Goiti Yamauchi has been a long-time member of the Bellator roster, but perhaps never closer to a title shot than now.
At Bellator 284, Yamauchi (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) stopped Neiman Gracie (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) with punches at 3:58 of Round 2. The fight officiated Saturday’s event at the Sanford Pentagon a Sioux Falls, SD
The knockout rounded off a dominant performance from Yamauchi, who stunned Gracie early in the first round before resorting to his grappling. In Round 2, Yamauchi also appeared one step ahead. He threatened both punching and wrestling, a two-pronged attack that Gracie found difficult to comprehend.
The knockout sequence began with a hard uppercut. As Gracie crashed to the canvas, it rained a few follow-up shots from Yamauchi even though the damage was done.
Yamauchi, who made his promotional debut on Bellator 99 in September 2013, is the first to stop Neiman Gracie. He extends his winning streak to three and has won back-to-back welterweight bouts. Meanwhile, Gracie has two fights in a row and lost three of his last four matchups.
Current Bellator 284 results include:
Defeated Goiti Yamauchi. Neiman Gracie via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:58 Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry leads to a no contest (accidental eye poke) – Round 1, 0:54 Ilima-Lei Macfarlane def. Bruna Ellen defeated Gokhan Saricam by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). Said Sowma defeated Aaron Jeffery via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). 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 def. Justine Kish by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Sullivan Cauley def. Tyson Jeffries via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:39 defeated Pat Downey. Keyes Nelson via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:36 Bailey Schoenfelder def. Mark Currier via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35 Mitchell McKee def. Tony Ortega via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:28
Visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284 for more information on the map.