Heading into Bellator 195, the pressing question was whether Leandro Higo would make weight in his second chance at a title shot in the promotion. He did, and the title fight was on, undoing some of the damage from his miss last year. The next pressing question, then, was whether Darrion Caldwell could continue his success at 135lbs. Like Douglas Lima before him, Caldwell was a ‘Bellator Original’ who was flying under the radar. With Michel McDonald looming in the distance, could he collect a win Friday and pick up the big fight against ‘Mayday?’

It was the champion, Caldwell, holding center early. The pair had an active feeling out period through the first couple of minutes, until Caldwell changed levels and scored the first takedown of the fight. Higo sprung up, but Caldwell powered him back down. He almost immediately put Leandro Higo in a bad spot, awkwardly crammed against the cage. Despite the cramped space, the champ was able to pass to half-guard, briefly to guard, and quickly locked in a guillotine. Higo managed to get back to half-guard, forcing his leg between the pair, but it was too little, too late. He was forced to tap, and Darrion Caldwell had his first successful title defense!

After the fight, Caldwell was adamant that he wouldn’t call anyone out, but would take on all comers.

Darrion Caldwell def. Leandro Higo by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 2:36

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Former dual-weight class champion Joe Warren got back in the cage at Bellator 195 Friday in Thackerville, OK. Opposite him was a tough out in Joe Taimanglo, with the former champ was looking to overcome Taimanglo and make it two in a row in the 135lb division. The pairing served as the evening’s co-main event.

It was ‘Baby’ Joe Taimanglo coming out strong early and surprisingly taking Joe Warren down. Few saw that coming, but the greco-roman wrestler Warren quickly reversed and had Taimanglo in a headlock. Warren then began dictating the fight, stacking Taimanglo up against the cage. He was in control for a while, but Taimanglo would escape to the feet, and rock Warren with a punch. Warren recovered, and fired back, but was soon under heavy fire. Taimanglo was landing almost at will as Warren covered up; a takedown by Warren was easily shook off. Warren was hurt, and more than once recklessly rushed into harm’s way, only to eat heavy shots from Taimanglo. Yet at the end of the round it was Joe Warren scoring one last takedown and finishing the round in control.

In the second, Warren brought his wrestling early, but much of the action was on the feet. Joe Taimanglo continued to land some heavy shots, but had noticeably slowed. For better or worse, Warren was not willing to back off, even launching a number of flying knee attempts. Taimanglo was finding success with overhands, while Warren simply couldn’t find the much-needed takedown.

Taimanglo’s movement and jab were in play early in the third, as was a hard leg kick he landed on the former champ. Yet Warren scored a knockdown shortly after (if not a trip), and quickly got on top and went to work with ground and pound. Taimanglo found himself with Warren on his back from that point; Warren had a leg in, and briefly looked like he might have a shot at a rear-naked choke. Taimanglo exploded up however, and scored a takedown of his own. Warren gave up his back to get back to his feet, but Joe Taimanglo took him down once more. Taimanglo wasn’t able to do much with those takedowns, and Warren managed one last takedown of his own — right into a guillotine attempt! He pulled free, adding a final ground strike before the bell rang.

Joe Taimanglo def. Joe Warren by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

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At Bellator 195 in Thackerville, OK on Friday, a pair of women’s flyweights threw down in a rather intriguing match-up. Emily Ducote, fresh off a title challenge for the inaugural 125lb championship in Bellator, was taking on Kristina Williams. Williams had just a single pro fight to her name, but that was a win over the popular Heather Hardy.

As the action got underway, Ducote held center, but Williams used her length to keep her outside. Ducote was stuffed on her first single leg attempt, and from there, Williams would control on the feet. She turned the affair into a standup battle, with Ducote occasionally threatening to get inside, or catch a kick. However, it was mostly Williams making an impact until the final minute of round one, when Ducote did in fact catch a kick, taking Williams down. There wasn’t enough time to make much happen, however, and they went to round two.

The second saw Emily Ducote do everything she could to close the distance. She would launch attacks, only to be countered and pushed back by Williams, who was soon firing combinations, and effective high kicks. Ducote showed considerable heart, but was eating a hefty number of shots. She was, however, able to land a high kick of her own. In the dying seconds of the round, Wiliams exploded with a barrage of strikes, including elbows, that pressed Ducote back against the fence. Ducote fired back with a shot that rocked Williams just as the round came to a close.

