The spinning backfist struck again for Emanuel Newton in his first title defense.
Newton (24-7-1) defended his Bellator MMA light heavyweight belt for the first time on Friday at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan, knocking out Joey Beltran in the third round with his patented spinning attack -- the same punch he knocked out Muhammed Lawal with in February 2013.
Referee Robert Hinds called a stop to the title bout at 3:07 of the third round, when Beltran (15-11) went limp from the shot. He fell face forward into the fence.
It was a lightning-quick finish to a back-and-forth bout that actually appeared to be going Beltran's way when it ended. A former UFC veteran with just one professional win in the past 28 months, Beltran pushed the pace and hurt Newton early on.
Newton circled the cage and threw various spinning kicks and punches -- knowing it was only a matter of time before one slowed Beltran down.
"Joey Beltran is tough," Newton said. "He kept coming but I knew with my awkward style, I'd catch him eventually. That's what I said I'd do, and that's what happened."
Newton, who won the undisputed light heavyweight title in a split-decision victory over Attila Vegh in March, struggled to find distance to utilize his kickboxing against the aggressive, inside style of Beltran.
The two fighters exchanged inside shots in the clinch throughout each of the three rounds. Newton scored a handful of takedowns, including one in the final minute of the second round, but failed to keep Beltran on the canvas after any of them.
The volume striking of Beltran started to take a toll on Newton in the second frame. A left hook followed by a right uppercut appeared to put Newton briefly in defensive mode, and Beltran just missed on landing a right head kick flush to the chin.
Newton recovered from the series, however, and opened a cut under Beltran's left eye moments later. He continued to give ground in the third round, right up until landing the slick spinning backfist with his left hand to end the fight.
Ranked the No. 10 light heavyweight in the world by ESPN.com prior to the bout, the Southern California-based fighter extends his win streak to six. His next defense will come against Liam McGeary, who won the 205-pound tournament on Friday.
McGeary wins tournament with rare submission
Liam McGeary via inverted triangle -- because, why not?
McGeary (9-0) recorded his sixth consecutive first-round stoppage and advanced to the Bellator light heavyweight tournament finals, submitting Kelly Anundson from the bottom via inverted triangle choke at 4:47 of the first round.
It was a rare finish to a bizarre fight, in which McGeary nearly submitted Anundson several times via keylock from his back.
"I was fishing for something all night long," McGeary said. "He's a heavy dude and I couldn't really move. I was trying for his arm. As soon as I felt my leg go over it sunk in and I just squeezed."
Anundson (9-3) wasted no time trying to put McGeary on his back early in the fight. He paid for it at first, as McGeary hurt him with a well-timed knee, but eventually got McGeary to the floor later in the round.
It figured to be a bad spot for McGeary, but the British 205-pounder looked awfully comfortable from his back. He attacked Anundson's left arm with a keylock, at one point even forcing him to cry out in pain from the torque on his shoulder.
Anundson didn't tap, however, and landed a few solid elbows from side control a bit later in the fight. With 13 seconds remaining in the round, McGeary showcased more of his wits on the floor, securing the inverted triangle.
McGeary improves his Bellator record to 6-0 with the victory. Four of his wins have come by way of knockout, and two by submission. The 31-year-old has never gone the distance in his professional career.
Davis cruises to easy decision win
Veteran bantamweight L.C. Davis earned his second win under the Bellator banner, as he cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over Zeilton Rodrigues.
Davis (22-6) spent the majority of the tedious three-round affair in top position, but never came close to finishing Rodrigues. Judges scored it a shutout for Davis, 30-27.
Fighting for the first time in the Bellator cage, Rodrigues (12-4) failed to challenge Davis in any way. He surrendered takedowns early in each of the three rounds and did little to improve his position once he fell to his back.
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian bantamweight continually worked for leglocks from the bottom. Davis calmly stepped through each attempt and went back to work from the top, landing several punches and always maintaining position.
Davis opened a cut on the right side of Rodrigues' head in the final round. Rodrigues switched it up from the bottom, choosing to go for a kimura instead of a leglock, but the result was the same and he gave another round away.
Davis has won six of his past seven. Rodrigues sees a six-fight win streak snapped.
Couture wins Bellator debut
Ryan Couture made quick work of late-replacement opponent Tom Bagnasco, as he secured a rear-naked choke at 3:01 of the first round in his Bellator debut.
Couture (9-3) landed a bodylock takedown in the opening minute of the bout, which was contested at a catchweight of 159 pounds. He took Bagnasco's back, put him in a body triangle and eventually slipped his right arm under the chin for the finish.
A veteran of the UFC and Strikeforce cage, Couture was originally supposed to meet John Schulz in a lightweight contest, but Schulz withdrew late due to health reasons.
"Hats off to Tom," Couture said. "I really appreciate him giving me the fight.
"He's kind of unpredictable from the little tape I've seen on him. I wanted to get into the clinch and get to the ground where I'm comfortable. Once I had his back, I knew it was a matter of time."
The bout got off to an awkward start, as both fighters landed accidental knees to the groin simultaneously. Once action resumed, Couture immediately took Bagnasco (3-4) to the floor and began softening him up with punches.
The son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, Ryan moves to 3-0 in 2014. All three wins have come via rear-naked choke.
