THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Gerald Harris was perhaps seconds away from his first Bellator win – and on another night, he might’ve gotten a stoppage.
Harris (25-8-1 MMA, 0-3-1 BMMA) put Anatoly Tokov (28-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the first round and looked like he was on his way to a TKO win. But referee Kerry Hatley gave Tokov a chance to recover. He did so, made it to the second round, then put Harris away with a guillotine choke at the 0:47 mark of the middle frame.
Bellator 218 took place Friday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Harris drilled Tokov with a left hand and put him on the canvas 90 seconds into the fight. He pounced on him immediately and started dropping heavy hands on the canvas. It looked like Tokov may have been out a couple times, but Hatley let the fight continue.
Tokov recovered and got back to his feet, but Harris drove him to the fence. Still, Tokov managed to recover and turned Harris around and pressed his back to the cage. They grinded their way through the rest of the round, which may have been recovery mode for Tokov.
Tokov landed several punches early against Harris. And when Harris started to go to the canvas, Tokov caught him in a guillotine choke. It didn’t take long for Harris to tap.
For complete coverage of Bellator 218, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
