Bellator 188: A Night of Submissions and Unanimous Decisions
Bellator 188 took place on November 16, 2017, at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. The card was originally set to feature a featherweight title rematch between champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Daniel Weichel, but a knee injury forced Freire to withdraw. That changed the main event to a featherweight bout between hometown fighter Noad Lahat and Jeremiah Labiano.
Lahat Wins a Physical Main Event
Lahat relied on takedowns and top control to earn a unanimous decision over Labiano. All three judges scored the fight 29-27 for Lahat. The scorecards reflected a second-round penalty: referee Kevin MacDonald deducted a point after Lahat landed illegal elbows to the back of Labiano’s head. Lahat still controlled much of the third round after securing an early takedown, and the deduction did not change the winner.
Three Quick Submissions on the Main Card
Haim Gozali submitted Arsen Faitovich with a triangle choke at 0:45 of the opening round. John Salter followed with a rear-naked choke against Jason Radcliffe at 1:55. Denise Kielholtz also finished Jessica Middleton, applying a scarf-hold armbar at 1:16 in the first round. The three finishes gave the televised card a run of fast submission wins before Lahat and Labiano went the distance.
Tel Aviv Prelims Deliver More Finishes
Olga Rubin stopped Joana Magalhães with strikes in the second round, and Oron Kahlon caught Julian Maloku in a flying triangle in Round 1. Alex Nikulin knocked out Rami Abuhav in the first, while Alex Trofimov and David Abisror’s bout was ruled a no contest after an accidental groin kick. The undercard also featured unanimous decisions for Luiz Rocha and Shimon Gosh, plus first-round submissions by Netanel Parisi and Moshiko Ben Shimol.
For the full results and main-event context, read MMA Fighting’s Bellator 188 report and the complete card at Combat Press. Continue with our recap of Bellator 189, or revisit Bellator 187.
Sources
MMA Fighting’s Bellator 188 report; complete card at Combat Press.
Article Tags
Bellator, Bellator 188, Mixed Martial Arts