Ducote continued to initiate the attacks early in round three. Williams was answering back and getting the better of most exchanges; Ducote was bloodied and still trying to figure out how to combat the reach of Williams. Ducote was bloodied but far from unbowed, and scored a takedown in the final ninety seconds of the fight. Williams employed a butterfly guard; Ducote passed first to side control, then to mount, and threw up an arm-bar attempt in the dying seconds. Williams defended well, and forced the fight to the scorecards, in what could be a very interesting result. And it was — a split decision, with two judges seeing it for Williams, but the third giving all three rounds to Emily Ducote.

Kristina Williams def. Emily Ducote by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

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Bellator 195 went down live Friday night from the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, OK. In main card action, featherweights Juan Archuleta and William Joplin threw down early in the night, opening up the show on the Paramount Network. Joplin took the fight on short notice, while Juan Archuleta was undefeated since 2015.

Archuleta was looking to finish the fight early. After Joplin got aggressive in the opening moments of the bout, Archuleta began peppering him with shots along the fence. They went to the ground, with Archuleta going to work in Joplin’s guard. Ground and pound followed, and Archuleta, coached by Joe Stevenson, added a heavy knee to the body of Joplin. Joplin would make it back to his feet, however, and go back on the offensive, launching a couple of overhand rights before shooting in for a takedown. That was stuffed, and it was Archuleta taking Joplin to the ground once more. It was more ground and pound from Archuleta from that point, and though a low blow would briefly stop the action towards the end of the frame, Joplin would find little reprieve in the first.

Archuleta started with a flurry in round two. Joplin was soon on his knees, and Archuleta connected with a high kick partially blocked by Joplin before taking his opponent to the canvas. As Joplin was on his way up during the sequence, he was not a downed oppoent. Joplin struggled to regain his feet, while Archuleta pressured him with punches. Back up, Joplin had to contend with a cartwheel kick attempt, and responded with one of his own. The pair then traded spinning back fists (with Joplin’s not really being a full effort) before they went back to a brief exchange. Then, as he had often in round one, Archuleta again took Joplin down. He’d control Joplin on the ground for a good long while, only to have the ref stand the fight up for a perceived lack of action in the final minute of the round. That was short lived, as Archuleta immediately took Joplin down one more time.

Round three saw Joplin showing serious damage to the left eye, and he was soon in a bit of a firefight with Archuleta. Archuleta then took his adversary down along the cage, and went to work looking for a choke. Joplin survived, but was well behind in the fight. Knees to the thigh rained down as he struggled to make it back up. It was all for not. The lopsided decision was soon in the books, with one judge awarding a nearly unheard of 30-23.

Juan Archuleta def. William Joplin by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-24, 30-23)

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Bellator MMA returned to action Friday with its lone card from the month of March. Featuring a bantamweight title fight between Darrion Caldwell and Leandro Higo, Bellator 195 was set to be key for the 135lb division, especially given a co-main event featuring former two-weight class champion Joe Warren, looking to make it two in a row at bantamweight.

Aside from Caldwell and Warren, the card also featured an interesting women’s flyweight scrap between Emily Ducote, who challenged for the inaugural women’s 125lb title last year, and Kristina Williams. Just 1-0, Williams was green, but her stock was on the rise after she defeated Heather Hardy last October.

Preliminary action, meanwhile, kicked off at 7PM ET.

Check back come fight time, and you can catch the Bellator 195 live stream for the preliminary card right here on Cageside Press!

Bellator 195: Caldwell vs. Higo – Live Tonight 9/8c, on Paramount Network

Bellator 195 Preliminary Card Results:

Romero Cotton def. Justin Reeser by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:35
Kevin Holland def. Teagan Dooley by submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 2:59
Aaron Webb def. Thomas Lopez by knockout, Round 1, 3:11
Fernando Gonzalez def. Armando Servin by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:24
Daniel Carey def. Cris Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Justin Patterson def. Brian Grinnell by TKO, Round 1, 4:49

Dark Bouts:

Treston Thomison vs. Jessie Vasquez
Andrew Parker vs. Will Florentino
Ky Bennett vs. Morgan Solis

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Bellator 195’s Kristina Williams surprised the MMA world when she beat ‘It Girl’ Heather Hardy bloody in Williams’ pro debut last October. Hardy was the talk of the town heading in, the pro boxing champ who made a splash in her debut at Bellator NYC last June. Williams was overlooked at best, and peppered with asinine questions following the victory by journalists no doubt scrambling to remember her background. Was she ready for a title shot? Did she credit training partner Emily Ducote with her success (No 1-0 fighter is ready for a title shot, Ducote wasn’t a training partner of Williams).

