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Bellator 137

Bellator 137 ironically ‘left doubt’ after the main event result, which leaves the promotion with no middleweight champion after Brandon “Bull” Halsey failed to make weight for his first title defence.

Despite Halsey finishing veteran Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove with ground and pound in round four at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif, the now-former champion was unable to retain his championship gold.

It was a dominating performance from Halsey, who continued to implement great wrestling and top control to render Grove almost irrelevant. Although an impressive win for “Bull” it leaves a massive hole atop the middleweight division, with no champion; although it is more than likely Halsey will get a chance at reclaiming his gold in one of Bellator’s Fall shows – should he make weight.

Halsey said: “I learned my lesson. I thank Bellator. I apologize to the commission. It’s unprofessional not to make weight. No excuses, but anybody knows that it’s hard to cut weight with an injury. The belt’s just a decoration, so I’m still the champ in my eyes. No one has taken the belt from me.”

In the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas moved back into contention at 135lbs after a unanimous decision win over Mike “The Marine” Richman.

Dantas the aggressor, seemed to press the action for most of the fight, however when looking for the takedowns, Richman was excellent with his defence.

Elsewhere, at welterweight Fernando “The Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez rallied an early onslaught to submit “Curtious” Curtis Millender in the final round.

With Millender enjoying a six-inch height advantage, the smaller Gonzalez struggled to score points in the first two rounds. But when the fight hit the floor in the third, Gonzalez latched onto a guillotine choke and earned a tap from his opponent at the 1:14 of the final round. Millender used his reach to keep Gonzalez at bay, but “Gonzo” would fight back and lock in a tight guillotine to win the fight.

“I’m 4-0 right now,” Gonzalez said after the win. “That’s one step closer to the title, and I’m excited to get in there and mix it up with whoever is next.”

Gonzalez now holds a four-fight win streak at welterweight, with some of the promotion’s top names on his hit list. With champion Douglas Lima set to face Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 140, and Paul “Semtex” Daley also to feature on the card, it leaves two good options for Gonzalez should he elect. A possible fight with Brennan “Irish Bad Boy” Ward should he chose to stay at 170lbs. and Brit Michael “Venom” Page, who was originally scheduled to face Millender back at Bellator: The British Invasion.

Bellator 137 Main Card Results

Catchweight (188 lbs): Brandon Halsey def. Kendall Grove TKO (punches) (Round 4: 2:25)

Catchweight (139 lbs): Eduardo Dantas def. Mike Richman Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Welterweight: Fernando Gonzalez def. Curtis Millender Submission (guillotine choke) (Round 3: 1:14)

Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell def. Rafael Silva Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bellator 137 Prelim Results

Bantamweight: Joe Taimanglo def. Antonio Duarte KO (punch) (Round 3: 1:00)

Featherweight: Jordan Parsons def. Julio Cesar Neves Submission (arm-triangle choke) (Round 3: 4:09)

Light-Heavyweight: Virgil Zwicker def. Razak Al-Hassan KO (punch) (Round 1: 3:51)

Welterweight: Ricky Rainey def. Jesse Juarez KO (knee) (Round 2 : 1:13)

Bantamweight: Shawn Bunch def. Rolando Perez Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Lightweight: Steve Kozola def. Ian Butler KO (punches) (Round 1: 2:22)

Women’s Featherweight: Arlene Blencowe def. Adrienna Jenkins TKO (punches) (Round 1: 4:08)

Middleweight: Ben Reiter def. Benji Radach Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)