Bellator Champions Series London Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Darragh Kelly (155.2) vs. Dmytrii Hrytsenko (155.6)

Round 1

Undefeated lightweights get the blood pumping, as Bellator MMA kicks off its first event in England in more than two years with a 155-pound battle between SBG Ireland’s Kelly (6-0, 5-0 Bellator) and Ukraine’s Hrytsenko (9-0, 2-0 Bellator). Kerry Hatley oversees the action. Customary glove tap gets us started. Kelly immediately controls the center of the cage and backs the Ukrainian to the cage with punches. He shoots on the hips, secures a takedown and powers into full mount. Hrytsenko manages to claim half guard and scramble to his feet. Kelly stays on the hips and then settles into the clinch. They separate. Hrytsenko connects with a leg kick. Kelly answers with one of his own. Hrytsenko gets his jab in gear, ducks an overhand right and blocks a head kick. More pressure from Kelly, who swings for the fences—and misses. The Irishman again shoots on the hips. Hrytsenko shrugs it off and forces a break. He throws his jab and backs up with a few power punches in close. Kelly closes the distance with an uppercut, lands a clubbing overhand right and fires a flying knee behind it. Hrytsenko clinches and feeds knees into his counterpart’s legs and midsection before separating. A minute to go in the first round. Two right uppercuts from Kelly, who powers into the clinch. Hrytsenko turns him into the fence. Another uppercut from Kelly. Hrytsenko responds with leg kicks and jabs. An accidental eye poke from Kelly results in a pause to the action. Round ends with a body kick from Kelly and a takedown from Hrytsenko.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kelly
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Kelly
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Kelly

Round 2

Hrytsenko looks winded at the start of the middle stanza. Kelly presses forward, eats a few jabs and blocks a high kick. He cracks Hrytsenko with a right uppercut, floats into open space and catches a head kick before briefly securing a tie-up. Some uppercut-heavy dirty boxing from Kelly at close range. Hrytsenko flicks out his jab, drawing blood from the nose of his opponent. Nice three-piece combo from the Ukrainian. More jabs from Hrytsenko, followed by right hands over the top. Kelly shoots on the legs and completes a double-leg takedown. Hrytsenko gives up his back but manages to stand, with the Irishman clinging to his hips. Kelly scores with knees to the legs. Ninety seconds to go. Hrytsenko having issues with the Irishman’s clinch. Kelly delivers another takedown but cannot keep his opponent down. Hrytsenko breaks free and leans on his jab. Kelly answers with a right uppercut, ducks into a takedown attempt and wanders into a tie-up. Late takedown from Hrytsenko amounts to nothing.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kelly
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Kelly
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Kelly

Round 3

Both men showing signs of fatigue, though Hrytsenko’s back seems to be against the wall. Kelly commands the center of the cage, eats a few jabs and sweeps the Ukrainian off his feet—twice—with leg kicks. He then powers into the clinch and presses Hrytsenko into the fence. Valuable time ticks away. A knee to the groin from Hrytsenko sends Kelly to all fours in visible pain, resulting in another pause. Hrytsenko pleads his case to Hatley, to no avail. Replays show clear kneecap-to-cup contact. Kelly adjusts and readjusts the jewels while attempting to recover. Kelly stays busy on the restart. Leg kick from the Irishman. Nice elbows from Kelly at close range. Kelly powers into the clinch and leans on his fading opponent. Hrytsenko not showing much resistance midway through the final round. Kelly works to lift him into a takedown but fails. Another knee to the groin from Hrytsenko stops the action and leaves Kelly flat on his back. Hatley deducts a point from Hrytsenko, who needs to sharpen his aim. Multi-punch volley from the Ukrainian as they restart. Kelly presses forward, walks through jabs and shoots on the hips. No sprawl from Hrytsenko, but he manages to stay upright and braces himself along the fence. Kelly fires knees the legs and continues to dictate the flow of action. A minute to go. Kelly presses Hrytsenko into the fence, breaks free, scores with a pair of left hooks and gets back to the clinch, then breaks away with a head kick as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Kelly (30-26 Kelly)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Kelly (30-26 Kelly)
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-8 Kelly (30-26 Kelly)

The Official Result

Darragh Kelly def. Dmytrii Hrytsenko—Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Ciaran Clarke (139.8) vs. Tuomas Gronvall (139.1)

