Bellator MMA bantamweight Darrion Caldwell annihilated former titleholder Joe Warren on Friday, choking him out cold with a rear-naked at 3 minutes, 23 seconds of the opening round.
The 135-pound bout headlined Bellator 151 inside WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Caldwell (9-0) will now wait for the winner of a bantamweight title bout between champion Marcos Galvao and Eduardo Dantas.
Warren (13-5) looked out of place from the opening bell. Caldwell, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion, scored an outside trip on Warren in the opening seconds. As Warren scrambled and attempted to work to his feet, Caldwell rotated to his back and began popping him with left hands near the fence.
After Warren managed to stand completely upright, Caldwell suplexed him violently back to the mat, where he slid his left arm under the chin. Warren refused to tap and went out. It's his second loss via submission in three fights.
Caldwell, 28, had been considered one of the top prospects under the Bellator banner. He'll now graduate to an official contender status. He trains out of Power MMA in Arizona.
Galvao was supposed to defend his title against Dantas at Bellator 150 last month, but withdrew with an illness. It was the second time the bout has been postponed due to injury/illness.
