Bellator 249 saw a last-minute shake-up to its main card Friday. That saw the co-main event between Patricky Pitbull and Jaleel Willis pulled from the event, after an undisclosed medical issue suffered by Pitbull. As a result, Ricky Bandejas vs. Leandro Higo was bumped up to the co-feature spot, and heavyweights Steve Mowry and Shawn Teed were promoted from the preliminary card.
Mowry was an undefeated prospect with a 7-0 record to start the evening. Teed, meanwhile, had shared the cage with UFC level fighters like Juan Adams, Azunna Anyanwu, and current UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus.
If nothing else, Teed may have represented the toughest test to date for the towering Mowray. If that was the case, he acquitted himself well. Mowry pushed the pace early, got his hands going, added a standing knee, and showed he was the better grappler. When Teed did land, it was generally the single strike variety, although he did manage to open a small cut up along the eyebrow of Mowry.
The 6 foot 8 Mowry, however, continued to use his height to his advantage, slipping in several more standing knees. Right hand leading the way, he backed Teed up to the cage, forcing him to cover up. The opening round saw Mowry mix things up well, throwing in some leg kicks, before finally putting Teed down with yet another knee, then a right hand, toward the end of the round.
The added bonus for Steve Mowry at Bellator 249 is that with the promotion to the main card, his performance was no doubt witnessed by a much larger audience. That should bode well for the now 8-0 heavyweight, who has continued to develop at a consistent pace since joining Bellator in 2018.
Official Result: Steve Mowry def. Shawn Teed by TKO, Round 1, 4:22