Round 1

Action next shifts to a catchweight clash between SBG Ireland’s Clarke (9-0, 9-0 Bellator) and Finland’s Gronvall (12-7-1, 0-0 Bellator) at 140 pounds. Dan Miragliotta draws the officiating assignment. They touch gloves and get down to business. Body kick from Gronvall, followed by another. Clarke presses forward, shoots on a single-leg and scrambles on to the back. Gronvall stays on his feet in a crouched position and tries to shake off the Irishman. Clarke eventually bails. Gronvall controls the neck and feeds his opponent knees to the legs, body and head. They jockey for position in the clinch. Clarke turns him into the fence, and they separate. Gronvall closes the distance with an attempted single-leg. Clarke braces himself along the fence and fires an elbow over the top. Ninety seconds to go. Clarke connects with a slashing elbow. Nice right cross-left hook from Gronvall. Clarke backs him up with a stiff jab, closes in and clinches. Beautiful lateral drop from Clark. Gronvall rolls through and manages to stay off his back. Clarke feeds him punches from the rear waistlock as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Clarke
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Clarke
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Clarke

Round 2

They meet in the middle to start Round 2. Gronvall pumps out his jab and surprises Clarke with a single-leg takedown in the center of the cage. Clarke fires elbows to the top of his head from full guard. Gronvall stands after being threatened with an armbar. Clarke scrambles to his feet, only to be returned to the mat. Gronvall fails to control position, and Clarke stands. The Irishman goes to work on a takedown of his own, gets denied and settles back into the clinch. Clarke scrambles behind his counterpart and jumps to the back. Gronvall shakes him off. He works behind Clarke and briefly secures both hooks in the backpack position. Clarke frees himself but cannot gain much separation. He then scrambles behind Gronvall and tries to dump him to the canvas. No luck. Surprisingly strong takedown defense from Gronvall. He lands a few elbows at close range before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Gronvall
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Gronvall
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Gronvall

Round 3

Anyone’s fight to start the third round. Clarke immediately closes the distance, gets in on the hips and goes back to work in the clinch. Gronvall breaks free. Clarke punches into a tie-up and dumps his opponent to the canvas. Gronvall builds a base and gets back to his feet, only to be dragged down to the mat. Clarke progresses to the back and secures position with a body triangle. So begins his hunt for a fight-ending choke. Clarke peppers him with short punches. Gronvall gets back to a standing position and tries to spike the Irishman. However, he seems to be sinking deeper into Clarke’s quicksand. He maintains back control and feeds Gronvall punches to the side of the head. Ninety seconds left. Clarke continues to score with punches, all while threatening the neck. He sneaks his left arm under Gronvall’s chin but cannot free his other hand to tighten his squeeze. Gronvall survives but figures to lose a decision.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Clarke
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Clarke
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Clarke

The Official Result

Ciaran Clarke def. Tuomas Gronvall—Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Steven Hill (173.8) vs. Joseph Luciano (174.1)

Round 1

They keep the ball rolling with another catchweight affair, as Hill (7-1, 2-1 Bellator) collides with a onetime Eternal MMA champion in Australia’s Luciano (8-2, 0-0 Bellator) at 175 pounds. Bryan Miner administers the law and order. They great one another in the center of the cage. Luciano circles on the outside. Hill shoots on a double-leg and briefly secures a takedown, then returns him to the mat after the Aussie gets back to his feet. Luciano stands again. Hill fires knees to the legs from the clinch and mixes in a few foot stomps. Luciano works back to a more neutral chest-to-chest position and denies a takedown. Midway through the round. Hill still stuck to the Australian’s hips. He goes to work briefly on a single-leg, separates for a moment and scores with a takedown. Luciano gets back to his feet and connects with a short elbow on the break. Leg kick from the Aussie. And another. Luciano connects with a clean one-two and zeroes in on the lead leg with another kick. Hill steps into a jab, then lands a cross. Hill scores with a left hook at close range and denies a Luciano takedown as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hill
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hill
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Hill

Round 2

Luciano steps forward, feints, misses a left hook and shoots in and completes a double-leg takedown. Hill gets back to his feet, only to get lifted and slammed. Luciano clings to a rear waistlock, but Hill manages to free himself. Leg kick from Hill. Luciano answers with one of his own. Hill closes the distance but leaves his neck exposed. Luciano cinches the choke, backs him to the fence and forces him to a seated position, at which point he taps.

