Bellator 273 results: Ryan Bader digs deep to retain title, rematch with Cheick Kongo set for Paris in May

Ryan Bader made his hometown fans happy and retained his heavyweight title. He also booked his next defense of the title.

Bader took on interim champ Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Saturday night’s Bellator 273 fight card at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, and took home a hard-fought unanimous decision, earning scores of 48-47 across the board to keep the belt.

Bader got out of bed swinging and stunned Moldavsky in the first frame with a huge right hand. The interim champ made a strong recovery and landed a takedown. Bader, however, was able get to his feet again, giving him some time to practice his footwork. Bader landed a big right hand and got a takedown of his own to end the stanza on top.

The second round of Clinch Work against the Fence began before Bader made an accidental knee to his groin. After the fight resuming, Bader landed a right-hand before Moldavsky won a takedown. Bader fell to the ground and Moldavsky immediately regained control. Moldavsky remained in control until the bell rang.

Moldavsky continued his grueling pace throughout the third with Bader not being able to mount any offense. Halfway into the fourth, however, Bader secured a takedown and took Moldavsky’s back. Moldavsky tried to grab the fence to get back up and referee Mike Beltran slapped his hand away. He scored another win and finished the round at top.

With the fight likely even through 20 minutes, both men traded punches in the fifth after a grappling stalemate. Bader landed a right hand that clipped Moldavsky momentarily. Moldavsky took the title of champion after a competitive scramble began. Bader returned to his feet and landed a flurry of short elbows to thwart another Moldavsky takedown attempt.

In the last seconds of the match, Moldavsky lifted Bader onto his shoulders and hit him with the mat. But it was not enough to win the final frame.

After Bader was declared the winner, Cheick Kongo entered the cage and Bellator announced the champ will defend his title in a rematch, which is set for May 6 in Paris.

Benson Henderson snaps career long skid with upset win

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson entered the co-main event on the longest losing streak of his career, taking on Islam Mamedov, who was riding a 19-fight winning streak. For over half of the first round, the action stayed on the feet, with Henderson finding success with kicks to the legs and body of Mamedov. In the first grappling match, Henderson won and locked in a tight choke. Mamedov managed to overcome it and ended up at the top, landing several strikes just before the horn went off.

The second round saw the protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov take the back of Henderson, nearly locking in a rear naked choke. Henderson was able to get out of danger and worked for a heel hook and Mamedov was warned several times about grabbing the fence. Mamedov was locked in a standing rear naked choke. Henderson, however, climbed down onto the mat to release the grip and win the round.

Henderson fired up his hometown crowd at the start of the third and stayed at range landing kicks. Mamedov closed in the distance halfway through, scoring a huge takedown. Henderson, to his credit, avoided any real damage before rolling for a leg. Mamedov landed short punches on top, while Henderson battled off of his back. Mamedov ended the round on top, but it wasn’t enough as Henderson got a big upset win via split decision.

Accidental eye poke leads to technical decision win for Henry Corrales

It was a disappointing end to an intense matchup between Henry Corrales & Aiden Lee in the featherweight division.

Both fighters were fast, furious and firing off leg kicks. Corrales would catch a Lee kick and followed up with a big left hand that sent his opponent to the canvas. It was a tense battle that continued into the third round, but ended badly.

With the fights getting close Corrales accidentally made an eye poke, which caused the fight to stop. Lee was in great pain. After a five minute recovery, the fight was stopped and the scorecards were sent to the judges. All three scored it for Corrales, who earned his second straight win in what he said was the final fight of his contract.

Homasi uses submission skills for quick finish

In the main card fight, Sabah Homasi (who had UFC interim champion Dustin Poirier as his opponent) ran through Jaleel Williams who was a promising up-and-comer. He managed to get an arm-triangle choke in less than two minutes of their welterweight bout.

Check out full Bellator 273 results below:

Ryan Bader def. Valentin Moldavsky via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Benson Henderson def. Islam Mamedov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Henry Corrales def. Aiden Lee via unanimous technical decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Sabah Homasi def. Jaleel Willis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R1, 1:42

Preliminary Card

Enrique Barzola def. Darrion Caldwell via TKO (strikes) – R3, 3:01

Chris Gonzalez def. Saad Awad via KO (head kick and punches) – R1, 0:36

Dalton Rosta def. Duane Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Nikita Mikhailov def. Blaine Shutt via TKO (strikes) – R1, 3:23

Lucas Brennan def. Ben Lugo via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R1, 2:27

Sullivan Cauley def. Ben Parrish via TKO (strikes) – R1, 4:35