Two visiting Australian fighters made their mark, while two English light heavyweights picked up huge wins for their respective careers as Bellator Champions Series came to London, England.
The historic OVO Arena in Wembley played host to Bellator’s latest visit to the English capital as Australia’s Sara Collins produced a stunning performance to submit Leah McCourt and put herself in the frame for a shot at featherweight gold next year. Her compatriot Joseph Luciano claimed a big win on the preliminary card, with a submission finish of his own after stepping in to fight on just two weeks’ notice.
The co-main event saw former Wembley Arena steward Simeon Powell put on a performance full of guts and heart as he came back from being close to finished in Round 1 and earned a huge victory over Rafael Xavier via split decision. And Powell’s friend and training partner Luke Trainer claimed a big win of his own, with a submission finish of Laurynas Urbonavicius.
RDX Sports was cageside all night at the OVO Arena to provide live coverage throughout the night, and you can recap our fight night updates below.
Bellator Champions Series: London – Official results
MAIN CARD
- Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:25
- Simeon Powell def. Rafael Xavier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Luke Trainer def. Laurynas Urbonavicius via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:15
- Marc Diakiese def. Tim Wilde via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Archie Colgan def. Manoel Sousa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Shipman def. Eslam Abdul Baset via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 2:32
- Joseph Luciano def. Steven Hill via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 2, 1:22
- Ciaran Clarke def. Tuomas Gronvall via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Darragh Kelly def. Dmytrii Hrytsenko via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
