Bellator 184 Results: Dantas vs. Caldwell

Bellator 184 took place on October 6, 2017, at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. In the main event, Darrion Caldwell challenged bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas for the title.

Caldwell Wins the Bantamweight Title

Caldwell claimed his first MMA championship with a five-round unanimous decision. The scorecards read 50–45, 48–47 and 48–47. His wrestling set the tone early: in Round 1, he locked up Dantas and launched him with a German suplex, then maintained control. Caldwell scored a brief knockdown in the second round, while Dantas answered by finishing Round 3 on top and threatening with a neck crank and rear-naked choke in the fourth. Caldwell escaped, landed an elbow that opened a cut above Dantas’s eye, and used leg kicks and a body lock to control much of the final round.

Sanchez Submits Straus; Curran Returns

Emmanuel Sanchez finished former champion Daniel Straus with a triangle choke at 1:56 of Round 3 after a back-and-forth grappling contest. Pat Curran, returning to the cage after more than 500 days away, earned a unanimous decision over John Teixeira. Leandro Higo also won a unanimous decision, outpointing Joe Taimanglo.

Notable Undercard Finishes

Chance Rencountre submitted Justin Patterson with a D’Arce choke at 2:58 of Round 1. Teagan Dooley caught DeMarcus Simmons in an americana keylock in Round 2, and Westin Wilson submitted L.J. Hermreck with a rear-naked choke at 0:55 of the second. Sean Holden stopped Shakir McKillip with ground-and-pound late in Round 2; Ernest James later stopped Ray Jones in a bout held after the broadcast.

See MMA Fighting’s full Bellator 184 results and its report on Caldwell’s title win. Continue with our Bellator 185 recap.

Selected Bout Results

• Darrion Caldwell defeated Eduardo Dantas by Decision (Unanimous); round 5, 5:00.
• Emmanuel Sanchez defeated Daniel Straus by Submission (Triangle Choke); round 3, 1:56.
• Pat Curran defeated John Teixeira by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
• Leandro Higo defeated Joe Taimanglo by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
• Ernest James defeated Ray Jones by TKO (Punches); round 1, 2:53.
• Luis Muro defeated Emmanuel Rivera by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.

Sources

MMA Fighting’s full Bellator 184 results; report on Caldwell’s title win; Event results record.

Article Tags

Bellator, Bellator 184, Mixed Martial Arts