Darrion Caldwell Takes Bantamweight Gold At Bellator 184
Darrion Caldwell Takes Bantamweight Gold At Bellator 184
Rising bantamweight Darrion Caldwell defeated Eduardo Dantas to become champion at Bellator 184.
Darrion Caldwell had been on a mission for championship gold since he made his Bellator debut back in 2014. On Friday night in that mission was accomplished.
The former standout wrestler turned mixed martial artist put on a memorable performance when he bested standing champion Eduardo Dantas in a five-round tilt that dipped in pace, but brought high quality action from start to finish. Caldwell relied on his wrestling pedigree to get the job done and planted Dantas into the canvas with a highlight reel german suplex in the early goings.
Dantas would survive the impact and go on to find some offense of his own in the later rounds. "Dudu" twice worked for submission attempts in the fourth frame but Caldwell was able to escape and find his own moments in the round. Obviously down in rounds, the champion needed to pour it on in the final five minutes, but a body lock from Caldwell allowed the challenger to secure position and ride out the clock to the final bell.
The end result saw the former NCAA Div. I National Champion get his first taste of MMA gold on one of the biggest stages in the sport. It was a career-defining moment for Caldwell, who shared his elation post-fight.
“I have been waiting for this moment for my whole life," Caldwell said. "Darrion Caldwell is the Bellator bantamweight champion, that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? I want to be an active champion, I want to bring some prestige to this belt. You’ll be hearing from me very soon.”
The former standout wrestler turned mixed martial artist put on a memorable performance when he bested standing champion Eduardo Dantas in a five-round tilt that dipped in pace, but brought high quality action from start to finish. Caldwell relied on his wrestling pedigree to get the job done and planted Dantas into the canvas with a highlight reel german suplex in the early goings.
Dantas would survive the impact and go on to find some offense of his own in the later rounds. "Dudu" twice worked for submission attempts in the fourth frame but Caldwell was able to escape and find his own moments in the round. Obviously down in rounds, the champion needed to pour it on in the final five minutes, but a body lock from Caldwell allowed the challenger to secure position and ride out the clock to the final bell.
The end result saw the former NCAA Div. I National Champion get his first taste of MMA gold on one of the biggest stages in the sport. It was a career-defining moment for Caldwell, who shared his elation post-fight.
“I have been waiting for this moment for my whole life," Caldwell said. "Darrion Caldwell is the Bellator bantamweight champion, that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? I want to be an active champion, I want to bring some prestige to this belt. You’ll be hearing from me very soon.”