The baddest man on the planet Joe Warren (13-4) may be headed right back to the contenders table as he out works LC Davis (23-7) in pivotal fight in the Bantamweight division for Bellator MMA. The former champion used his wrestling to full capacity to score Davis to pull off the victory. Kendall Grove (22-15-1) returned to form with a finishing effort over Joey Beltran (16-12-1) in a barnburner that was truly the tone for the whole night in Texas for Bellator 143.

Joe Warren will be keeping a close eye on the impending match up between Marcos Galvao and Eduardo Dantas as he is more than likely one step closer to fighting for the Bellator MMA strap once again. He out lasted LC Davis in a fight that could not have played out any better in Warren’s favor. Warren mounted his offense attack with timely takedowns that neutralized the attack of Davis and from there went to work. The second round saw a few glimpses by Davis but once Warren mounted him on the canvas his relentless pressure never really allowed LC to gain any ground. The third round was similar which gave the advantage to Joe who did just enough to eek out the decision.

Kendall Grove and Joey Beltran created  fireworks in the co-main with a nice stand up scrap. The first round started off great for Kendall which set the tone for the rest of the night. He used his range to find the chin of Joey often as you could tell the punches would eventually wear down the fighter who couldn’t find success in his second welterweight fight. Beltran found his footing in the second round and started to pick up the heat on Grove. The third round could not have ended better as both fighters went toe to toe until Kendall landed a right that sent Grove to the canvas. That was followed by a punch to the side of the head of Beltran that laid him out. Nice win for Kendall Grove who is headed back in the right direction after coming up short in his last feature bout against Brandon Halsey.   

Through headbutts and all Emanuel Sanchez (11-2) seemed to have the number for Henry Corrales (12-2) tonight. He mixed up great grappling to go along with a fury of head kicks to keep Henry off balanced. Sanchez almost pulled off a submission in the first but Henry escaped. The fight was stopped in the second and the doctor examined the cut over his eye but Emmanuel Sanchez was able to continue. Luckily for us he was able to as he and Corrales picked up the pace  putting on a great performance in the third. It’s the type of fight the fans truly enjoyed with each fighter laying it all out on the line. Sanchez was just the better fighter in this match and truly did anything he wanted against the game Corrales. The fight ended in a split decision that went in favor of Sanchez.

The “Spartan” Vinicius Queiroz (8-3) wins his second fight in a row after a two year lay off that doesn't really feel like it’s been that long. Though he will have to continue to prove himself against a better caliber of opponent as a fighter like Ewerton Teixeira (3-1)  making his Bellator debut just won’t do it. Still he pulls off the second round submission with a nice arm triangle choke and possibly one more fight will have him right there in contention for a shot at the heavyweight title.

Up next for Bellator is Bellator 144 Galvao - Dauntas 2 on Friday, October 23rd. The full results from Bellator 143 are listed below.

Main Card

Joe Warren vs. L.C. Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Kendall Grove def. Joey Beltran via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:27

Emmanuel Sanchez def. Henry Corrales via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)

Vinicius Queiroz def. Ewerton Teixeira via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:00

Prelims

Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Bryce Mejia via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:26

Amador Ramirez def. Saul Elizondo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Steve Garcia def. Eduardo Bustillos via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59

Darrion Caldwell def. Shawn Bunch via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:35

Dan Charles def. Chase Gormley via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:35

John Teixeira def. Gleristone Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)