Perhaps we should have an “Entrance of the Year” award.
Last night’s (Jan. 27) Bellator 171 event (see results here) was held inside the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas. The main event saw Chidi Njokuani turn in a dominating performance over Melvin Guillard. “Chidi Bang Bang” didn’t even lose a round.
What probably left the crowd most satisfied were the two performances their hometown hero David Rickels put on. The first being his entrance and the second was his TKO win over Aaron Derrow.
With the help of his team, the fans, and ring girl Mercedes Terrell, Rickels pulled off a memorable entrance inspired by the “Mannequin Challenge.” Rickels would deliver a one-sided thrashing of his opponent before finishing the bout in the third round.
Bellator 171 also featured a women’s flyweight tilt between Jessica Middleton and Alice Smith Yauger. All three judges scored the fight for Middleton. While two of the judges scored the fight 30-26, the other one saw it two rounds to one.
The main card was opened with a featherweight battle. The participants were undefeated prospect A.J. McKee and Kansas’ own Brandon Phillips. While Phillips had some measure of success in the fight, it wasn’t enough to outpoint the “Mercenary.”
