Romero Cotton def. Justin Sumter in early submission
Bellator 254 goes down tonight from the Mohegan Sun Arena in n Uncasville, Conn. The event will be the promotion’s final show of 2020.
In the main event, Bellator flyweight queen Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0) puts her title on the line again Juliana Velasquez (10-0) in a battle between two undefeated fighters. Macfarlane, who has defended her title four times, comes into this fight as a betting underdog.
The co-main event features a big time bantamweight matchup between Magomed Magomedov and Matheus Mattos. Both fighters only have one career loss and it comes to the same man, UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Magomedov also holds a win over Yan.
Two heavyweight fights round off the main card with Linton Vassell taking on Ronny Markes and Davion Franklin squaring off against Anthony Garrett.
The main card will air on CBS Sports Network starting at 10 p.m. ET. The preliminary card will begin at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched on CBSSports.com and Bellator MMA’s YouTube Channel.
Opening the main event, Romero Cotton puts his undefeated record on the line against Justin Sumter in a middleweight clash. Cotton (4-0) is an all-around fighter with submission and TKO victories. The Kansas fighter takes on a taller, more experienced Sumter (7-3) who has appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series a couple of times. The Massachusetts native looks to get back in the win column after his loss to Maki Pitolo more than one year ago.
In a very dominate performance, Cotton took Sumter to the ground and established early control and cruising to a first round submission victory.
“As far as the finish went, that guy is 6’3, 6’4 So I knew I could roll right through him and get the neck,” Cotton exclaimed.
“I practice with beasts. Monsters. Just top of the line, so this is a walk in the park compared to what I’m working with,” he continued.
Big John McCarthy then asked the obvious question about a still undefeated Bellator middleweight. When McCarthy asked what Cotton wanted in the future, Cotton was humble for possible future opponents.
“I’ve got my eye on myself,” Cotton stated.
“It’s still early in my career. So I’ve got my eyes on myself,” he reiterated.