The Official Result

Joseph Luciano def. Steven Hill—Submission (Anaconda Choke) 1:22 R2

Eslam Abdul Baset Syaha (184) vs. Mike Shipman (185.9)

Round 1

The spotlight now shifts to the middleweight division, where Egypt’s Syaha (16-2, 0-0 Bellator) awaits Shipman (16-4, 7-3 Bellator) at 185 pounds. Miragliotta steps in as the third man in the cage. Shipman steps into a one-two and sits down the Egyptian inside the first 10 seconds. Syaha clinches and presses him into the fence. They trade dominant positions along the cage. Shipman secures double underhooks and turns his opponent before shooting on the hips. Syaha denies the takedown. Shipman stays with it and trips him to the floor, then settles in half guard. Syaha looks a bit like a fish out of water on his back. Shipman scores with shoulder strikes and short punches, all while applying maximum pressure. Ninety seconds left. Shipman works body-head combinations and looks for openings to pass to full mount. Syaha holds him place, wastes energy and fires of a few meaningless heel strikes to the hip. Shipman increases the intensity of his ground-and-pound in the closing seconds. Syaha gets back to his feet, bleeding from a massive cut above the right eye.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Shipman
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Shipman
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Shipman

Round 2

Miragliotta warns Syaha to protect the cut at the start of the middle stanza. Shipman steps into a one-two, shoots and drives into a successful takedown. Mat return from Shipman. He lands in side control, then moves to half guard. He progresses to side control, forces Syaha to go belly down and threatens with an anaconda choke. Shipman scrambles behind him, lets his hands go and separates. Blood once again pouring from the wound. Shipman circles on the outside and cracks the Egyptian with a knee. Syaha crumples and eats a sustained burst of punches that necessitates the stoppage.

The Official Result

Mike Shipman def. Eslam Abdul Baset Syaha—TKO (Knee and Punches) 2:32 R2

Archie Colgan (155.1) vs. Manoel Sousa (155.3)

Round 1

Unbeaten lightweight prospects close out the undercard, as Colgan (10-0, 6-0 Bellator) toes the line against Sousa (11-0, 1-0 Bellator) in an intriguing 155-pound contest. Sousa, 27, has finished 10 of his first 11 opponents. Hatley serves as the referee. They tentatively touch gloves and begin to circle each other. Sousa switching stances early. Nothing to break the tension yet. They trade jabs and left hooks. Colgan fires a leg kick, then doubles up on his jab. Looping right hand from Sousa. Colgan darts in and out with feints. Sousa follows a jab with a right uppercut, drawing an audible reaction from the crowd. Colgan uncorks a right hand over the top. The former University of Wyoming wrestler may be playing with fire by being so willing to engage on the feet. Sousa’s comfort level appears to be growing. Less than a minute to go. Colgan shoots and drives perfectly into a double-leg takedown. Sousa staying active on his back, cutting off avenues for ground-and-pound. The Brazilian gets back to his feet in the waning seconds.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sousa
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Colgan
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Colgan

Round 2

Colgan light on his feet to start the second round. Sousa steps forward behind his jab and avoids the return fire. Left hook to the body from the Brazilian. Colgan throwing in single strikes. Left hook from the Brazilian, who follows with an accidental eye poke that results in a pause to the action. Colgan fakes a shot upon the restart, then circles. They trade. Colgan connects with a clubbing right hook to punctuate the exchange. Jabs from Sousa, who backs it up with a low kick. Neither man has seized the reins yet. Colgan shoots on a double-leg and completes it. He shuts down a scramble and works from half guard. Elbows begin to fall. Sousa frames a kimura as a means to defend himself. Colgan scrambles to his feet, lets a knee go and engages in some dirty boxing. Right hook to the body from Sousa. Colgan closes the distance again, hoists the Brazilian skyward and dumps him to the mat. Much better round from the American.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Colgan
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Colgan
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Colgan

