Dublin: Bellator Champions Series Dublin crowned a new champion at the 3Arena in Dublin as Ramazan Kuramagomedov defeated Jason Jackson to extend his unbeaten streak and become the new Bellator welterweight world champion in a gruelling five-round battle.
Kuramagomedov was visibly emotional after he achieved his life-long dream of becoming a champion after a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory.
In the co-main event, the Irish welcomed Derry’s Paul Hughes who stepped into the cage for his Bellator Champions Series debut and rose to the occasion as he stopped Bobby King via TKO in the second round. “Big News” Hughes lived up to his moniker, confirming to the MMA world that he will be a prospect to watch for years to come.
Australia’s Arlene Blencowe silenced the 3Arena when she dropped Sinead Kavanagh and followed up with a guillotine choke to force the tap. The two fighters exchanged heavy hands in the first round, with “Angerfist” landing a strong straight right hand on Kavanagh in the second round followed by the successful submission.
Dalton Rosta had his hand raised after a three-round battle with Norbert Novenyi after a wildly entertaining middleweight bout. The pair exchanged heavy offence, with Dalton displaying his resilience in the third round as he fought through adversity after big elbows from Novenyi to secure the majority decision win.
The main card kicked off with a win in the Irish column as Darragh Kelly remained undefeated after he put Mathias Poiron to sleep after a tight guillotine that brought the home crowd to their feet and put the lightweight division on notice.
Bellator Champions Series Dublin Main Card Results
Ramazan Kuramagomedov (13-0) beat Jason Jackson (18-5) via unanimous decision to become Bellator Welterweight World Champion
Paul Hughes (12-1) beat Bobby King (12-7) via second round TKO
Arlene Blencowe (16-10) beat Sinead Kavanagh (9-7) via second round guillotine
Dalton Rosta (9-1) beat Norbert Novenyi (7-1) via majority decision
Darragh Kelly (6-0) beat Mathias Poiron (7-2) via first round guillotine
Preliminary Card Results
Kasum Kasumov (16-1) beat Matheus Mattos (14-3-1) via unanimous decision
Nathan Kelly (11-2) beat Jose Sanchez (13-3-1) via first round front naked choke
Khasan Magomedsharipov (10-0) beat Tyler Mathison (6-4) via unanimous decision
Sarvarjon Khamidov (16-0) beat Marcirley Alves (12-4) via unanimous decision
Shinobu Ota (7-3) beat Roger Blanque (5-6) via first round north south choke
Michelle Montague beat Karolina Sobek via first round rear naked choke
Nate Kelly beat Paul Nolan via first round tap arm bar