Goiti Yamauchi channeled one hero to take out another in Bellator 284’s main event, stopping Neiman Gracie with an uppercut at the 3:58 mark of round two.
“I’ve always been a defensive fighter,” Yamauchi said after his stunning knockout Friday at the Sanford Pentagon. “This time, [I brought] Triple GGG [boxer Gennady Golovkin] “Great drama style. … I like to put on a show.”
The show was a headlong attack on Gracie late in the second after another stalemate on the canvas, where Yamauchi twice put his opponent to his feet after sharp work. Yamauchi slowly walked forward, lowering his hands and burying his face and forehead into his opponent’s thrusts. Suddenly, he uncorked an uppercut that folded Gracie in place, giving the jiu-jitsu its third straight loss and fourth in its last six games.
A push from Yamauchi in the first lap forced Gracie to her knees. The Brazilian was unable to handle the action on his own terms, foreshadowing the explosive ending.
“It’s very meaningful, not only because of my first Main Event, but because of fighting a Gracie,” Yamauchi said. “He’s a damn good fighter, one of the grapplers in history. I have no words to describe this moment.”
Gracie is currently ranked No. 5 in the Bellator welterweight charts, giving Yamauchi an opportunity to enter the title fight, which was his third straight win and second 170 lb fight as part of the promotion.
Yamauchi, a fighter who has long struggled to make his mark at featherweight and lightweight, may be on the cusp of his finest work at welterweight.
“All above me in the rankings, I’m sure these guys are watching today,” he said. “I want to fight all these guys. … This is my destiny.”
Mowry is knocked out by an accidental eye poke
Steve Mowry had barely begun to knock out former interim heavyweight champion Valentin Moldavsky when an accidental eye poke excited his right eye. Replays showed a good portion of Moldavsky’s finger making illegal contact as he tried to parry a punch. Referee Kevin MacDonald gave Mowry as many chances as possible to see if he could continue and allowed three minutes to elapse.
However, Mowry was significantly weakened and said several times that he could not see, and forced MacDonald’s hand when he summoned the ringside doctor. Mowry flinched as a penlight shone in his injured eye and repeated the fight-ending words he couldn’t see. It was all over in just 54 seconds in the co-main event when the accidental foul elicited a no-contest.
Macfarlane survives the late squeeze, Ellen points out
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane stepped into the cage and deducted an emotional point for her first weight error. The ex-flyweight champion wasn’t sure she wanted to fight anymore. After three tough rounds with Bruna Ellen, she rediscovered her passion for the sport – and slipped in two fights.
Macfarlane unexpectedly fought with his feet at batting specialist Ellen, not using any of her kicks in a tussle for center dominance. She made several shots in the process, but returned just as many and more before pushing the fight to the fence, where she scooped Ellen onto the mat, ending the round with a riot.
The game plan was less shrouded from there as Macfarlane fought his way through punches for the takedown. It nearly backfired in the second as a foot sweep takedown put her on the ground and a guillotine choke made her breath hard. But she survived both, ending the slugfest with a wave of insult, allowing her elbows to end for 15 minutes.
For their brave effort, all three judges gave Macfarlane the fight at 29-28 twice and 30-27.
Saricam beats Sowma in a sparring match
In a fight that never quite got out of second gear, Gokhan Saricam’s signature attack got the job done over Said Sowma. A left hand threw Sowma off balance in the opening frame, motivating him to wrestle, which he often did when he found he had a slight advantage there. In the second try, Sowma spent most of the frame choking his opponent. But in the end he settled for a sparring tempo match against Saricam, doing just enough to displace his opponent save for a series of last-second shots that scored against Sowma. Two out of three judges gave the nod to Saricam, 29-28 points, while one dissented Sowma of American Top Team, who suffered his second straight setback.
Jeffrey knocks Vanderford down
The man known as Mr. Van Zant continued to stumble after working his way to the top of the Bellator middleweight division. Short-term substitute Aaron Jeffrey had Austin Vanderford’s number from the start and landed an overhand right that Vanderford dropped twice before the third sealed the deal.
Vanderford didn’t have time to get the wrestling going that worked so well for him in previous — and more affordable — fights. It was all over at the 1:25 mark of the opening frame, with Mr. VanZant’s arms against the cage, and he wondered if he had gone wrong as the mulleted Jeffrey claimed his third straight Bellator win. With Vanderford still No. 2 in the promotion rankings after a quick TKO loss to former champion Gegard Mousasi, Jeffrey has made a splash.
Full Bellator 284 results:
Defeated Goiti Yamauchi. Neiman Gracie via KO (uppercut) – Round 2, 3:58
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry declared a no-contest (accidental eye prick) – Round 1, 0:54
Defeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. Bruna Ellen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Gokhan defeated Saricam. Said Sowma by separate decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Aaron defeated Jeffery. Austin Vanderford via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
Defeated Marcos Breno. Josh Hill by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
DeAnna Bennett defeated. Justine Kish by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sullivan defeated Cauley. Tyson Jeffries via KO (knee) – Round 1, 1:39
Pat Downey defeated. Keyes Nelson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:36
Bailey Schonfelder defeated. Mark Currier via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Lap 2, 2:35
Defeated Mitchell McKee. Tony Ortega via TKO (ground and pound) – Round 2, 1:28
M,A,Yah II def. Brett Bye by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)