Corey Anderson Claims Vacant Title, ‘Pitbull’ Defends at Bellator Champions Series

Ten years after winning "The Ultimate Fighter," Corey Anderson finally accomplished his life dream and claimed a world title after outworking Karl Moore over five rounds to win the vacant Bellator Championship Series light heavyweight title Friday in the Bellator Champions Series Belfast main event at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

For Anderson (18-6, 1 No Contest), the victory was emotional and long-awaited. After falling short of the Ultimate Fighting Championship title, Anderson signed with Bellator in 2020 to get a fresh start. Four years and two disappointing cracks at Vadim Nemkov’s title later, Anderson finally claimed his shot at gold.

Moore (12-3) wouldn’t make it easy, however. In the first round, the Belfast native ignited the crowd after he cracked Anderson with a left hand, which was followed by a head kick that made his legs buckle. Anderson staggered back to the fence but the vet recovered calmly and won the round with dominating wrestling.

Anderson avoided Moore’s heavy hands by pressuring him for the rest of the fight. There was little Moore could do to keep Anderson off him. There were moments where he looked like he might sneak away and engage in some striking with Anderson, but the new champ put those hopes to rest quickly.

While the fight wasn’t necessarily a slugfest, Anderson couldn’t have worked harder for a win if he tried. Moore threatened scrambles and submissions and did everything he could to try to force Anderson to engage, but the Rockton, Illinois, native stayed disciplined and maintained his dominance on the ground. When the dust cleared, there was zero doubt left on who the new king of the light heavyweight division was as Anderson was awarded the unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45).

Patricio Freire waited a long time to return to the cage after suffering the worst year of his career, but he reminded everybody that he was still a dog.

The Brazilian mauled Jeremy Kennedy en route to a third-round TKO finish in the Bellator Belfast co-main event. With Freire’s featherweight belt on the line, the 36-year-old legend wasted little time taking control of the fight.

Freire (36-7) punished Kennedy with calf kicks and showcased his speed advantage early. But after being rattled by a headbutt and a low blow, Freire started to slow down in the third round. Kennedy (19-4) used his superior reach to push Friere back and even dropped the champ with a right hand.

Freire bounced back up and immediately clinched, looking to ride out the storm. Kennedy furiously fought free and looked for an opportunity to elbow but left himself open to a flush right hand that staggered him back into the fence. Pitbull went on the hunt and threw everything in his arsenal at Kennedy before referee Kevin MacDonald stopped the fight 4:07 into the third stanza.

With the win, Pitbull snapped a two–fight skid and ended Kennedy’s three–fight win streak. Following the bout, Freire called out UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Related » Bellator Champions Series Belfast Round-by-Round Scoring

Fabian Edwards has had his eyes locked on a rematch with middleweight champion Johnny Eblen since he was knocked out last September. But in order to get his shot at redemption, Edwards had to get past Aaron Jeffery’s never-ending motor.

Jeffery pushed Edwards (13-3) around the cage and stayed in his chest all fight, but Edwards's slick striking and three takedowns were the most memorable moments of the fight. Physically, the fight was a grinding affair as both men struggled to garner some momentum. All three cards were close but in favor of the Englishman (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Leandro Higo has wanted to face James Gallagher since 2019, and he made the most of his opportunity.

In a showcase of two of the best featherweights in the promotion, the 35-year-old Brazillian outpaced Gallagher in front of his fans en route to a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Higo (23-6) jumped out to a lead early after catching Gallagher with a spinning backfist that he followed up with a double-leg takedown. Higo wanted to go for a finish, but Gallagher kept him honest by threatening with a leg lock.

Round 2 was slower-paced and even tighter. As Higo looked for his opportunities, Gallagher opened up and landed a flashy spinning heel kick. Both had their moments and could’ve felt the fight was tied heading into the third round.

Higo put the doubt to rest with his best round of the fight. After taking Gallagher to the ground, Higo impressed the judges with some steady ground and pound that kept the Irishman on the defensive. With the win, Higo picked up his second straight win, while Gallagher must go back to the drawing board after losing two of his last three.

