There was no need for overtime in Corey Anderson’s Bellator debut as he manhandled Melvin Manhoef en route to a bloody, second-round TKO at Bellator 251.
Aided by a noticeable size advantage, Anderson exploited longtime kickboxer Manhoef’s most obvious deficit with takedowns. Once on the canvas, he held half-guard and pounded away with vicious elbows and punches until referee Todd Anderson had seen enough and stopped the action at the 2:34 mark of the second round.
“[My coach] Nick Catone told me one more takedown,” Anderson said afterward at the Fight Sphere at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.