UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Christian Echols pulled off a massive upset in his Bellator debut.
Standing across from the highly-touted wrestler Pat Downey, Echols (3-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had the deck stacked against him with many believing Downey would come in and dominate the grappling game. The fight took place on the Bellator 289 prelims at Mohegan Sun Arena.
While Downey (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) had success early with a tight front headlock submission attempt, Echols found his way out and began putting powerful punches together. After rocking and wobbling Downey, Echols landed the walk-off uppercut to close the show in the first round.
Some sportsbooks had Downey as high as a -2500 favorite over Echols. Unfortunately for those wagering on Downey, “The Vanilla Gorilla” proved nothing is a lock in the world of MMA.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗞𝗢 🤯@vgorillamma tames the mullet to hand @PatDowney his first L.#Bellator289 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE now 👇
🔗 https://t.co/Jk8YoAvXBr pic.twitter.com/oNMzigdAeo— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) December 10, 2022
Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 289 include:
- Christian Echols def. Pat Downey via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:27
- Kai Kamaka def. Kevin Boehm via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:23
- Michael Lombardo def. Mark Lemminger via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:23
- Cass Bell def. Jared Scoggins via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.
