It was as close to a ho-hum title defense as one could imagine.
Alliance MMA’s Darrion Caldwell retained the Bellator MMA bantamweight championship, as he dispatched Leandro Higo with a guillotine choke in the first round of their Bellator 195 main event on Friday at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Caldwell closed the deal 2:36 into Round 1, strengthening his hold on the 135-pound throne.
Higo seemed spellbound by the inevitable, perhaps anticipating one of the champion’s patented takedowns. Caldwell executed two of them. As Higo attempted to stand following the second takedown, he left his neck exposed.