Ramazan Kuramagomedov Dethrones Jason Jackson at Bellator Dublin

AND NEW! 👑

Ramazan Kuramagomedov continues on his unbeaten streak and captures the Bellator Welterweight Title after his unanimous decision win over Jason Jackson!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

The Ramazan Kuramagomedov era has begun.

The undefeated Russian dethroned Bellator MMA welterweight champion Jason Jackson by a gritty unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series Dublin main event at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Kuramagomedov (13-0) jumped out to an early lead with his dominant wrestling and slick southpaw counter-punching. Jackson (18-5) seemed hesitant to move forward, where he was often met with a left hand, calf kick or takedown attempt. It wasn’t until Round 4 when Jackson started to find momentum. The Kill Cliff FC staple took Kuramagomedov to the mat and threatened a guillotine twice. Jackson tried to pull off his comeback on the ground and took the fifth as well, but by then it was too late. Kuramagomedov’s early start clinched the fight and the belt.

VICIOUS GROUND AND POUND! 🔥

Paul Hughes stops Bobby King via second round TKO in his Bellator debut! 🇮🇪#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paul Hughes wants to be Ireland’s next superstar, and he’s well on his way. In his Bellator debut, Hughes dismantled and destroyed Bobby King in two rounds to blow the roof off 3Arena. King was game and landed several hard shots on Hughes in the first. With blood running from his nose, Hughes locked in took King to the mat, and slammed brutal elbows off the side of his head until the fight was mercifully stopped (4:50).

Related » Bellator Dublin Round-by-Round Scoring

BLENCOWE SILENCES THE 3ARENA! 😳

Arlene Blencowe dropped Sinead Kavanagh and followed up with a deep guillotine to finish the fight in the second round!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Arlene Blencowe set herself up for another featherweight title shot with a second-round submission win over Dublin’s own Sinead Kavanagh (3:02). Blencowe defeated Kavanagh by a split decision seven years ago, and she followed it up with an even better performance in the sequel. Kavanagh looked fast and loose early, but Blencowe quickly turned the tide of the fight with a heavy right hand. The punch cut and dropped Kavanagh moments before the bell. Blencowe once again lulled Kavanagh before dropping her again in the second. Kavanagh rose to her feet but was quickly trapped in a guillotine. With the win, Blencowe (16-10) picked up her second career submission and a potential showdown with Bellator featherweight champ Cristiane Justino.

After grinding out a two-round lead, Dalton Rosta was closing in on his second-straight loss by the heavy-handed Norbert Novenyi Jr. Rosta pushed Novenyi around on the mat throughout the first 10 minutes, but the American Top Team prospect slowed significantly in the third. Novenyi took advantage and hurt Rosta badly with an elbow. Wobbled, Rosta wrestled back while withstanding the punishment. Rosta (9-1) survived to the final bell and eeked his way back into the win column with a majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28).

FIRST ROUND GUILLOTINE! 🔥

Darragh Kelly puts Mathias Poiron to sleep with a tight guillotine in the first round!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Darragh Kelly (6-0) bounced back from a nine-month layoff in spectacular fashion with a first-round submission (1:29) of France’s Mathias Poiron (7-2). Kelly, who had to pull out of Bellator’s card in Belfast due to injury, was in rare form in his return to lightweight. He caught Poiron in a guillotine early and held on tight despite Poiron’s desperate slam. Poiron struggled until he finally went to sleep. After the fight the SBG Ireland product begged to return soon to Bellator’s Paris card in November.

Kasum Kasumov (15-1) made his case for the No. 1 contender spot at bantamweight with a unanimous decision nod over Matheus Mattos (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Mattos (13-3-1) started fast and caught Kasumov with hard shots in the clinch. Kasumov ended the first frame with a takedown and carried the confidence from that over the course of the fight. Using his wrestling to smother Mattos’ offense, Kasmov kept the Brazilian frustrated and flustered en route to the decision. With the win, Kasumov set himself up for a potential showdown with Patrick Mix for the bantamweight belt.

NINJA CHOKE! 🥷

Nathan Kelly submits Jose Sanchez in the first round in front of the Irish fans to make it ELEVEN wins in a row! #BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Nathan Kelly lost his first two fights, but you could say he’s figured out how to win. The SBG Ireland featherweight clinched his 11th straight victory with a first-round ninja choke (1:16) over Jose Sanchez. Sanchez (13-3-1) was a stocky, heavy-handed problem early and nearly took Kelly to the mat with a single-leg takedown. But while Sanchez was working for leverage, Kelly slipped his arms under the chin and sunk in a modified guillotine that gave Sanchez his first loss in two years.

Khasan Magomedsharipov cruised to his 10th straight win with a clear unanimous decision over Tyler Mathison (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Mathison (6-4) had little to offer the Dagestani product and spent most of the fight trying to break Magomedsharipov’s grip. Once free, Magomedsharipov controlled the action with his long-range striking.

Unbeaten bantamweight Sarvarjon Khamidov (16-0) made his own case for Mix's belt with a dominant unanimous decision win over Marcirley Alves da Silva (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Khamidov's performance didn't earn him any new fans, but the Tajikistan native terrorized Alves on the mat for 15 minutes. Alves (12-4) entered with 10 knockouts on his ledger but was never allowed to land his power. Khamidov neutralized him in the clinch and kept Alves scrambling throughout the fight. With the win, Khamidov picked up his third straight win.

NORTH-SOUTH CHOKE! 😳

Shinobu Ota stops Roger Blanque in the first round via submission!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Shinobu Ota (7-3) earned his third-straight win in dominant fashion against Roger Blanque. The Rizin Fighting Federation alum took Blanque down near the cage early, but had to fight off a triangle attempt. When Ota broke free, he attacked Blaque’s neck with a rare north-south choke. Blanque (5-6) tried to roll out of danger, but the squeeze was too tight, forcing the tap at the 2:18 mark of the first round.

ANOTHER FIRST ROUND SUBMISSION! 👀

Michelle Montague stops Karolina Sobek in the first round via RNC!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX
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— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Karolina Sobek was the fifth straight person to fall victim to Michelle Montague’s rear-naked choke. Montague (5-0) overpowered the Bellator debutant and pressured Sobek to the fence before taking her off her feet. Montague quickly secured a body lock and pounded Sobek (4-3) with punches until her neck was exposed. Montague turned off Sobek’s blood supply, and the tap came soon after at the 2:41 mark of the opening period.

SLICK ARMBAR! 🔥

Nate Kelly stops Paul Nolan inside the first round with a nasty armbar!#BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX pic.twitter.com/DGaXa2SMxL

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024

Nate Kelly is still an amateur but he’s already fought on Max twice. The SBG Ireland flyweight showed a ton of potential to be only 19, and he impressed yet again on Saturday. Kelly submitted 35-year-old Paul Nolan midway through the first round (1:11) with a slick armbar. Kelly had no problems taking Nolan down and smoothly transitioned from full mount to backside to finally rolling Nolan into the submission.