The opening bout of the Bellator 183 card saw undefeated lightweight Adam Piccolotti taking on submission ace Goiti Yamauchi. Piccolotti was entering the night off the biggest win of his career, a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Girtz at Bellator 165 last November.
Yamauchi, meanwhile, had run up two straight wins in the promotion over Ryan Couture and Valeriu Mircea. With over twenty wins in his pro career and a long tenure in Bellator, Yamauchi was poised to potentially get into title contention with a win over Piccolotti — and vice versa.
Once the action was underway, both fighters showed some striking prowess, with Piccolotti flashing some kicks and combinations, while Yamauchi displayed a killer high kick. However, it was a Yamauchi pulling guard for a guillotine attempt that gave fans the first near finish in the fight. Piccolotti would hold on and escape, however, but Yamauchi had shown his submission skills early.
At the three minute mark, Goiti Yamauchi had Piccolotti against the fence, arms locked around his waist. He would control the back, landing some knees to the thigh, but was unable to wrestle his opponent to the canvas. Instead, he took the back completely, climbing up and sinking in a tight rear-naked choke! Dragging Piccolotti down, Yamauchi continued to squeeze, and there was no escape. Adam Piccolotti tapped for the first loss of his career, and Yamauchi had another submission win.
Goiti Yamauchi def. Adam Piccolotti by submission, Round 1, 3:19
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