Bellator returns to Dublin with Peter Queally and Benson Henderson headling the event. In the co-main event, fans will witness a clash of two legends of the sport as Yoel Romero takes on Melvin Manhoef. Bellator 285 is set to take place on Friday, September 23 at the 3Arena.
Peter Queally vs. Benson Henderson
Queally fought in Dublin on three different occasions under the Bellator banner. This will be the fourth one. The Irish fighter made his promotional debut at Bellator 217, where Myles Price defeated him. In his next appearance at Bellator 227, he beat Ryan Scope in front of his countrymen. Finally, in his only Bellator appearance outside Dublin, he beat the current lightweight champion, Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire. The two of them met again at Bellator 270, where the roles were reversed.
Henderson is no stranger to competing in the United Kingdom or Dublin. He made a few appearances for British-based Polaris grappling promotion. He also was victorious over Myles Jury at Bellator 227. This win was then followed by a three-fight losing streak, which was put to an end by his most recent bout. At Bellator 273, ‘Smooth’ defeated Islam Mamedov.
Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef
The former UFC title challenger is 1-1 in his Bellator campaign. He lost in his promotional debut to Phil Davis at Bellator 266. He bounced back by defeating Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280. Originally he was scheduled to face Manhoef, but the Dutch fighter suffered an injury during an encounter with robbers a few days prior to the event.
Manhoef is a long-time veteran, who fought across the globe for a wide variety of promotions including K-1 and its MMA offshoot Hero’s, GLORY, DREAM, Strikeforce, ONE Championship, KSW, and finally Bellator. He’s 4-4 in his stint with the promotion. His knockout loss against Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 133 was later overturned to a no contest due to Russian testing positive for a banned substance. In his most recent bout, Manhoef was TKO’d by Corey Anderson at Bellator 251.
Rest of the Card
Bellator 285 will also feature other Irish talents such as Ciaran Clarke, Kenny Mokhonoana, Darragh Kely, Brian Moore, and Karl Moore.
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Bellator 285 Results
Main Card – Showtime – 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT
Benson Henderson def. Peter Queally via Unanimous Decision (49 – 45, 49 – 45, 49 – 45)
Yoel Romero def. Melvin Manhoef via Knockout (Punches and Elbows), at 3:34 of Round 3
Leah McCourt def. Dayana Silva via Unanimous Decision (29 – 28, 30 – 27, 30 -27)
Pedro Carvalho def. Mads Burnell via Unanimous Decision (30 – 27, 29 – 28, 29 – 28)
Ciaran Clarke def. Rafael Hudson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:50 of Round 3
Karl Moore def. Karl Albrektsson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:36 of Round 2
Preliminary Card – YouTube – 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT
Brian Moore def. Arivaldo Silva via Unanimous Decision (30 – 27, 30 – 27, 30 – 27)
Brett Johns def. Jordan Winski via Unanimous Decision (30 – 27, 30 – 26, 30 – 26)
Darragh Kelly def. Kye Stevens via Unanimous Decision (30 – 27, 30 – 26, 30 – 26)
Kane Mousah def. Georgi Karakhanyan via Unanimous Decision (30 – 27, 30 – 27, 30 – 27)
Kenny Mokhonoana def. Alex Bodnar via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:43 of Round 1
Asaël Adjoudj def. Jordan Barton via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) at 2:39 of Round 1
Luca Poclit def. Dante Schiro via Technical Submission (Modified Arm Triangle Choke) at 4:31 of Round 2
