Join us tonight (Saturday, April 27th) on Bloody Elbow for live results and detailed play-by-play as Bellator 220 comes to you from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
There are two title fights on this card, with welterweight champion Rory MacDonald facing Jon Fitch not just for the belt, but to advance to Bellator’s tournament semifinals. The winner faces Neiman Gracie, likely on June 14th at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Ilima Lei-Macfarlane putting her belt on the line against Veta Arteaga. Other main card action includes a rematch between former Bellator LHW champions Liam McGeary and Phil Davis, ex-UFC and WEC lightweight champ Benson Henderson facing prospect Adam Picolotti, and rising featherweight prospect Gaston Bolanos against Nathan Stolen.
You can watch the Bellator 220 prelims at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT in the video player below. Main card action then takes place exclusively on DAZN at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, or on Sky Sports if you’re in the United Kingdom.
Here’s the full fight card:
Main Card (DAZN, 10 PM ET)
Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch
Round 1 – Fitch shots for a takedown right away and MacDonald sprawls, throwing elbows to the side of the head. Now Fitch does get the takedown. MacDonald on his way to getting up. He had control of Fitch’s left arm. The champ is back to his feet and has a standing kimura. He lets it go and then fires off some shots on Fitch. Rory has glove issues and time is called for a brief moment. Good sprawl by Rory on Fitch’s double leg attempt. Fitch with a leg kick. Straight right by MacDonald and another one. Fitch’s kick is blocked. Jab lands for Rory. MacDonald on the front foot. Single leg by Fitch and Rory responds with elbows. Takedown by Fitch and he fights off the guillotine. Good work by the challenger. Fitch staying on top and that’s how the round ends. 10-9 Fitch
Round 2 – Fitch continuing to attack with his wrestling. MacDonald was downed once but he’s back and stuffed the next one. Fitch keeps on the pressure. It’s ugly but effective and Rory has been warned for grabbing the fence. He escapes Fitch’s grasp and then rocks Jon with a head kick. MacDonald gets hit with a jab. Low kick by Rory hits Fitch in the nether regions but he’s okay. Hard right hand by MacDonald. Leg kick by Fitch. MacDonald with a left hook. Sharp right hand connects for Rory. Big body kick by Fitch as he changed levels then switched to a kick. Good body shot by Fitch and he presses for the takedown again and gets it. MacDonald is back up fairly quickly. He has wrist control, Fitch throws a kick, Rory now takes Jon down. Seconds tick away and the round ends with MacDonald on top. 19-19.
Round 3 – Exchange of shots in the center of the cage and Fitch eats a head kick but still persists with the takedown as he moves forward. And he gets it. A pretty classic Fitching going on. Elbow cuts Rory open. His forehead is bleeding significantly. Another good elbow by Fitch. MacDonald goes for an armbar but Fitch is wise to it. Rory has butterfly guard going but he’s nowhere nearer to getting up. Now he’s seated with 15 seconds. A clear-cut round for the underdog. 29-28 Fitch.
Round 4 – MacDonald pumping out the jab. Takedown stuffed by MacDonald. Fitch might be hurt after taking multiple hard shots. MacDonald unleashing big shots on the ground. Fitch is back to his feet but in bad shape. Hammerfists to the side of the head. Big elbow by MacDonald cracks Fitch. Jon trying to scramble to top position and does. MacDonald returns to his feet. Back down again and failing on a kimura. Fitch throwing short hammerfists. MacDonald warned for toes gripping the cage. Fitch kneeing the thigh. Very little damage being done here. Ref stands them up. I give MacDonald the round based on damage. 38-38.
Round 5 – Jumping knee by MacDonald misses. Good right hand by Rory and he shucks off Jon’s takedown. Fitch with two right hands, then another takedown. MacDonald attacks with a triangle choke. Toes in the fence yet again. Rory keeps squeezing but he’s not got Fitch in any danger. MacDonald bails on the choke. Rory returns to butterfly guard. Fitch remains on top. Crowd is restless. MacDonald is offering nothing. Rory grabs the fence for the umpteenth time. He works his way back up. Brought down to a knee. Time ticks away. Rory lost the round and I think he just lost his title, but it’s a close fight. 48-47 Fitch.
