Bellator 189 Results: Budd vs. Blencowe 2
Bellator 189 took place on December 1, 2017, at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Julia Budd defended her women’s featherweight championship in the main event, while Rafael Lovato Jr., Chidi Njokuani and David Rickels also earned decision wins on the televised card. The event’s defining story was Budd’s narrow, disputed result against Arlene Blencowe.
Budd Keeps the Title After a Disputed Decision
Budd and Blencowe met for the second time with the Bellator featherweight belt at stake. Their first meeting had gone to Budd by majority decision; the rematch was closer on the scorecards and produced another win for the champion. Two judges scored the five-round bout 49-46 for Budd, while the third had it 48-47 for Blencowe.
The split decision drew criticism because Blencowe’s forward pressure appeared to many observers to outweigh Budd’s effective moments. Contemporary coverage described the bout as low on action and reported that the crowd booed before the result was announced. That reaction made the scorecards, rather than a decisive finish, the lasting talking point from the main event.
Lovato, Njokuani and Rickels Win on the Main Card
In the co-main event, Rafael Lovato Jr. defeated Chris Honeycutt by unanimous decision. The judges scored it 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Lovato used effective striking and submission threats to blunt Honeycutt’s wrestling attempts, improving his Bellator record to 3-0 at the time.
Chidi Njokuani made a successful middleweight debut, winning a unanimous decision over Hisaki Kato with three 30-27 scorecards. David Rickels also took a unanimous decision over Adam Piccolotti, with every judge scoring it 30-27. Rickels accepted the matchup on short notice and, according to contemporary reporting, the win gave him the record for most Bellator appearances at that point.
Preliminary Card Adds Finishes and More Decisions
The preliminaries supplied several quick finishes. Cris Lencioni submitted Thomas Lopez with a triangle choke at 1:39 of Round 1; Brian Grinnell also won by triangle choke, submitting Kemmyelle Haley at 0:39 of the opening round. Mandel Nallo knocked out Alec Williams with a head kick just 18 seconds into their bout, while Gaston Bolanos stopped Rick Gutierrez by knockout at 1:13 of Round 1.
Andrew Parker submitted Franklin Patterson with a triangle choke at 3:03 of Round 1. Juliana Velasquez submitted Na Liang by armbar 32 seconds into Round 2. Sam Sicilia defeated Marcos Galvao, Brandon Phillips beat Jordan Howard, and Stephanie Geltmacher defeated Ky Bennett, all by unanimous decision.
For the full results, see MMA Fighting’s Bellator 189 card report and its follow-up on Budd’s title defense. Tapology’s Bellator 189 event record lists the complete 13-bout card. Continue with our recap of Bellator 190.
Sources
MMA Fighting’s Bellator 189 card report; follow-up on Budd’s title defense.
Article Tags
Bellator, Bellator 189, Mixed Martial Arts
