Bellator returned on Friday night (July 14, 2017) with Bellator 181 from the WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The card was headlined by a catchweight slugfest between Derek Campos and Brandon Girtz. It was a chalk card with the three favorites on the televised card getting their hand raised while the main event closed a Pick’em. Closing odds are courtesy of Several Bookmakers.
Here’s a quick recap of each of those fights…
Favorites that Won After a tentative opening few minutes on the feet, John Salter took Kendall Grove to the mat and quickly wrapped up a submission for his sixth straight win overall. Salter closed as a -290 favorite with Grove a +245 underdog.
Emily Ducote struggled early in this fight to secure takedowns against Jessica Middleton, but she really took over in the final 10 minutes, threatening with submissions to earn her fourth win in Bellator and first by decision. Ducote closed as a -280 fave with Middleton a +240 dog.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” Joe Warren went back to his roots and focused his full attention in this fight to wrestling. He controlled his opponent Steve Garcia on the mat for all three rounds to win a decision. Warren closed as a -210 favorite with Garcia a +175 dog.
Pick’em Fight In the Bellator 181 main event, Derek Campos and Brandon Girtz met for the third time. In a fight where both fighters were slinging leather from the opening bell, Campos opened up a large gash on the forehead of Girtz towards the end of the first round. Despite Girtz not having his ability affected by the wound, the doctor stopped the bout after the conclusion of the second round for safety precautions, awarding the fight to Campos. Each fighter closed at -110 in one of the most entertaining bouts of the year.