Official result: Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch ends in majority draw (48-46 Fitch, 47-47, 47-47), but MacDonald advances by virtue of defending his title successfully
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Veta Arteaga
Round 1 – Macfarlane with an immediate single leg attempt. Arteaga lookign to work the champ over with strikes from the clinch while against the fence. Arteaga defending the takedown thus far and uses the fence as her friend. Macfarlane now drags her to the mat and has the hooks in. Back mount and big trouble for Arteaga. Armbar incoming from Macfarlane but she’s out of it. Macfarlane now grabbing a leg while Arteaga throws hammerfists. Heel hook by Macfarlane. Arteaga surviving and now Macfarlane gives it up. Arteaga now takes some knees on the way up as they’re back to striking. They exchange punches and now Macfarlane has a front headlock, throwing knees. Leg kick by Arteaga. Round ends and Macfarlane has that one secured. 10-9 Macfarlane.
Round 2 – Arteaga on the front foot. Nice counter right by Macfarlane. Knee against the fence by Macfarlane as Arteaga looks for a leg. And a takedown by Macfarlane instead. A relative stalemate on the ground thus far with Macfarlane trying to throw stay-busy strikes. Macfarlane postures up and lands a few head shots. Macfarlane has been cut from an elbow from the bottom. Good shots by Macfarlane from guard. She stands up and now Arteaga is back to her feet. Left hook by Arteaga scores. Sharp right hand catches Arteaga across the face. Leg kick by the champion. Stiff right by Arteaga. The challenger landing some good shots here. Hard leg kick by Macfarlane. Arteaga responding with a good shot. 19-19.
Round 3 – Aggressive striking from Arteaga and a knee upstairs. Whizzer used by Arteaga to stop a takedown but now Macfarlane has her on her back again. HUGE elbow has Arteaga’s forehead leaking like a faucet. Arteaga is up and with Macfarlane draped on her back, but Jason Herzog intervenes to call in the doctor. That is a brutal cut. Fight over.
Official result: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane def. Veta Artega by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 1:50 of round 3 to defend Bellator women’s flyweight title
Benson Henderson vs. Adam Piccolotti
Round 1 – Piccolotti starts out with a leg kick. Blocked kick thrown by Piccolotti. Brief flurry and they tie-up against the fence. Hard knee by Henderson in the clinch. Piccolotti driving for that takedown. He gets him down and takes the back. Big ground-and-pound and now he’s going for the rear-naked choke. Piccolotti warned for hitting behind the head. Henderson stands up and Piccolotti has him backpacked. He drops back down for the RNC and doesn’t have it. Piccolotti going for the body-triangle and he is landing right hands to the head. Piccolotti going for an arm-triangle choke. Henderson escapes to his feet! Body kick by Bendo. Big elbow in the clinch by Henderson and a right hand! What a response! Hard leg kick by Henderson and another one buckles Piccolotti. This was nearly a 10-8 round before that late charge by Henderson. 10-9 Piccolotti.
Round 2 – Henderson with a jumping knee! He continues his aggressiveness and he takes Piccolotti down. Henderson almost has Piccolotti’s back. He jumps for it and is too high. Henderson still scrambles and takes Piccolotti down. Adam’s guillotine has nothing on it and now Bendo with a standing guillotine. He switches to some brutal knees. Piccolotti is out of submission danger. Henderson secures another takedown and takes the back again. He might be angling for the Suloev stretch. Now he almost has Piccolotti flattened down. Mad scramble keeps Henderson on top. Heel hook by Piccolotti but Henderson escapes and lands a couple of shots. Adam tries to chain submissions together but Henderson fends them all off. Big body shot by Henderson. Now he’s in full guard. Henderson now stood up, Piccolotti with an upkick. 19-19.