That brings us to Friday night. At Bellator 195, Kristina Williams will take on Emily Ducote, a fighter who recently challenged for Bellator’s inaugural women’s flyweight championship. That’s a big step up for a fighter with just one appearance in the company, but Bellator MMA no doubt wants to cash in on Williams’ high profile debut.

Cageside Press had the chance to speak to Williams ahead of tonight’s bout, and we touched on that debut, and one of the more surprising aspects of it: composure. Lots of poise and composure. With her debut on such a big platform, does Williams think that it has helped alleviate any future jitters, especially heading into another fight against a top name in the promotion?

“I hope I’ll continue to be that calm and collected in the ring,” she told us, reflecting on the fight from several months back. “I didn’t get into a lot of situations that are difficult for me, but usually when I do I can stay pretty calm. And I expect to handle my next fight like that.”

Come Bellator 195, it will have been a five month turn around for Williams. We asked if she would have preferred to get back in the cage sooner, or whether five months was ideal. For Williams, a little sooner would have been nice. “Every three months would be fine, but I don’t like anything more than that,” she said.

With so many fans unfamiliar with her, it’s no surprise that Kristina Williams was, well, a surprise in the Hardy fight. Yet her background explains at least some of that. “I did Taekwondo for five years, I have my black belt. I did cardio kickboxing before that,” the flyweight explained.

The Taekwondo definitely showed up in the Hardy fight. Yet Emily Ducote is a ground specialist. So what’s the plan? Keep her away, and keep it standing as long as possible?

“I love to keep it standing,” Williams answered. “If it goes to the ground however, I will be prepared. I worked really hard on this camp, with grappling,” she told us.

Catch Kristina Williams take on Emily Ducote live at Bellator 195 on Friday, March 2 on the Paramount Network. The fight goes down in Thackerville, OK, with the main card kicking off at 9PM ET.

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Bellator flyweight Emily Ducote returns to the cage this Friday at Bellator 195 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. There, ‘Gordinha’ will look to put the lessons learned from her loss to Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in Bellator’s inaugural women’s flyweight title fight to work. Despite having competed for gold in the weight class, the promotion has handed her relative newcomer Kristina Williams this time out. Williams shot to stardom by upsetting flyweight sweetheart and boxing sensation Heather Hardy, but she’s still a 1-0 fighter.

Ducote (6-3), however, told Cageside Press she simply doesn’t turn down fights. We spoke about that, the lessons learned from her title fight loss, and more ahead of her return at Bellator 195 this Friday.

“There’s a lot of lessons,” Ducote told us of what she took away from the loss to Macfarlane, her second to the Hawaiian. “Physically, fight-wise, and there’s a lot of mental lessons that I learned in that fight. It’s hard to explain all of them, but there’s things I did or didn’t do in the fight.” What Ducote is looking to do now is take those lessons and put them to work. “I’m trying to take those puzzle pieces and put them together for this next fight. Fixing my mistakes that I made, and just looking forward to putting them into play for this next fight.”

Ducote suggested that much of it boiled down to the little things. “I did things, like I was active with kicks, and active with takedown defense, but in some situations, I wasn’t active enough, or didn’t throw enough, or wasn’t in the right range, things like that. Small things that make big differences.”

And while it may seem odd that she’s getting a 1-0 fighter coming off a title fight, Ducote told Cageside Press that “I stopped trying to figure out Bellator and what they do a long time ago.” As a result, there was no hesitation when the promotion offered her Williams. “It doesn’t matter who it is,” she said. “Any fight we’ve been offered, we’ve accepted. We don’t ask for people, we really just ask to fight and to stay active. I’m not really concerned about records or things like that.”

One side-effect, however, is that there is precious little tape of Kristina Williams to watch in preparation for the fight. And what is out there is “hard to watch, because she really outsmarted Heather, it’s how she beat her. She outsmarted her. But the thing is,” Ducote continued, “I’m not a boxer. Any time you fight somebody, you’ve got to fight people different. You don’t fight everybody the same. We’ve seen her style, we’ve seen a little bit of what she does, obviously we haven’t seen that much, so I’m expecting her to be a little different.”

