Bellator 277: Patricio Pitbull defeats AJ McKee to become three-time featherweight champion
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Bellator 277: Patricio Pitbull defeats AJ McKee to take featherweight title
The story below contains details of what happened at Bellator 277. You can watch the main card here and highlights from 21:00 on BBC iPlayer (UK only) and BBC Three.
Brazil's Patricio Pitbull continued his perfect record in rematches as he handed AJ McKee his first career loss at Bellator 277 to capture the featherweight title for a third time.
The bout was a rematch of the Bellator featherweight grand prix final, where McKee submitted Pitbull to capture the 145lb title and the $1m tournament prize.
But in the rematch at the SAP Center in San Jose, Pitbull, 34, edged a highly-competitive bout, with the three cageside judges scoring the fight 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 in favour of the Brazilian, who registered the 33rd win - and the sixth rematch victory - of his career.
The bout started in cagey fashion, with McKee, 27, looking to score from distance and Pitbull looking to catch the American on his way in. But Pitbull started to find a home for his shots in the second round, and landed a pair of eye-catching body shots toward the end of the round before returning to the corner with his hand raised.
The third round was Pitbull's best. He stunned McKee with a big right hand, then, moments later, locked up a tight triangle choke that briefly appeared to have the champion in trouble before "The Mercenary" eventually managed to escape.
McKee tried to up his work-rate in the final two rounds, but it was to no avail as the three judges all scored the bout for Pitbull.
"He's a tough guy. He's a great opponent. It was a hard fight for me," said Pitbull, who went on to explain his change in mindset from the first bout to the second.
"That day, I came in peace. Today, I came for war, and I'm bringing the belt home."
No contest leaves light-heavyweight grand prix in limbo
Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson are expected to have a rematch after their bout was ruled a no contest
Confusion reigned in the night's co-main event, where the light heavyweight title bout between champion Vadim Nemkov and top contender Corey Anderson was ruled a no contest after an accidental clash of heads caused the bout to be stopped late in the third round.
The pair met in the final of the $1m Bellator light-heavyweight grand prix, with Nemkov's undisputed title also on the line. But, after an unfortunate incident, both men left the octagon disappointed.
After a closely contested opening round, Anderson, 32, took over in the second and third rounds with his dominant wrestling giving him a clear edge over Nemkov, 29.
But, when the pair clashed heads during an exchange on the ground, the champion was left with a huge gash above his left eye.
After referee Frank Trigg halted the bout with seven seconds remaining in the round and brought in the cageside doctor to inspect Nemkov's injury, the bout was waved off. With the bout not having completed three full rounds, the matchup was ruled a no contest.
It meant that Nemkov retained his title, and the light heavyweight grand prix remained unresolved. A rematch now looks set to follow, with the two tournament finalists likely to face off for a second time later this year.
Vassell calls for heavyweight title shot after first-round win
Linton Vassell celebrated his Bellator 277 victory with his team
In the main card opener, English contender Linton "Big Swarm" Vassell edged one step closer to a shot at the Bellator heavyweight title with a come-from-behind TKO of former interim title challenger Tim Johnson.
Vassell, 38, looked to be in big trouble early in the first round when he was caught clean with a big right hand from Johnson, 37, that sent him to the canvas.
But, despite the American's best efforts to finish the fight, Vassell scrambled his way out of trouble before turning things around.
Vassell took Johnson's back, postured up, then unloaded a barrage of heavy ground and pound on the American to complete a remarkable turnaround and force the TKO stoppage after four minutes 21 seconds in the first round.
After his victory, Vassell called on Bellator president Scott Coker to give him a shot at the heavyweight title held by American Ryan Bader or a fight against number one contender Valentin Moldavsky.
Vassell said: "I'm the ground guy. From the UK. No wrestling background, came to the States… and the rest is history.
"We all know that I want that title fight. So, title fight.
"Scott Coker, if I don't get that... Moldavsky."
Vassell's win improved his record to 23-8 and extended his winning streak to four, with his victory over Johnson adding to prior successes against Sergei Kharitonov, Ronny Markes and Tyrell Fortune.