Round 3 – Piccolotti is cut because of a Henderson elbow from round two. Henderson lands a straight left. Flying knee fails and Henderson is on his back but in rubber guard. He drops the rubber guard and now he’s looking to choke Piccolotti out. Piccolotti remaining calm and now he gets to side control. Henderson scrambling and nearly reverses him. Benson on the verge of getting up. Piccolotti throwing knees to the body. Piccolotti working on that arm and Henderson explodes out and into top position! Now he has him up against the fence landing a knee and elbow in the clinch. Failed trip by Henderson puts him back against the fence and down. Less than two minutes to go. Piccolotti maintaining top position but not doing much damage. He jumps on the back. Body triangle and now a standing rear-naked choke. He drops down again and not only does it fail, Henderson is now in Piccolotti’s guard. He throws body shots and head shots. Short elbows by Henderson. Final fifteen seconds. Henderson with one more shot and that’s it. What a fight! 29-28 Piccolotti.
Official result: Benson Henderson by Adam Piccolotti by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Phil Davis vs. Liam McGeary
Round 1 – Lots of feinting but not a lot of throwing. McGeary with a left hook. Nice leg kick by Davis. Jab backs Davis up. Phil with a leg kick. Lands another two more. Now he goes to the body. McGeary with a clubbing right hand. Good right by Davis and more low kicks. A right hand from McGeary catches Davis. McGeary answers with a leg kick. Superman punch try by McGeary, who then absorbs another leg kick. Lull in the action has the crowd booing. McGeary sticking out that jab. Head kick is blocked. Davis’ head kick misses. 10-9 Davis.
Round 2 – Davis nearly thuds home a hard right hand. Might have caught him on the bridge of the nose. McGeary is still not checking those leg kicks. Davis with a looping left that’s way off-target. Another leg kick by Davis. Buckled him with the next one. Jab by McGeary, Davis then clinches up and lands two knees. McGeary really struggling to get his offense going. Vicious leg kick by Davis. McGeary can’t get the left hook to connect. Davis continues to have success with the lead leg kick. McGeart charging forward and pushing the pace. Lands a right but has his head kick blocked. He is not moving well on that leg. Clear round for Davis. 20-18 Davis.
Round 3 – McGeary the aggressor but he can’t land the fight-changing blows. Now he gets taken down into half-guard by Davis. Advances to side control, McGeary scrambles but Davis athletically takes the back. Davis ties up the arm and wails on Liam with big right hands. McGeary now working on an armbar but Davis is privy to that. He unleashes some elbows. As McGeary gets up, Davis lands a front kick to the face and Liam thinks he was a downed opponent. Nothing is called. Left hook by McGeary partially lands. Davis with the teep to the body. McGeary ties up Davis and connects on a knee to the body. Davis answers back with multiple knees before exiting. Left hand might have hurt McGeary. Davis takes him down and is unleashing huge elbows from back mount. McGeary just tapped to something and I don’t know what it is, but he tapped before the RNC was really set up. Something hurt him and that’s what must have spelled the end.
Official result: Phil Davis def. Liam McGeary by TKO (jaw injury) at 4:11 of round 3
Gaston Bolanos vs. Nathan Stolen
Round 1 – Heavy leg kick by Bolanos already. Two-punch combo by Bolanos. He misses on the spining elbow. Stolen lands a right hand and then a leg kick. Good exchange in the center of the cage. Takedown by Stolen is stopped by Bolanos with a whizzer. Nice combo by Bolanos again. Lateral drop by Stolen leads to Nathan almost taking Bolanos’ back but now Gaston is on top. They’re back to their feet. Bolanos MELTS Stolen with a left hook for the ages. Frank Trigg intervenes to stop the fight as Bolanos threw some more shots on the ground. Goodness me.
Official result: Gaston Bolanos def. Nathan Stolen by TKO (strikes) at 2:21 of round 1
Preliminary Card (Online at 7:30 PM ET)
Aviv Gozali def. Travis Crain via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:25 of round 1
Brandon Faumui def. Chris Avila via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Matt Perez def. Justin Tenedora via KO (punches) at 4:52 of round 1
Cass Bell def. Peter Ishiguro via KO (strikes) Round 2, 2:59
Chuck Campbell def. Bruno Casillas via KO (knee) at 1:45 of round 1
Hyder Amil def. Paradise Vaovasa via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:34 of round 1
Josh San Diego def. Brandon Laroco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Jordan Williams def. Diego Herzog via TKO (punches) at 1:21 of round 3
Abraham Vaesau def. Justin Roswell via TKO (punches) at 1:59 of round 1
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