It only takes one punch to win a fight, just ask Manoel Sousa.

After struggling to contain the elusive Tim Wilde for 4:50, the undefeated Brazilian kept his perfect record intact with a devastating left hook that put Wilde to sleep on impact.

Sousa (11-0) looked like an amateur in the opening minutes of the fight. Wilde countered his shots with ease and gracefully glided around the ring. It was early but it looked like Wilde (17-5-1) was going to easily box his way to a fourth-straight win.

But Sousa had other answers. After just missing with a right cross, Sousa followed up with a left hook that planted Wilde flat on his face out cold. The 26-year-old was ecstatic to prove capable against an experienced vet like Wilde while coming away with one for the highlight reel.

Ciaran Clarke (9-0) played with Darius Mafi for two rounds before eventually submitting the heavy-handed Manchester native 43 seconds into the third with an arm-triangle choke. After cruising to a ninth straight win, the SBG Ireland prospect looked ready for a step up in competition.

Clarke has submitted three of his last four opponents and wasn’t in danger against Mafi. He toyed with Mafi on the mat before overwhelming him for good in the third round. Since signing with Bellator in 2019, Clarke hasn’t fought more than twice a year.

Alfie Davis has been plagued by inactivity, but “The Axe Man” hasn’t forgotten how to win. In his first fight since August 2023, Davis held off scrappy late replacement Oscar Ownsworth (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Davis (17-4-1) dropped Ownsworth early and looked primed to secure his first stoppage in six years, but Ownsworth (8-3-1) was stubborn in his Bellator debut. The Wakefield, England, prospect pushed forward and forced Davis to unload his arsenal. Davis threw knees, elbows and a flurry of spinning attacks to keep Ownsworth back, but he was in a firefight. By the third round, Ownsworth had slowed enough for Davis to reclaim dominance and cruise to his third straight win.

Light heavyweight prospects Grant Neal (9-2) and Luke Trainer (8-1) crossed paths with both parties looking to continue their momentum. Trainer used every bit of his 6-foot-6 inch frame to pick Neal apart on the outside and stifle his wrestling. After two cautious rounds, Trainer put this icing on his third straight win by cutting Neal open with a slicing lead elbow. With the win (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Trainer continued his ascension up the ranks and stayed on the path to a light heavyweight title shot.

Nathan Kelly has been on a tear since losing his first two professional fights. After taking a three-year hiatus, the SBG Ireland featherweight has refocused, matured and developed into a dangerous prospect.

Kelly (10-2) won his 10th straight fight Friday after starching Vikas Singh Ruhil (11-8) 40 seconds into the first round. Kelly wasted little time backing Ruhil to the cage before turning out the lights with a helacious standing elbow.

England’s Abraham Bably squared off against the pride of Charleston, South Carolina, Isaiah Pinson, a battle of unbeaten heavyweights. Despite outweighing Pinson (242) by 15 pounds, Bably (257.4) was the faster and more fluid fighter and set a pace the American couldn’t contest.

Bably’s shifty head movement made him tough to hit while hiding his takedown attempts. He went 5-for-5 on the night and smothered Pinson on the ground with punches. Forced to carry Bably’s weight for 15 minutes, there was little Pinson could do to turn the fight in his favor. He would suffer his first career loss by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Bellator Belfast opened its card with a 130-pound amateur catchweight bout between Jordan Elliott and 19-year-old SBG Ireland prospect Nate Kelly. Elliott is nearly a decade older than Kelly but stood no chance on the ground against the former European amateur grappling champion.

Kelly stormed out and quickly dropped Elliott with a sidekick before setting himself up in half-mount. Elliott squirmed into different positions and even reversed positions but couldn’t keep up with Kelly’s submission attempts. The teenager threatened with a guillotine, rolled into an arm triangle, then switched to a traditional triangle before finishing the fight with an armbar 1:48 into the first round.