Neiman Gracie’s most recent win was perhaps his most brutal.
The grappling standout surprised many back at Bellator 266 in September 2021 when he stopped Mark Lemminger in a welterweight bout. And it wasn’t because Gracie (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) won the contest, but more because of the nature in which he won it.
Gracie showed an improvement in his striking, stopping Lemminger with some precise and vicious uppercuts and hooks in the first round of the fight. It was a finished that showed the evolution in Gracie’s game.
You can watch Gracie’s finish in the video above.
Gracie attempts to get back on the winning track when he meets Michael Lombardo on the first Bellator card of 2023.
Gracie, a former title challenger, is set to clash with Lombardo (13-3 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at the Bellator 290 event on Feb. 4, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a main card that airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Following the TKO win over Lemminger, dropped his next two fights – losing to Logan Storley by decision and losing to Goiti Yamauchi by knockout. He’s 2-4 since he challenged then-champ Rory MacDonald for the title in June 2019.
