Marlon displays Sengoku belt. Photo: Carlos Ozório.
There was no lack of excitement at Bellator 46, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida. The event featured four featherweight GP quarterfinal matches and five superfights.
The one with the most expectations surrounding it was an all-Brazilian affair. Former Sengoku champion Marlon Sandro faced a game Junior PQD in an action-packed three-rounder that played out mostly on the feet, with Marlon managing a knockdown in the first. The two rounds that followed were evenly matched, earning Marlon Sandro a split-decision nod on his debut on American soil.
In the other featherweight GP matchups, Ronnie Mann put away Adam Schindler with a left-hook knockdown and follow-up strikes on his grounded opponent.
Argentina’s Nazareno Malegarie, a student of the UFC’s Thiago Tavares, submitted Jacob Devree with a third-round inverted guillotine and qualified for the tournament semifinals.
Now Pat Curran literally ran roughshod over Luis Palomino. Showing keen boxing skills, the 2010 bantamweight GP winner was more aggressive and landed a number of strikes before sealing the deal with a Peruvian neck tie, all in the first round.
The other Brazilian in the event, Antonio Bezerra Popó, needed just 3:27 minutes to finish Sam Jones with a triangle, bringing his tally to nine wins in ten fights.
(Collaborator Junior Samurai)
Full results:
Bellator 46
Hollywood, Florida, USA
June 25, 2011
Featherweight GP
Quarterfinals
Pat Curran submitted Luis Palomino via choke in R1
Marlon Sandro defeated Junior PQD via split decision
Nazareno Malegarie submitted Jacob Devree via inverted guillotine in R3
Ronnie Mann defeated Adam Schindler via TKO in R1
Undercard
Jessica Aguilar defeated Carla Esparza via split decision
Tony Johnson defeated Derrick Lewis via unanimous decision
Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra submitted Sam Jones via triangle in R1
Dan Cramer defeated Josh Samman via unanimous decision
