Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results and detailed play-by-play as Bellator 176 comes to Turin, Italy in a special matinee show for the promotion. The headliner is a rematch between Rafael Carvalho and Melvin Manhoef for the middleweight title. Russian Anastasia Yankova will also be featured on the card.
You can watch all of the main card action starting at 3:00pm ET/Noon PT live on Spike TV, which is delayed on the west coast. The prelims were a Bellator kickboxing show and it wasn’t streamed live, hence this post not having a video in it. It’s only a four-fight main card, so it can serve as a good MMA appetizer before the UFC show later tonight. Join us and let us know what you think of tonight’s fights.
Main Card (3pm ET)
Rafael Carvalho vs. Melvin Manhoef
Round 1 – Manhoef with two inside leg kicks and a straight right. He threw Carvalho off of him when he came inside. Carvalho with an eyepoke and there’s a brief stop. Carvalho looking for step-in knees. Carvalho using his range well to avoid Manhoef’s high kicks. Carvalho with a takedown. Manhoef up quick but he’s pinned against the cage. Knees to the thigh from Carvalho. They spent a while there until Melvin finally caught a knee and slammed Carvalho to the mat. Manhoef jumped in and out of his guard until he got him against the fence. 10-9 Carvalho.
Round 2– Manhoef with leg kicks. Carvalho looked for a takedown and they both fell down. Manhoef landed a right hook as they got up. Carvalho coming forward. Hard step-in knee from Carvalho. Manhoef with a left hook on the break from a brief clinch. Melvin catches a kick and lands a right hook to the body. Carvalho with a nice straight right. A knee and left from Carvalho. Leg kicks from Melvin. Left hook. 10-9 Carvalho.
Round 3 – Body kick from Carvalho. Manhoef with a straight right and a head kick. Carvalho with pressure and he lands a body shot and a hard knee to the belly. Manhoef grabbed the fence to prevent a takedown and they’re taking a point from him. Carvalho gets a takedown on the restart. He’s looking to take the back, but he’s sort of just lying on his side. Few punches before Melvin gets up with a minute to go. They stayed in the clinch against the fence though. They stalled out there and got a ref break. Front kick from Carvalho. 10-8 Carvalho.
Round 4 – Manhoef throwing kicks low and high. Lead knee from Carvalho again. Right hook from Manhoef that may have wobbled Carvalho a bit. He’s bringing pressure but Carvalho managed to avoid the rest of the shots. Straight left from Carvalho. Head kick from Carvalho, and a kick to the body. Another step-in knee. Thigh kick. Melvin with another right hook. He’s bringing more pressure. Head kick from Carvalho and Manhoef is out cold! WOW!
Rafael Carvalho defeated Melvin Manhoef by KO (head kick), 3:15 of round 4
Elina Kallionidou vs. Anastasia Yankova
Round 1 – Yankova throwing early. Bringing a lot of pressure. Yankova clinches up against the fence briefly. Body kick as Kallionidou waded in. Yankova looking for a takedown, but can’t get it. Kallionidou gets a right in and misses with a superman punch. Yankova clinches and lands a knee. They break. Front kick from Yankova. Body kick and Yankova is chasing her down. She gets a takedown against the cage. She tries to pass to mount but gets bucked off. She works from side instead. 10-9 Yankova.
Round 2 – More Yankova pressure right away. Kallionidou tried to hold onto one of her arms in an odd spot. Kallionidou lands a nice spinning back fist. She clinches up now. They brawl a bit on the inside. Counter left for Yankova and she comes forward again. She looks to take her back briefly but they separate. Hard front kick to the face from Yankova. Elina clinches again. She lands a right on the break. Body kick from Yankova on her retreating opponent. 10-9 Yankova.
Round 3 – Two body kicks from Yankova. Kallionidou presses forward and they both land a few shots in close. That was the most action of the fight so far. Yankovva takes her back standing but Kallionidou spun away. Two leg kicks from Yankova. Back into the clinch. Front kick from Yankova. Kallionidou initiates the clinch and gets stuck in a standing guillotine. She held onto it for a long time. Finally she let go and they threw hands with two minute to go. Two inside leg kicks from Yankova. Yankova lands a nice left. More clinch work. Another spinning back fist lands for Kallionidou. Yankova lands a few more punches up to the horn. 10-9 and 30-27 Yankova.
Anastasia Yankova defeated Elina Kallionidou by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Djamil Chan vs. Valeriu Mircea
Round 1 – Nothing happening early. Finally Mircea threw a low kick. The sparse crowd is booing already. Mircea gets a bodylock takedown and works in half guard against the cage. There’s not a lot happening here either though. Mircea trying to posture up to land a few strikes. He’s looking for a guillotine now but Chan popped his arm off. 10-9 Mircea.
Round 2 – A hard leg kick from Chan opens the round. He throws a wild combo and another kick. Chan shoots in and slams Mircea to the mat. Mircea got up and landed a shot to the cup in the scramble. Chan with a big winging right. Mircea responds with a leg kick. Chan with another low kick. Mircea with a takedown now. He works from half. He lands a few punches against the cage. Chan trying to lock him down. Mircea headbutted him in the chest, and the ref restarted them on the feet. Mircea with a nice left. Chan with a perfect double leg takedown at the horn. 10-9 Mircea, but close.
Round 3 – Chan with an outside leg kick. Mircea fires back. More leg kicks. Mircea throws his own but eats a counter right. Chan lands a right hook and got a takedown. He landed some ground and pound, but backed out of guard with two minutes to go. He scored another slam takedown. His wrestling is impressive, but his control on the ground isn’t. Chan landing a few punches. Mircea trying to strike from the bottom. 10-9 Chan but 29-28 Mircea.
Valeriu Mircea defeated Djamil Chan by majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Samba Coulibaly vs. Mihail Nica
Round 1 – They trade kicks immediately. Coulibaly gets taken own and Nica looks for an anaconda choke. Coulibaly rolled over but Nica kept it latched on. Tap. Over just like that.
Mihail Nica defeated Samba Coulibaly by submission (anaconda choke), :36 of round 1
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