Riding a two-fight losing streak, Kent Kauppinen entered enemy territory in December 2018.
Taking on a home crowd favorite in Italian MMA legend Alessio Sakara at Bellator 211, the chips were seemingly stacked against Kauppinen. However, in jiust 70 seconds, he quickly erased any and all doubt. The English middleweight silenced the RDS Stadium Arena in Rome when he knocked Sakara out cold at 1:10 of the first round.
Upon landing a vicious counter left hook, Kauppinen appeared to hesitate on throwing any follow-up shots. However, referee Dan Miragliotta was reluctant to waive off the contest. As a result, Kauppinen finished off the job with two hard right hands.
Immediately following the finish, Kauppinen displayed concern for his downed opponent, who struggled to regain consciousness. The win was Kauppinen’s first under the Bellator banner.
The victory set Kauppinen up for another marquee matchup in his next outing. At Bellator 223 in June, Kauppinen battled Melvin Manhoef in the evening’s co-main event, which he lost by unanimous decision.
Saturday night, Kauppinen (11-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returns to the cage at Bellator Europe 6 when he takes on Andy Manzalo (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
Bellator Europe 6 takes at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The card streams on MMA Junkie.
Ahead of his Bellator Europe 6 return, watch Kent Kauppinen’s brutal knockout of Alessio Sakara at Bellator 211 in the video above.
