Adam Piccolotti got back in the win column Saturday at Bellator 199. In the process, he handed Carrington Banks the first loss of his career.
Entering into Bellator 199 in San Jose, CA on Saturday, a question mark hovered over Adam Piccolotti. For perhaps the first time in his career, his prospect status was in doubt. After starting his pro MMA run a perfect 9-0, Piccolotti had lost twice in 2017. While both losses came to though opponents in the form of Goiti Yamauchi and David Rickels, the shine seemed to come off ‘The Bomb’ a little. Which made a win key at the SAP Center this weekend. And while opponent Carrington Banks lacked the name value of Yamauchi or Rickels, he was still an undefeated prospect in a similar spot to where Piccolotti himself was a couple years ago.
In the end, Piccolotti picked up a third round submission in a very competitive fight. With the win under his belt, the clearly pleased lightweight addressed the media at the Bellator 199 post-fight press scrum, with Cageside Press in attendance. There, he reflected on the win, and had a fair amount of praise for opponent Banks.
“He was strong, it was frustrating,” Piccolotti said of Banks. “He was good at keeping his chin down, and defended the rear-naked choke very well.”
Piccolotti knew the finish would come soon enough, however. “Jiu-jitsu essentially is meant for no time limit. So eventually I knew I was going to find an opening,” he said. “It took a little more softening up and being patient and applying pressure with my hips and my body triangle to find it, but it presented itself. I wasn’t going to rush it, give up position, anything silly like that. I wasn’t too worried about it, I knew I was winning the fight, but getting the finish is always the goal.”
The lightweight was definitely surprised at how well Banks defended the neck crank he’d employed during the bout. “Sometimes with that neck crank, especially in conjunction with the body triangle, it can put a ton of pressure on guys and make them submit,” Piccolotti said. “He was tough as hell, I give him respect, he hung in there.”
“I felt his air leaving his body. I felt him struggling with the body triangle and the neck crank together,” he continued. “A lot of times, even with the neck crank they’ll lift their chin, he didn’t do that. I just gotta give him props on his submission defense.”
As to getting back in the win column, and against an undefeated fighter no less, Adam Piccolotti said simply that “it feels great,” before adding that “the fact that he was undefeated means less to me. I know that he was a tough opponent. I know he had good skills, good ground game, good wrestling, good striking. So to beat an opponent that’s good all around, and to get back in the win column, those are the things that mean the most to me right now.”
As for who’s next? “Anybody in that lightweight division” Piccolotti said with a smile.
Check out the full Bellator 199 post-fight presser with Adam Piccolotti above!
