Bellator 141 Main Card Recap: Brandon Girtz Upsets Melvin Guillard With Split Decision Victory

The enigma that is the career of Melvin Guillard (32-15) continues. In his highly anticipated debut against Brandon Girtz (13-4), the once promising fighter fell flat once again. Brandon Girtz out grinded Guillard in route to a unanimous victory. The take downs for Girtz were there all day, and all Guillard could do was keep the assault to a minimum while Brandon poured down elbows. On the feet, the fight went Guillard's way but he couldn't do enough to fight off the persistent offense of Girtz. The third round is where Guillard found a few opportunities as Girtz put his back to the talented striker. Still, it was too little too late for Guillard as Girtz pulled the upset to gain the split decision victory. It was a nice win for Girtz and not the best start for Guillard in the Bellator promotion.

The fight between Patricky Freire (14-6) and Saad Awad (18-7) didn't truly live up to the hype. After a heated weigh in exchange, the fight itself didn't manifest in the way most presumed. After a slow start in the first, Pitbull warmed up and unleashed a bevy of attacks finding the jaw of Awad. As the fight pressed on it was clear that Freire was slightly one step ahead of his competitor and did just enough to secure the victory. Not the fight we expected but still a decent showing by the young Brazilian fighter.

The two heavyweights went the distance in the second fight of the main card. Justin Wren (11-2) returned to the cage after five years and had a nice effort against Josh Burns (8-9). Wren did some early damage on Burns and really showed great work in the clinch. Everyone was surprised it went the distance, especially after the doctors checked the nasty cuts above his eye. Still, they stayed at it until the end and 'The Big Pygmy' held on to prevail.

When facing someone as esteemed as Marloes Coenen (23-6), there are many lessons to be had. Unfortunately for Arlene Blencowe (6-5), that lesson came at the end of a nasty armbar submission. After a dominate first round for Coenen, it looked as if Blencowe found her footing in the second. She was quickly taken to the canvas once again, where Coenen found her back but Blencowe was able to escape. The third time was the charm as Coenen sunk in a nasty armbar late in the second round. It looked as if her elbow popped out of place, so hopefully Blencowe can heal up soon and return back to action.

The main event heavyweight fight between Lorenzo Hood and Raphael Butler was scrapped due to an injury to Hood prior to the fight. Hood blew out his knee warming up for the match.

Up next for Bellator is the cross promotional event with Glory Kickboxing Dynamite 1. This event features a four-man light heavyweight tournament, and the light heavyweight title bout between current champion Liam McGeary and Tito Ortiz. The full results for Bellator 141 are listed below.