Ryan Bader's ribs were visibly blush after getting kicked to the body during the first round. Well, Bader had enough of that during the second, when he rocked Lyoto Machida across the jaw with a big right hand and took him down, where he pummeled the Brazilian with vicious hammerfists, punches and elbows.
Bader would find the opening to score key takedowns in every round that followed, imposing his will on Machida en route to a unanimous decision victory Friday night in the headliner of Bellator 256 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Judges there saw it 49-46, 49-45 and 49-45 all in favor of Bader, clearly crediting him for his five takedowns and unrelenting ground and pound.
With the victory, Bader not only avenged a loss against Machida from August 2012, but he advances to the semifinal of the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament, looking to secure $1 million and become light heavyweight champion once again.
After a rough first round, Bader lunged forward and set up his slick takedown with a right hand in the second.
Each subsequent takedown came earlier in the round, as Bader took Machida off his feet at the two-minute mark of the third, 42 seconds into the fourth and 29 seconds into the fifth. Each takedown enabled Bader to tee off on Machida, who looked defenseless protecting himself from the barrage of punches and elbows raining down on him with bad intentions.
Just like that, Bader awaits his next opponent for a Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix semifinal matchup in July.
Here's how the rest of the Bellator 256 event went.
Co-main event: Liz Carmouche handles Vanessa Porto for unanimous decision win; Flyweights
What started out as crisp leg kicks and high kicks from Carmouche opened up the offense with stiff jabs in the third round, as she coasted to victory over Porto. Judges had it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Adam Borics def. Jeremy Kennedy via unanimous decision; Featherweight
Borics let out a primal yell after judges scored it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all in his favor. Borics knew he had the victory in tow, having worked behind a stiff, nasty jab the entire fight as if Kennedy was target practice in the cage.
Cat Zingano def. Olivia Parker via first-round submission (armbar); Featherweights
That didn't take long. Zingano found an opening to cinch in an armbar to get a first-round submission, inching one step closer to a potential title shot. Cyborg, the featherweight champion, faces Leslie Smith on May 21. Zingano made it clear that she wants to face the winner.
Dan Moret def. Goiti Yamauchi by unanimous decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28); Lightweights
It looked to be a clear victory for Yamauchi, who dominated the first two rounds. Judges, however, inexplicably didn't see it that way awarding the bout to Moret.