SAITAMA, JAPAN – Taking some big punches early in the fight seemed to wake up [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] at Bellator 237, because she rallied to stop [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] on Saturday’s card.
Watanabe (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) managed to stay undefeated by staying composed in the bad early striking exchanges until she found a groove with her grappling and pounded out Joanne (9-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) for the TKO with just 21 seconds remaining in the fight.
The women’s flyweight bout went down at Bellator 237, which took place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN.
Joanne’s striking advantage was evident from the outset. She tagged Watanabe with some heavy, heavy shots. Watanabe desperately went for a judo-style takedown, but the moment the fight hit the mat, Joanne was active. Joanne locked in a triangle choke from bottom almost immediately, but she couldn’t finish it. Watanabe escaped and got side control, where she dominated position and hit Joanne with some solid ground-and-pound in the final 90 seconds to make up some distance on the scorecards.
They went right to grappling to begin Round 2, with Joanne pressing Watanabe against the fence and working toward a takedown. Watanabe countered with another judo throw, but it was partially stuffed and the ensuing grappling exchange saw Joanne end up on top. There wasn’t much in terms of meaningful work from Joanne on top, and Watanabe kept active from bottom by peppering her opponent with short strikes. It was an uneventful round, but Watanabe seemingly had the slight edge.
With the fight hanging in the balance, Watanabe wasted no time pushing for a takedown attempt to begin the final round.. She had quick success, planting Joanne on her back. That was the final story of the fight, because Watanabe rode out position and attacked with efficient ground-and-pound. Watanabe forced Joanne to give up her back then blasted away with strikes until referee Kevin MacDonald decided he’d seen enough and waves it off at the 4:39 mark of Round 3.
“I’m so very happy I was able to bring this victory to all the fans, all the people who are representing Rizin,” Watanabe said through an interpreter in her post-fight interview. “I knew during the three rounds Joanne was very strong, but I was able to bring out the best of my and I’m very relieved now.”
Up-to-date Bellator 237 results include:
- Kana Watanabe def. Ilara Joanne via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:39
- Goiti Yamauchi def. Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:11