That having been said, Emily Ducote is not overly worried with Williams’ style or game plan. As she put it, “if I put so much worry or thought into what she’s going to do, it puts her above me, and it puts myself lower.” Instead, her camp has been about “focusing on myself, and my skills, fixing my mistakes and sharpening my skills. Less thought about what she’s going to do or how it’s going to play out like that and just more about being ready where ever it goes.”

Ducote was, in the past, linked to a fight with former UFC title challenger Valerie Letourneau, which unfortunately fell through when Letourneau was injured. Asked if it’s a fight she’d like to get back, ‘Gordinha’ explained that “when that fight fell through and Jessica [Middleton] stepped up and accepted the fight, it just shifted. I never had another thought about Valerie. Really I’m just focused on who I’m signed [contractually] to fight against.”

“If they offered me Valerie, of course, of course I would accept,” she added. “We don’t say no, more so because I really believe that anybody you fight, you’re going to learn so much from them.” Ducote expanded on that last point, saying that “you can fight five different strikers, and learn five completely different lessons fighting them. I just feel like every individual’s going to show you something different.”

She reiterated, however, that she’ll fight anyone Bellator has to offer. “They’ve got a growing group of women’s flyweights, so there’s so many potential match-ups to be made.”

Ducote would like to stay as active as possible this year, and preferably appear on each and every card in Thackerville, which is right in Ducote’s backyard. “I’m not worried about anything title related, I just want to fight.”

Fighting, to Ducote, helps her grow outside of the cage as well as in it. “As crazy as this sounds, when ever I have a camp, and when ever I step in that cage, something changes,” she explained. “Not just fight-wise or training-wise, but just as a person. My eyes open a little bit. I learn all these lessons. And I kind of see more of what I want to do or less of what I want to do. There’s an idea of the person I want to be. And every time I step into the cage, I get a little closer, because I learn all these lessons that I try to apply not just to fighting but to life itself.”

The key to it all is change. “I love change, I love that we are capable of it. I love what fighting does. I’ve seen people at the gym, or people that fight other fighters for Bellator or other promotions, that change. Fighting brings change. And I love that.”

The fight game is something Ducote embraced early, alongside her grandmother, who is perhaps her biggest fan. “She will not miss a Bellator event, she has been to all six of my fights, where ever they are.”

Her grandmother is, in fact, the reason she got into the sport. “She loves to be there. She’s how I got started, how I got into martial arts,” Ducote continued. “If you’ve ever seen her at a fight event, you’ll know what I’m talking about. She loves it, she thrives on it. It excites her, she loves it.”

And how did Grandma fall in love with the sport originally? Docute isn’t entirely sure. “All I can remember is being a little kid, sitting on the couch watching fights all day. She loves Urijah Faber.”

Perhaps fighting is just in her blood. “She’s a firecracker. I’m not surprised that she likes them. The kind of person that she is, she’s really strong, and fierce.” And had her grandmother been a young woman in today’s world, “I have no doubt that she would herself be a fighter.”

Emily Ducote takes on Kristina Williams at Bellator 195, live this Friday on the Paramount Network. The televised main card kicks off at 9PM EST.

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Bellator 195 has its headliner. Bantamweight champ Darrion Caldwell’s first title defense will go down atop the card, the promotion announced on Tuesday. Caldwell will defend the title against Leandro Higo in what looks to be an exciting Bellator 195 main event. The card takes place March 2 at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It will air exclusively on the newly formed Paramount Network, which is replacing Spike TV.

Caldwell (11-1) captured the title against Eduardo Dantas in October. 8-1 in Bellator since his debut for the promotion in 2014, he will have a chance to work on establishing a legacy as champ in the company. With wins over former champion Joe Warren, and bantamweight tournament winner/former title challenger Rafael Silva, Caldwell has blossomed from prospect to proven talent.

Opposite Caldwell in the cage at Bellator 195 will be Leandro Higo (18-3). A product of RFA and later LFA (where he earned gold), Higo dropped his promotional debut in Bellator to Dantas in a split decision at Bellator 177 in April. He bounced back, however, with a unanimous decision victory over Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 184.

Curiously, Higo was lined up to fight for the title once before, the fight against Dantas. He missed weight, however, and the fight was contested without the title on the line. It seems Bellator has faith that his weight troubles are over, given they are scheduling him for his second title shot within a twelve month period.

Additional bouts will likely be announced for the event in the coming weeks.

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