Bellator 220 Results, Live Coverage, Highlights: Controversial Decision In Main Event

Welcome to FightfulMMA.com’s Bellator 220 live coverage. Share your thoughts and predictions below, and join us after the show for a live wrap up podcast. 

You can see the full main card lineup below.

Main Card (10pm EST., DAZN)

Bellator Welterweight Championship
Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Opening Round
Rory MacDonald (c) and Jon Fitch go to Majority Draw, MacDonald advances

Bellator Women’s Flyweight Championship
Ilima Lei MacFarlane (c) defeated Veta Arteaga via TKO, Doctor Stoppage, R3, 1:50

Ben Henderson defeated Adam Piccolotti via split decision

Phil Davis defeated Liam McGeary, TKO, Punches R3, (4:11)

Gaston Bolanos defeated Nathan Stolen via TKO, Round 1, 2:21

Prelim Results

Aviv Gozali def. Travis Crain via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:15

Brandon Faumui def. Chris Avila via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Matt Perez def. Justin Tenedora via KO (punches) – Round 1, 4:52

Cass Bell def. Peter Ishiguro via KO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:59

Chuck Campbell def. Bruno Casillas via KO (knee) – Round 1, 1:45

Hyder Amil def. Paradise Vaovasa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:34

Josh San Diego def. Brandon Laroco via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Gaston Bolanos vs. Nathan Stolen

Round One: Stolen tries to pressure for the first several minutes and actually finds some success. However, they land at the same time, with Bolanos’ cracking Stolen with a much bigger blow that flattens him. Bolaos set that up with a nice check elbow. Frank Trigg calls an end to this fight.

Official decision: Gaston Bolanos defeated Nathan Stolen via TKO, Round 1, 2:21

Phil Davis defeated Liam McGeary, TKO, R3

Round 1: These are two really long guys who are ground specialists. So how does it go? They keep it standing. TECHNICAL STRIKING~! This is a miserable round to watch, if you could guess. McGeary probably took it, all things considered. 

Round 2: You can copy and paste literally everything that happened in round one over to round two, except the fact that Davis was able to land a couple of leg kicks that earned him the round instead. 

Round 3: The final round finally sees Phil Davis get aggressive in taking the fight to the ground. He does so twice, and looks ready to apply a rear naked choke, but McGeary just taps anyway. That’s it..

Official decision: Phil Davis defeated Liam McGeary, TKO, Punches R3, (4:11)

Ben Henderson (26-8) vs. Adam Piccolotti (11-2)

Round One: Henderson opens with leg kicks, as is tradition. Piccolotti is able to close the distance, drag Henderson down and apply an unsuccessful RNC. Piccolotti controls the duration of round one and easily takes it.

Round Two: Round two is exactly the opposite. Ben Henderson presses foward and takes Piccolotti down, then later takes the back. Henderson finds himself in odd grappling positions, but makes the best of them.

Round 3: Piccolotti almost pulls off a hammerlock of all things, but gets dumped by Henderson. Piccolotti takes control and tries to ride out the round, but Henderson gets on top and lands a few strikes. Henderson may have stolen the round and the fight here. 

Ben Henderson defeated Adam Piccolotti via split decision

Bellator Women’s Flyweight Championship
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (9-0) (c) vs. Veta Arteaga (5-2)

Round 1: MacFarlane is immediately pressing forward and dropping down for submissions. First an armbar, which is escaped, then a kneebar. Arteaga works to the feet and lands knees in the clinch. Arteaga stuffs a takedown to end the round.

Round 2: MacFarlane gets inside and takes down Arteaga, but rests in the guard. The fight moves back up to the feet, but Arteaga is countering when she can. MacFarlane keeps cutting her off with long strikes and leg kicks. Arteaga probably took the round based on the striking at the end of it. 

Round 3: MacFarlane quickly gets Arteaga down, but the ref calls an end to the fight via a cut on Arteaga’s head after a sick elbow. That’s a wrap.

Ilima Lei MacFarlane (c) defeated Veta Arteaga via TKO, Doctor Stoppage, R3, 1:50

Bellator Welterweight Championship
Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Opening Round
Rory MacDonald (20-5) (c) vs. Jon Fitch 31-7-1, 1NC)

Round 1: MacDonald immediately catches Fitch with a punch, but gets taken down. MacDonald applies a positional wristlock and throws an elbow. That positional wristlock end up getting Rory to his feet. MacDonald picks apart Fitch, while eating the occasional leg kick. Fitch scores a HUGE takedown. 

Round 2: Jon Fitch takes down MacDonald pretty fast, where the rest of the round remains. Fitch throws an ill advised kick that leads to him getting taken down with ten seconds left.

Round 3: Jon Fitch drags down MacDonald again, and starts throwing elbows. Rory MacDonald just isn’t the dude we thought he was. He may end up winning, but this is rough. Zahabi doesn’t seem to have any sense of urgency in the corner.

Round 4: MacDonald immediately cracks Fitch and hurts him. Fitch is begging for a takedown, and eats a lot of punishment before he ends up getting it. There’s not much done after that.

Round 5: Repeat the open of round four. Fitch is down on the scorecards according to Twitter and John McCarthy, but I don’t see it. he’s had top control the majority of this fight, and judges see that ruling over so much. 

OFFICIAL DECISION: Rory MacDonald (c) and Jon Fitch go to Majority Draw, Macdonald advances