The Bellator 137 card live from the Pechanga Resort and Casino had a few issues with fighters making weight but still provided and entertaining main card. One of those fighters missing weight was the now former middleweight champion Brandon Halsey (9-0) who put on a dominant performance staying undefeated against Kendall Grove (20-15). In the co-main event, Mike Richman (18-6) also came in a few pounds over and lost a unanimous decision to former bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas (17-4). Even then, it was still a solid main card for the promotion to showcase some of their best talent.
Brandon Halsey may have been stripped of his middleweight title but he put on a championship performance tonight. He never allowed Kendall Grove to settle in with his striking and put on a lot of pressure through the early rounds. From the start, it looked as if he might have pulled off a submission but Grove was able to get free. It didn’t matter much as Halsey out-muscled Kendall on the ground which became a nightmare for the taller fighter. In the fourth round, Brandon was able to do some damage on the feet and landed an overhand right which stunned Grove and allowed Halsey to implement the finish. He stopped Grove with a fourth round TKO and remains undefeated. There was a bittersweet look on his face which we are sure is due to him losing the belt even with a dominant win.
The co-main event was a close scrap between former bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas and the emerging Mike Richman. The first round went in favor of Dantas as he did everything he could to keep the larger Richman in close. Using leg kicks and well timed takedowns he pulled off a very good first round even though he received a cut over his eye. Late in the first round, Mike found his mark and continued on into the second. He landed more shots than Dantas and did a great job of stuffing his takedowns. The third round was the closest of all but Eduardo was able to pull off another takedown and also continued to land his right hand on Richman. There was a moment when it looked as if the fight may have been stopped due to a cut over the eye of Dantas but the match continued on in route to a unanimous victory for the former champion. There are a lot of fighters vying for a shot at the bantamweight championship but Eduardo's may have cemented his place back in the picture.
As the saying goes, the fight is not over until it’s over. Fernando Gonzalez (24-12) proved this with a great comeback victory over Curtis Millender (7-2). It was hard to tell going into the third round who had the advantage as we saw two close early rounds. The striking of Millinder seemed to lean the fight in his favor but Fernando would not allow it to get to a decision. Once the fight reached the mat Gonzalez had Curtis in trouble from a guillotine position. Millender gave the thumbs up to referee John McCarthy but clearly it was a little too early for that. Soon after he tapped to Fernando who is now 4-0 under the Bellator banner.
Not the most exciting start to the Bellator 137 main card as Darrion Caldwell (7-0) took a unanimous decision from Rafael Silva (22-5). The former Arizona State fighter remains undefeated after outlasting the Brazilian in three rounds. The range of Caldwell never allowed Silva to get comfortable and he himself didn’t do too much engaging either. He outwrestled Silva which is what made the difference and gave him the win.
Up next for Bellator is Bellator 138 Unfinished Business on June 19th live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.