, but luckily the British boy came to the cage, entertained, and knocked people out like I always do.”
With the victory, the 32-year-old Nottingham, England resident remains undefeated under the Bellator MMA umbrella and pushes his finishing rate to 30 stoppages in 38 wins.
Welterweight Rematch Brings Finality to Beef
Chris Honeycutt (6-0) and Paul Bradley (22-6) had to wait nearly seven months to resolve their beef that started at “Bellator 140: Lima vs. Koreshkov.” In the end, it was “The Gentleman” that reigned supreme – much to the chagrin of the Fresno faithful — taking home the win via technical knockout in under a minute during the first round.
The fans in attendance really let Bradley have it, reigning down boos, but they couldn’t take away from the performance the Alliance MMA-product turned in Friday evening on Spike.
“Pitbull” Provides Early 2016 “Knockout of the Year” Candidate
Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (15-7) emphatically took care of business with a first round knockout of Ryan Couture (10-4) three minutes into the fight. After landing multiple jabs that opened a gash along Couture’s nose, “Pitbull” finished the job with a deadly left hook that slumped Couture into a heap on the floor.
With the victory, six of Freire’s last eight wins have come via knockout. For Couture, the loss puts an end to a promising streak of four consecutive wins, all via submission.
Tony Johnson Mutes ‘The Silencer’
During the opening contest at “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich,” Tony Johnson (10-2) finished Raphael Butler (9-2) after repeated hammerfists at 4:24 of the final round. “The Hulk” built upon his victory over Alexander Volkov at “Bellator 136: Brooks vs. Jansen” and also remains undefeated under the Bellator MMA banner.
Will his impressive efforts result in a title shot somewhere down the line as Johnson publicly asked for during the lead-up to the fight? Stay tuned to Bellator MMA as 2016 progresses.
Ilima Macfarlane Remains Undefeated to Start Her Career
During the featured preliminary contest of “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich,” Ilima Macfarlane (3-0) remained undefeated at the expense of Amber Tackett (1-2), finishing the Visalia, Calif., native with an armbar in the opening round of action. With the win, “The Ilimanator” furthers herself as the one to beat in Bellator MMA’s budding flyweight divison, which now also features Anastasia Yankova, Lena Ovchynnikova, and Keri-Anne Melendez.
Preliminary Card Results:
Josh San Diego (6-1) defeated Paul Ruiz (6-3) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Matt Perez (2-1) defeated Eugene Cancino (0-1) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Te Edwards (3-1) defeated Nick Bustamante (3-1) via KO (Punches) at 0:43 of Round One
Jermaine McDermott (2-0) defeated Eric Huggins (1-1) via submission at 1:53 of Round One
Justin Smitley (10-7-1) defeated Art Arcienega (14-6) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Carl Seumanutafa (10-6) defeated Javy Ayala (8-5) via TKO (Punches) at 3:46 of Round Two