Round 3

Could be 2-0 Colgan or 1-1 to start Round 3. Sousa lowers his stance and gets busy with jabs and feints. Colgan answers with a right hand over the top, then circles. Sousa gives chase and swings at air. Thumping one-two from Colgan. Sousa sneaks in a right hand in the center of the cage. Colgan looks no worse for wear. Colgan ducks into an uppercut, engages in the clinch and breaks free. He then draws Sousa in and scores with another takedown. Colgan applies his ground-and-pound and makes the exit difficult. Sousa gets back to his feet midway through the round. The Brazilian needs to change the narrative here. Colgan leans on his opponent, then floats back into open space. Sousa swinging wildly. Colgan walks him into a right hand. Wise tactics from the American, who continues to use footwork and lateral movement to keep himself at a safe distance. Sousa growing increasingly reckless. The Brazilian shrugs off a takedown and pins Colgan to the fence with punches at the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Colgan (29-28 Colgan)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Colgan (30-27 Colgan)
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Colgan (30-27 Colgan)

The Official Result

Archie Colgan def. Manoel Sousa—Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Marc Diakiese (155.7) vs. Tim Wilde (155.3)

Round 1

Attention stays on the lightweight division to start the main card, where a former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion in Diakiese (17-7, 0-0 Bellator) makes his organizational debut opposite Wilde (17-5-1, 5-2-1 Bellator) at 155 pounds. It marks Diakiese’s first appearance outside of the UFC since May 2016. Miner oversees the action. They greet one another in the center of the cage. Body kick from Diakiese. Wilde blocks a head kick. Feints from both men as they circle. Another body kick from Diakiese. Wilde answers with an outside leg kick. Diakiese swings with a wild left hook, takes an off-balance knee and resets. They trade leg kicks. Diakiese narrowly misses a spinning wheel kick and lets his opponent know about it. Body kick from Diakiese. Wilde answers with an inside leg kick. Neither man throwing much in combination. Diakiese connects with a jumping switch kick to the body. Wilde stifles a takedown attempt. Diakiese stays on the hips, drives him to the fence, lifts him and completes the takedown. Diakiese briefly moves to full mount, then settles in half guard, backing up those efforts with ground-and-pound.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese

Round 2

Both men swing and miss wildly at the start of the middle stanza. Wilde backs up a straight right to the body with a hook upstairs. Body kick from Diakiese, who shoots and secures another takedown. Wilde builds a base along the fence and gets back to this feet. Wilde appears to get away with a wayward knee below the belt. Miner tells Diakiese to fight on. He hangs out in the clinch while he recovers. Midway through the round. Diakiese still glued to his opponents hips. He drives forward with a takedown and lands in half guard. Diakiese frames an arm-triangle and climbs to full mount. Wilde manages to reclaim half guard but eats a number of punches for his troubles. A minute to go, and Wilde looks to have lost control of the fight. Diakiese forces Wilde to carry his weight, allows him to stand and takes him right back down to the canvas with 20 seconds to go. Ground-and-pound follows until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Diakiese

Round 3

Wilde probably needs a finish here. Diakiese lands a side kick to the thigh, then misfires with a spinning back kick upstairs off of it. Wilde presses forward and pushes his countryman onto the back foot. He fires a straight right to the body. Diakiese circles. Leg kick from Wilde. Diakiese shoots on a takedown, runs into a sprawl and eats a right hand over the top. Wilde appears to stagger him with the blow but fails to follow up. Body kick from Wilde. He follows a clean body kick with a low kick and a one-two. Diakiese shoots twice for takedowns. Both fail. Leg kick from Wilde. Ninety seconds to go. Wilde corners his opponent along the fence and connects with a Superman punch. Diakiese not offering much offense, as he looks content with coasting to a decision. Wilde sprawls on a weak takedown attempt. Spinning back kick to the body from Wilde. A leg kick forces Diakiese to switch stances, as they clinch along the fence until the bout ends.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Wilde (29-28 Diakiese)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Wilde (29-28 Diakiese)
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Wilde (29-28 Diakiese)

The Official Result

Marc Diakiese def. Tim Wilde—Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Laurynas Urbonavicius (205) vs. Luke Trainer (204.2)

Round 1

Business picks up with a move to light heavyweights, as Trainer (8-1, 5-1 Bellator) sets his sights on Urbonavicius (14-1, 0-0 Bellator) in a 205-pound showcase. The 36-year-old Urbonavicius has won eight fights in a row, five of them finishes. Miragliotta draws the officiating assignment. They start with a glove tap. Urbonavicius tests the waters with low kicks. Trainer answers with his jab and his enormous 81-inch reach. Urbonavicius continues to target the legs with kicks. Rear-leg front kick to the body from Trainer, who punches into a tie-up, cuts loose with an elbow and goes to work on a takedown. Urbonavicius braces himself against the fence and manages to stay upright. They trade close-range knee strikes to the body. Trainer forcing his counterpart to carry his weight in the clinch. He connects with an elbow on the break and floors Urbonavicius with a left hook. Trainer plows into top position, sets up shop in half guard and progresses to the back. He fires away with short punches to the side of the head, secures his position with a body triangle, sneaks his arm underneath the chin and prompts the tapout with a rear-naked choke.

