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Bellator 224 has just been released from WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, with featherweight champion Julia Budd stopping rival Olga Rubin with body shots just 2:14 into the first round. First and only champion of Bellator with only 145 pounds, Budd defended his crown three times in a row and won on an impressive series of 11 victories. In her post-fight interview, she stated that she was willing to give the next shot to MMA veteran, Leslie Smith, at the Bellator's Gold Medal. Smith made his debut at Bellator tonight with a majority decision on Sinead Kavanagh. In a rather exciting legend, Budd also expressed his desire to travel to RIZIN FF in Japan to face the heavier heavyweight Gabi Garcia. Who would not like to see that?
Coaching now with the American Top Team, former Bellator middleweight champion, Rafael Carvalho, has relied on his fight to make a unanimous decision against of Chidi Njokuani. This involves a skid lost in two fights for the now Carvalho (16-3), who always seems to be improving as a complete fighter. Before that, Juliana Velasquez's black judo belt had won her fourth consecutive victory at Bellator by stopping Kristina Williams on the feet with second-round strikes. His punches struck early, and they continued to strengthen as the fight continued. Moving now to 9-0, it seems that Velasquez will be the next to face the queen of Bellator's flyweight, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.
By opening the main card, three-time NCAA Division 1 National Champion Ed Ruth won the biggest win of his young MMA career when he arrested UFC veteran Kiichi Kunimoto. with strikes in the second round. The current 7-1, Ruth, found herself again in the winning column, establishing herself again as one of Bellator's best chances. In preliminary games, BJJ star player AJ Agazarm pulled out a Jacob Landin bid in the first round to advance to 1-1 in his MMA career. Also in the sub-card, former Kick Boxing GLORY featherweight champion Gabriel Varga stopped in the second round of TKO in his professional debut as an MMA.
Main card:
Julia Budd def. Olga Rubin by TKO at 2:14 of lap 1: (W) Featherweight
Budd opened the match with a header that connected. Rubin ate it without a problem, but Budd was not done. She had a kick in her belly that visibly hurt Rubin. The champion burst into the air with a flurry of free kicks as Rubin retired to the fence. The last nail of the coffin was another knee stroke to the middle section, which caused Rubin's collapse to the floor, dying. That's when the referee intervened.
Rafael Carvalho def. Chidi Njokuani by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): 190 lb catch weight
Njokuani started the fight early in the battle, but that's where Carvalho established control. He managed to land the knees and elbows short, and even hit a short-lived body fight. Njokuani had trouble getting out of the cage and, to make matters worse, he gave up a last second to the former champion.
Njokuani started to crack to open the second round. The kicks quickly slowed Carvalho's pressure, pushing him back a moment. Not halfway through the heat, Carvalho was able to regain control of the cage in close combat. He then laid the groundwork and planted Njokuani's back on the canvas. A referee allowed Njokuani to get some more kicks from the body just before the end of the match.
Carvalho started tightening Njokuani against the fence again on the last lap, which eventually led to a withdrawal. The former champion was working regularly from the top, dropping the shots and staying busy. Njokuani got up well and found himself in first place in the last moments, but he was unable to cause any significant damage until the end of the allotted time.
Juliana Velasquez def. Kristina Williams by TKO at 4:03 of lap 2: (W) flyweight
The weights of the flies went straight to the point to start this fight. Velasquez was hitting the house with his hands, saving Williams and not giving him time to get back to his feet. Williams remained competitive, but Velasquez was the one leading the dance. Velasquez really made the difference in the second round. She pressed and began to give weight. Williams did his best but started to fade against the fence. Velasquez continued to pour on the volume until Williams dropped on the canvas, prompting the referee to cancel the bout.
Ed Ruth def. Kiichi Kunimoto by TKO at 3:49 of lap 2: Light middleweight
Kunimoto sought early in the fight as Ruth was busy with her hands. Once they were locked up, it was Ruth who managed to find the first place several times. Kunimoto remained relatively sheltered from his back, but was busy defending himself.
Both fighters were content to take a stand and exchange the second act. Kunimoto found success with her hands before Ruth started to kick her. While Kunimoto fired for a knockdown, Ruth kicked him but the knee settled. Kunimoto failed at takedown and Ruth immediately took first place. Ruth felt the blood and the ground strikes came. Kunimoto could not recover and the referee stopped the fight.
The preliminaries:
- Nainoa Dung def. Brad Robison by unanimous decision: Light
- Gabriel Varga def. Jamese Taylor by TKO at 3:23 of lap 2: Featherweight
- Mike Jackson def. Kiefer Crosbie of DQ (Illegal Knee) on lap 1: 165-pound stuck weight
- Leslie Smith def. Sinead Kavanagh by the majority: (W) featherweight
- Jordan Young def. Joel Bauman by submission (Triangle) at 3:20 of lap 1: Light Heavyweight
- Arlene Blencowe def. Amanda Bell by KO at 0:22 of Turn 1: (W) Featherweight
- Will Fleury def. Antonio Jones unanimously: 190 pounds catch weight
- AJ Agazarm def. Jacob Landin by tender (RNC) at 4:21 of lap 1: Lightweight
- Christian Edwards def. Justin Vargas by KO at: 54 of lap 1: Light Heavyweight
Darklims:
Kona Oliveira vs. Joseph Holmes: Welterweight
Bruna Ellen vs. Elina Kallionidou: (W) flyweight
Lucas Brennan vs. Thomas Lopez: featherweight
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