Once-Beaten Logan Storley Digs Deep, Outpoints Neiman Gracie in Bellator 274 Headliner

Logan Storley had just enough water in the well.

The four-time NCAA All-American wrestler called upon volume punching and a sturdy chin, as he took an important step forward in the Bellator MMA welterweight division with a unanimous decision over Neiman Gracie in the five-round Bellator 274 headliner on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it for Storley (13-1, 8-1 Bellator): 48-47, 50-45 and 49-46.

Gracie (11-3, 9-3 Bellator) struggled to get in gear. What had been a somewhat pedestrian bout for 15 minutes turned into an absolute war of wills in the fourth round. Both men were hurt in back-and-forth exchanges that featured plenty of give and take. Storley kept his foot on the accelerator in the fifth, where he pressed forward with punches and forced the Brazilian onto his back foot—a position in which he was clearly uncomfortable.

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Andrey Koreshkov waylaid Alliance MMA export Chance Rencountre with a spinning back kick to the body and follow-up punches in the first round of their welterweight co-main event. Rencountre (16-5, 2-2 Bellator) checked out 38 seconds into Round 1, his modest two-fight winning streak at an end.

Koreshkov (25-4, 15-4 Bellator) tested the waters with leg kicks, then unleashed. He buried his heel into Rencountre’s ribs with exquisite power, speed and technique. The Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran winced in visible pain and collapsed to the canvas, where Koreshkov mopped up what was left with a volley of standing-to-ground punches.

It was the third sub-minute stoppage victory of Koreskhov’s 29-fight career.

Meanwhile, Adam Piccolotti leaned on takedowns, suffocating top control and repeated submission attempts, as he captured a unanimous decision over former World Series of Fighting and Tachi Palace Fights champion Georgi Karakhanyan in a three-round lightweight attraction. Piccolotti (13-4, 8-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 nods from the judges.

Karakhanyan (31-13-1, 9-11 Bellator) never established a foothold in the match. Piccolotti secured takedowns in all three rounds, bled valuable time off the clock and progressed to advantageous positions without much resistance. Karakhanyan did what he could to shift the narrative in the third round—he countered a takedown with a guillotine choke, moved on top and eventually attacked the ankle—but the finish he needed failed to materialize.

Piccolotti, 33, has won four of his past six bouts.

Elsewhere, Bellator Season 9 middleweight tournament winner Brennan Ward made his first appearance since Aug. 25, 2017 and buried Brandon Bell with punches in the second round of their catchweight feature at 175 pounds. Ward (15-6, 10-6 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 32 seconds into Round 2.

Bell (10-11, 1-1 Bellator) was out of his depth. Ward had the D3 Elite product teetering on the brink throughout a one-sided first round, where he advanced to the back on multiple occasions, flattened out the M-1 Global veteran and hacked open a cut on his forehead with heavy ground-and-pound. Bell had nothing left at the start of the middle stanza. Ward pushed him backward, drove him to the canvas under duress and uncorked punches until referee Dan Miragliotta had seen enough.

The 37-year-old Bell has lost four fights in a row, all via finish.

Finally, undefeated Jackson-Wink MMA prospect Davion Franklin kept his perfect professional record intact, as he eked out a split decision over former Titan Fighting Championship titleholder Said Sowma in a three-round heavyweight showcase. Judge Dave Hagen scored it 29-28 for Sowma, while Michael Murtha and Bryan Miner saw it 29-28 and 30-27 for Franklin.

Explosivity was the separator. Franklin (5-0, 5-0 Bellator) fought in powerful bursts, mixed in occasional jabs and unleashed chopping overhand rights that forced his counterpart to stay on his toes. Sowma (8-3, 2-2 Bellator) responded with leg kicks, a few sneaky counters and a grimy clinch game. However, the vast majority of eye-popping moments—including a successfully executed lateral drop in the third round—belonged to the 27-year-old Franklin, who has emerged as a person of interest in the Bellator heavyweight division.

The loss snapped Sowma’s two-fight winning streak.

In preliminary action, Nick Browne (13-1, 2-0 Bellator) cut down Mandel Nallo (8-2, 3-2 Bellator) with punches 2:20 into the second round of their lightweight battle; Jaylon Bates (5-0, 5-0 Bellator) dismissed Chris Disonell (6-5, 1-1 Bellator) with a rear-naked choke 3:39 into the third round of their bantamweight scrap; Bobby King (11-4, 2-1 Bellator) was awarded a technical knockout over Aviv Gozali (6-1, 6-1 Bellator) when the Israeli prospect was deemed unfit continue between the first and second rounds of their lightweight confrontation; DeAnna Bennett (12-7-1, 2-1 Bellator) laid claim to a unanimous verdict against Justine Kish (7-5, 0-1 Bellator) in a three-round women’s flyweight tilt, earning 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 marks on the scorecards; Jordan Newman (4-0, 4-0 Bellator) cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over Cody Herbert (3-2, 0-1 Bellator) in a three-round middleweight encounter, drawing 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 scores from the cageside judges; Justin Montalvo (5-0, 2-0 Bellator) put away Corey Samuels (3-3, 1-1 Bellator) with punches 2:43 into the first round of their lightweight clash; Isaiah Hokit (1-1, 1-1 Bellator) took care of Theodore Macuka (1-3, 0-2 Bellator) with a rear-naked choke 3:59 into the first round of their featherweight affair; and Jonathan DiLorenzo (1-0, 1-0 Bellator) dispatched Orlando Mendoza (0-2, 0-2 Bellator) with a brabo choke 67 seconds into the first round of their welterweight pairing.