Bellator 177 Results

From April 14th:

It wasn’t for the bantamweight title in the end, but Bellator champion Eduardo Dantas still made his trip to Budapest, Hungary count.

Dantas was faced with taking on fellow Brazilian Leandro Higo, who was a late replacement for Darrion Caldwell. He was able to stick and move, using his jab to great effect in keeping his counterpart guessing for much of the otherwise uneventful main event. Dantas controlled the tempo from the opening horn, using his movement to stay out of any real danger. Higo had a couple of moments in the second round using the clinch, but was unable to truly get any sustained momentum.

In the end he took Dantas a split decision victory in what was ultimately an anticlimactic affair. The judges had it 30-27, 28-29, 30-27 for Dantas.

Higo came in as a intriguing — if unsung — challenge for Dantas, as the former Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance titleholder. But because he was unable to make the 135-pound maximum, the fight was rendered a non-title fight.

With the win, Dantas improved to 20-4, and has now won four fights in a row.

In the co-main event, Germany’s Daniel Weichel prevailed in a close (and perhaps controversial) decision against John Teixeira. Despite getting dropped towards the end of the first round, Weichel was able to rebound and win in the eyes of the judges down the stretch.

It was the fourth victory in a row for the 32-year old Weichel, who is now 39-9 for his pro career.

Main card (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)

Eduardo Dantas vs. Leandro Higo: Dantas def. Higo via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Daniel Weichel vs. John Teixeira: Weichel def. Teixeira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Helen Harper: Ovchynnikova def. Harper via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of R2
Adam Borics vs. Anthony Taylor: Borics def. Taylor via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:12 of R1