Undefeated Team Alpha Male lightweight Chris Gonzalez kicked off the Bellator 263 main card on Saturday night in Los Angeles. In the biggest test of his career, Gonzalez was paired up against the well-traveled Goiti Yamauchi, a longtime Bellator veteran.
It was clear wrestler versus striker match-up, with Yamauchi’s record absolutely flooded with submission wins. Gonzalez, meanwhile, told Cageside Press ahead of the fight that he wouldn’t shy away from going to the ground with his opponent.
That said, it was not Gonzalez’s night, and the skill sets of the pair did seem to cancel each other out, leading to a wild brawl on the feet.
In the opening, and only, round of Gonzalez vs. Yamauchi on Saturday, the pair went right to work with their striking. Yamauchi flashed a flying knee, while Gonzalez connected with a solid 1-2 up top. Yamauchi would find success with a lead uppercut that seemed to get Gonzalez’s attention, but he wasn’t shy about returning fire either.
Gonzalez threw to the body as well as the head, as did Yamauchi, whose strikes had a little more weight behind them. The uppercut landed again for Yamauchi, and it wasn’t long before he sat Chris Gonzalez down! A left, then a crisp right hand, did the damage. The Japanese-Brazilian fighter immediately got on top, raining down blow after blow. That sent in ref Mike Beltran to save the day, giving Goiti Yamauchi a highlight reel knockout — just the second of his career. The loss, meanwhile, was the first for Gonzalez.
Official Result: Goiti Yamauchi def. Chris Gonzalez by TKO, Round 1, 3:53
