Pedro Carvalho extended Derek Campos’ rough stretch of late, knocking him out via punches just 2:03 into the first round. The bout continued a run of exciting finishes in the main card of Bellator Birmingham.
Derek Campos is an established name in Bellator MMA and has fought the very best his division has to offer. With wins over Brandon Girtz, Derek Anderson and Melvin Guillard, Campos understandably entered his fight as favourite with Pedro Carvalho. Carvalho was a short notice replacement for the injured Ryan Scope.
Pedro Carvalho, however, was riding a wave of confidence after his tight win over highly touted prospect Daniel Crawford and a first round finish victory following. Carvalho, hailing from SBG, is a very aggressive fighter on the standup and is a handful for any fighter, showing he could upset the odds.
Early in the first round, Campos tried for the takedown, understanding his opponents weakness. However, this was stuffed well by the Portuguese featherweight before he landed kicks to the body of Campos, hurting his opponent.
This main card is 🔥! Catch the FULL first round between @DC3Stallion and Pedro Carvalho right here.#BellatorBirmingham pic.twitter.com/oc7tuUVu7Y
— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) May 4, 2019
Carvalho looked in major trouble when Campos landed a takedown and seemingly had the back of Carvalho. However, Pedro soon got to his feet and got back to striking. Moments later, the underdog landed significant strikes the body and head of Campos, forcing him to the floor where he finished the fight. This sees Carvalho now riding a five fight win streak and announcing himself as a serious contender at 155.
Pedro Carvalho def. Derek Campos by KO (punches) in Round 1 (2:03)
