Bellator 274 saw the promotion make a little history, offering up the first five-round non-title main event in the organization’s existence.
It’s lucky they pulled the trigger when they did. Through three rounds, Gracie vs. Storley was a listless affair, the grappler vs. wrestler match-up giving way to a lackadaisical kickboxing bout. Then, come round four, the action exploded, with first Gracie, then Storley, rocking the other. Whatever had lit the fuse, when the bomb finally went off in round four, it was worth the wait.
In the end, Storley exited the night hand raised care of a unanimous decision win. The South Dakota wrestler had one of his best performances to date, but will join the likes of ex-champ Andrey Koreshkov, and the winner of Douglas Lima vs. Jason Jackson, in vying for a title shot against the winner of Bellator London’s Yaroslav Amosov vs. Michael “Venom” Page.
Speaking of Koreshkov, he had a big night at Bellator 274 as well, absolutely wrecking Chance Rencountre with a spinning heel kick that shut down the UFC vet’s body almost instantly. Then there was the return of Brennan Ward, who put a beating on Brandon Bell so bad it felt like Bell owed him money.
Full results and a gallery of highlights from Bellator 274 can be found below.
Bellator 274: Gracie vs. Storley Results
Main Card
Logan Storley def. Neiman Gracie by unanimous decision (48-47, 50-45, 49-46)
Andrey Koreshkov def. Chance Rencountre by TKO (spinning heel kick and strikes), Round 1, 0:38
Adam Piccolotti def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Brennan Ward def. Brandon Bell by TKO, Round 2, 0:32
Davion Franklin def. Said Sowma by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Preliminary card
Nick Browne def. Mandel Nallo by TKO, Round 2, 2:20
Jaylon Bates def. Chris Disonell by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 3:39
Bobby King def. Aviv Gozali by TKO (doctor stoppage), Round 1, 5:00
DeAnna Bennett def. Justine Kish by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Jordan Newman def. Cody Herbert by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Justin Montalvo def. Corey Samuels by TKO, Round 1, 2:43
Isaiah Hokit def. Theodore Macuka by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:59
Jonathan Dilorenzo def. Orlando Mendoza by submission (D’arce choke), Round 1, 1:07