The Official Result

Luke Trainer def. Laurynas Urbonavicius—Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 4:15 R1

Simeon Powell (205.9) vs. Rafael Xavier (204.6)

Round 1

Light heavyweights get some shine in the co-main event, where Powell (9-1, 0-0 Bellator) awaits Xavier (13-7, 0-0 Bellator) at 205 pounds. Powell, 25, was a PFL Europe finalist in 2023. Hatley administers the law and order. Powell takes the center of the cage and greets his opponent with a leg kick. They exchange jabs. Powell using his reach to control distance. Leg kick from Xavier sweeps the Brit off his feet. Front kick from Xavier penetrates the defenses, connects to the chin and sends Powell careening backward. The impact clearly dazed him. Powell wisely clinches and recovers. Xavier frees himself and moves into open space. Powell connects with a one-two. He level changes, shoots and drives Xavier to the fence. No takedown. Xavier breaks the clinch and gets back to the center of the cage. Powell paws with his jab. A feint draws out Xavier’s hands and leaves him open for an uppercut. Powell obliges. Another thudding leg kick from Xaiver. Powell works behind his jab, and Xavier connects with a brutal left hook in the waning seconds. Powell hits the deck, saved by the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Xavier
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Xavier
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Xavier

Round 2

Can Powell recover? He comes out firing punches with both hands, then resets in the center. Powell steps into a body kick, then gets busy with his jab. Xavier has him reeling again, steps into a front kick and lets his hands fly. Powell circles out of danger, then lures him into the clinch. They stall midway through the round. Powell lands a right hand over the top on the break. Xavier answers a jab with a leg kick. Powell effective on the counter, though a cut near his left eye looks like it is becoming increasingly worrisome. Powell continues to lean on his jab, and wisely so. Xavier a stationery target by the close of the round. Fatigue has set in.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Powell
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Powell
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Powell

Round 3

Anyone’s fight here. Powell opens with a leg kick and eats a double jab for his troubles. Xavier stalks forward, throws a front kick and scores with a leg kick. Powell gets back on his jab. Xavier struggling with output. Powell steps into a one-two, doubles up on his jab and circles on the perimeter, forcing Xavier to pursue him. Another jab from Powell. Xavier leads with his left hook but narrowly misses the target. Midway through the round. Powell misses wildly with an elbow over the top. He shoots on a takedown and runs Xavier into the fence. Powell knees the legs and bleeds valuable time off the clock. Xavier denies a takedown and breaks free. He beckons Powell to engage on the feet. Two jabs from Powell, followed by an overhand right. Neither man throwing much. With 15 seconds left, they get busy. Xavier misses a front kick and ducks an overhand right.

Sherdog Scores

Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Powell (29-28 Powell)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Xavier (29-28 Xavier)
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Powell (29-28 Powell)

The Official Result

Simeon Powell def. Rafal Xavier—Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Leah McCourt (145.9) vs. Sara Collins (145.8)

Round 1

Women’s featherweights close out the show, as McCourt (8-3, 7-2 UFC) takes on an undefeated Australian judoka in Collins (5-0, 2-0 Bellator) at 145 pounds. Miragliotta serves as the referee. A glove tap gets them going. Collins throws an overhand right and trips her opponent to the floor, then lingers above her. McCourt connects with an upkick and gets back to her feet. She works behind her jab, looking to maximize her height and reach advantages. Collins walks her into a right hand and floors her where she stands. The Australian jumps in top position and hammers away with punches and hammerfists, perhaps nearing a finish. Collins floats to the back and threatens with a rear-naked choke. She releases the grip, softens McCourt further with punches and goes back to the choke. From there, Collins tightens her squeeze and elicits the tapout.

The Official Result

Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt—Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:25 R1