Boise, ID (5/20/16)—Four Front Street Fights veterans saw their hands raised in the first act of Bellator 155 Friday night at CenturyLink Arena. Vince Morales, Joe Hamilton, Casey Johnson, and Jesse Brock were all winners after six preliminary card fights opened the festivities in Boise. Two additional preliminary fights will follow the main event card.
The results of the first six preliminary bouts are as follows:
Vince “Vendetta” Ash def. Hamilton Ash; Knockout Rd 3, 2:32 remaining
Vince Morales had to make a move in the third round of Bellator 155’s opening preliminary fight, with Hamilton Ash having the better of the Featherweight bout’s first two rounds. Hamilton used a long reach early in the fight to keep Morales to the perimeter of the cage, getting Morales to the ground multiple times in each round and opening cuts on Morales’ cheek and above his eye brow. Ash opened the third with a series of leg kicks, the last of which opened an opportunity for Morales to land a right jab that staggered Ash. Morales pounced to tackle Ash to the ground and land several shots to earn the knockout win. Morales, who has fought at FSF5, FSF6, and FSF8, moved to 4-1 professionally and has three career knockouts. Ash is now 3-2.
Joe “The Manwich” Hamilton def. Tyler “Hulk Hands” Freeland; Submission Rd1, 4:38 remaining
Two Idaho natives with perfect 3-0 records met in a Catchweight bout that lasted only 22 seconds, as Joe Hamilton’s early kick to Tyler Freedman’s shoulder sent Freedman to the ground. Hamilton dove on top of Freeland and quickly applied a rear-naked chokehold that forced Freeland to tap out. Hamilton is now 4-0, with all four pro victories coming at CenturyLink Arena thanks to wins at FSF2, FSF4, and FSF8. The 22 second victory was the fastest of Hamilton’s career. Freeland is now 3-1.
Casey “Wild Style” Johnson def. Brendon Raftery; Submission Rd2, 3:44 remaining
Brendon Raftery and Casey Johnson were initially supposed to meet at FSF8, a fight that was cancelled due to a Raftery injury. At Bellator 155, fight fans got a second chance to see this matchup and Johnson had the upper-hand over Raftery to improve his perfect record to 5-0, while Raftery fell to 4-3. The two Front Street Fights veterans grappled in the first round, with a Raftery leg kick sending Johnson to the mat. Raftery spent most of the rest of that round on top of Johnson but couldn’t land enough clean shots before the bell. Johnson came out swinging to open Round 2, getting Raftery to the cage wall and wrapping him up from behind to drag him to the floor and apply the rear-naked chokehold for a submission win, the third submission win of his career.
Marcin Held def. Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen; Unanimous Decision
Dave Jansen defeated Marcin Held back in 2013 at Bellator 93, but Held got his revenge on Friday night in the first fight of the night to go the distance. Held won the Lightweight contest by unanimous decision to push his record to 22-4, and his Bellator record to 11-3, while Jansen is now 20-4 and 7-2 at Bellator. Held landed blows throughout the first two rounds, opening several cuts on Jansen and one that paused the match in Round 2. Jansen was unable to win the battle on the ground, as the match wound down with Held landing several finishing shots on the mat for good measure. Judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 in favor of Held.
Jesse Brock def. Olly Bradstreet; Submission Rd3, 1:03 remaining
In one of the most experienced fights of the night, Boise’s Jesse Brock earned a submission victory over Olly Bradstreet via a rear-naked chokehold with just over a minute left in the final round of their Bantamweight matchup. Brock, one of Idaho’s most accomplished MMA fighters, improved to 22-8. Bradstreet dropped to 39-13. The fight was a wrestling match for long stretches, with Brock repeatedly taking Bradstreet to the ground and Bradstreet repeatedly squirming out. In his final take down, Brock drove Bradstreet into the cage wall and was able to secure the hold on the floor to earn the tap-out.
Will “Iron” Noland def. Sean “Super” Powers; Knockout Rd1, 1:31 remaining
Will Noland and Sean Powers fought on their feet in the final preliminary fight before the main card, with Noland landing the quick knockout in the Middleweight fight to improve his pro record to 16-6 and earn his sixth professional knockout. After both fighters landed heavy blows, Noland caught Powers off-guard along the cage wall with a right jab, sending Powers to the ground and allowing Noland to leap on top and land a few more punches before the fight was called. Powers falls to 9-6.
The Main Card begins at 7pm MT and can be seen on Spike TV. Two more preliminary card bouts will follow the televised portion of Bellator 155, with Scott Thometz squaring off against Josh Tyler and Veta Arteaga facing Jackie Vandenburgh.
About Bellator MMA:
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.