Bellator 272 results: Jeremy Kennedy grinds out Emmanuel Sanchez to earn unanimous decision

Matthew Wells
·3 min read
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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Jeremy Kennedy turned in a dominant performance in the co-main event on Friday evening.

Over the course of three rounds, Kennedy (17-3 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) utilized his wrestling skills to keep Emmanuel Sanchez on his back for most of the fight, ultimately grinding his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Bellator 272 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Sanchez (20-7 MMA, 12-6 BMMA) looked to put the pressure on early in the fight, putting together a few punching combinations as he moved forward. Kennedy opted to drop down for a takedown attempt which led to a clinch against the cage. Kennedy would eventually end up on top of his opponent and look to improve position, but Sanchez was active with punches from his back. After a few wild scrambles, they ended back on the canvas with Sanchez threatening triangle chokes from his back until the round ended.

The next two rounds of the fight would look pretty similar to the first: Sanchez would start the round landing strikes, but the fight would quickly end up on the canvas with Kennedy on top.

In the third, Sanchez was able to find his way into a guillotine choke attempt and hold it for over a minute after being on his back for a majority of the round, but Kennedy popped his head out with just under 30 seconds remaining and landed strikes from the top until the fight concluded.

All three judges scored the fight 30-27 unanimously in favor of Kennedy.

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Kennedy, a veteran of UFC and PFL, picks up his second win in three fights under the Bellator banner. In his debut with the promotion, he picked up a unanimous decision win over Matt Bessette last year but the victory was followed up by dropping a decision to Adam Borics in April. Friday’s victory over Sanchez gets him back in the win column in a big way.

Sanchez’s 2021 campaign is one he would like to quickly move past. Friday’s loss marks three straight during the calendar year, with losses to former champ Patricio Pitbull, Mads Burnell, and now, Kennedy. Sanchez was on quite the impressive run as a winner of seven of eight bouts before his recent skid.

Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 272 include:

  • Jeremy Kennedy def. Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

  • Josh Hill def. Jared Scoggins knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:56

  • Johnny Eblen def. Collin Huckbody TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:11

  • Alexander Shabliy def. Bobby King unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00

  • Kai Kamaka def. John de Jesus unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – Round 3, 5:00

  • Levan Chokheli def. Vinicius de Jesus unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00

  • Justin Montalvo def. Jacob Bohn unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28) – Round 3, 5:00

  • Mike Hamel def. Killys Mota split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00

  • Spike Carlyle def. Dan Moret technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:58

  • Kyle Crutchmer def. Oliver Enkamp unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3, 5:00