Bellator 231 post-event facts: Roy Nelson hits career-long losing skid
Bellator hosted the first show of its weekend doubleheader on Friday with Bellator 231, which went down at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that aired on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Frank Mir (19-12 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returned to the win column after more than four years in the main event. The former UFC champion defeated Roy Nelson (23-18 MMA, 1-4 BMMA) by unanimous decision for a second time in his career to achieve victory in the Bellator cage for the first time.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 22 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 231.
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General
Betting favorites went 2-2 on the main card. One fight ended in a no contest.
Betting favorites fell to 10-6 (with two no contests and one draw) in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the five-bout main card was 53:37.
Main card
Mir improved to 1-2 since he returned from a more than two-year layoff in April 2018.
Mir earned his first non-UFC victory since August 2001. It was his first victory overall since July 2015.
Mir improved to 3-8 in his past 11 bouts dating back to May 2012.
Mir’s 17 victories in Bellator/UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Andrei Arlovski for most in combined divisional history.
Nelson’s four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2017.
Nelson has suffered 15 of his 18 career losses by decision. That includes three of his four Bellator defeats.
Phil Davis (21-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) improved to 4-2 in his past four fights dating back to when he lost the Bellator light heavyweight title in June 2017.
Davis’ eight victories in Bellator light heavyweight competition are tied with Emanuel Newton for second most in divisional history behind Liam McGeary (nine).
Davis’ four stoppage victories in Bellator light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind McGeary (eight) and Muhammad Lawal (five).
Karl Albrektsson (9-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Ed Ruth (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the Bellator welterweight division in June 2018.
Bec Rawlings’ (7-9 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) five-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since March 2016.
Rawlings fell to 0-3 since she returned to the women’s flyweight division in November 2017.
Rawlings suffered the first submission loss of her career.
Preliminary card
Steve Mowry (7-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
Mowry has earned all three of his Bellator victories by submission.
Mandel Nallo (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) had his seven-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Talita Nogueira (7-2 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after beginning her career on a seven-fight winning streak.
Nogueira suffered the first decision loss of her career.