[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] had bad blood heading into Bellator 257, and their fight delivered fireworks as promised.
Homasi got off to a fiery start, but it was Daley getting the finish as he rallied to TKO Homasi in the second-round of their 175-pound catchweight bout Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The bout was a barnburner from start to finish, with wild swings in momentum. Homasi (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) came out in Round 1 throwing high kicks and leg kicks before he rushed in with a right hand that clipped Daley’s ear and stunned him. Homasi swarmed in for the finish, but with Daley (43-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) stumbling back to his feet and backpedaling, Homasi feel to the mat on a head kick attempt. That allowed a brief reset before Homasi landed a flying knee and dropped Daley with a follow-up punch on his landing. Homasi fell into Daley’s guard and employed ground-and-pound, but Daley managed to work his way back to his feet and ended the round strong. While in the clinch, Daley landed three knees to the face and dropped Homasi to the mat. The round ended with Daley in top position.
Given the frenetic pace of the first, Round 2 figured to be a case of who wants it more, and Daley seemed to flip a switch.
#Bellator257 results: Paul Daley (@Semtex_170) def. Sabah Homasi via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:44
Up-to-date results: https://t.co/CQKG9AMt2W pic.twitter.com/ccJyvjOO0r
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) April 17, 2021
Daley dropped Homasi with a straight right hand just as he caught a body kick. Daley swarmed with hammerfists for the finish but couldn’t seal the deal. After Homasi got back to his feet, they settled in the pocket before Daley dropped Homasi a second time with a hard left hoook. Daley again pounced for the finish, and this time all Homasi could do was turtle up, forcing the referee to step in at the 1:44 mark.
The finish was Daley’s third consecutive win and second at 175 pounds, as prior to Bellator 257 he made it clear that he has no desire to continue fighting at welterweight. Daley, who hadn’t competed since October 2019, talked about potentially retiring in the lead-up to Bellator 257, but after his victory, he challenged anyone who wishes to meet him at 175, calling himself the “champion” of the “division.”
Homasi had a four-fight winning streak snapped.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 257 results include:
- Paul Daley def. Sabah Homasi via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:44
- Julia Budd def. Dayana Silva via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Julius Anglickas def. Gregory Milliard via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Steve Mowry def. Shaun Asher via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:55
- Grachik Bozinyan def. Demarques Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Raymond Daniels def. Peter Stanonik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Lance Gibson Jr. def. Marcus Surin via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Karl Albrektsson def. Viktor Nemkov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mads Burnell def. Saul Rogers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:08
- Pedro Carvalho vs. Jay Jay Wilson def. Pedro Carvalho via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:53
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