#WHOATV were on the ground in Turin, Italy this past weekend to witness an electric, packed house in what was Bellator MMA’s inaugural international event, “Bellator 152: Pitbull vs. Souza,” at Italy’s largest indoor arena, The Pala Alpitour. The venue, which housed several events during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, provided an incredible atmosphere for the historic card.
In the main event Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (16-7) welcomed Kevin Souza (15-5) to Bellator MMA with a unanimous decision. Souza took the fight on short notice after replacing Derek Campos because of injury only a week ago. “Pitbull” spent much of the bout trying to figure out his opponent’s unorthodox style, but in the third and final round, “Pitbull” was able to score several solid shots and a takedown to cement his position on the scorecards.
Few fighters can inspire a nation the way that Rome’s Alessio Sakara (18-11) had his Italian countrymen rooting for him on the night. In scenes reminiscent of UFC Ireland’s coming out party for Conor McGregor the support paid off, as “Legionarius” got the better of Brian Rogers (12-9) in a slugfest for the ages. Crisp, precise, power-punches connected with Rogers putting him on the canvas, forcing the TKO stoppage at 2:29 of round two and making Sakara’s Bellator debut one to remember.
Check out the behind the scenes footage featuring Royce Gracie, Gina Carano, Matt Mitrione and more. Enjoy, tell a friend and share.