TEMECULA, Calif. – Adam Piccolotti beat Mandel Nallo with a third-round submission Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
Take a look inside the fight with Piccolotti, who got back in the win column after a submission loss this past October.
Mandel Nallo vs. Adam Piccolotti
Result: Adam Piccolotti def. Mandel Nallo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:26
Updated records: Piccolotti (14-5 MMA, 10-5 BMMA), Nallo (9-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA)
Key stat: Piccolotti has alternated wins and losses his past seven fights dating back to 2018.
Piccolotti on the fight's key moment
“I (had) a lot of things in my head going into that fight. I had a – let’s be honest – a piss-poor performance last time out. I just had my firstborn. There’s a lot of things leading into that last fight that really affected me – some medical issues and things like that. So coming into this fight, I definitely had a lot in my head, and that was definitely part of the strategy. I know I’m one of the best grapplers in the world. My striking is right there at this point now. … So I knew if I go in there, put my stuff together, stay busy, I could definitely get the finish.”
Piccolotti on getting the late finish
“I hate when people say ‘Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges,’ because this is a fight, but this is a sport. There should be proper judging, but there’s not. We all know this. I’ve been robbed two or three times in my career – two times, very blatantly. So not leaving it in the hands of the judges was definitely in my head – getting a finish, and even if it wasn’t a finish, something very dominant, like being on his back, pounding him out for the entire third round, that would’ve done the trick, I’m sure. But not leaving it the chance, getting that finish and adding another finish in my record is kind of an important thing for me.”
Piccolotti on what he wants next
“(The new baby) – that’s everything. They’re about 20 minutes away at an AirBnB, so I’m going to go hang out with my boy.”
To hear more from Piccolotti, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
