For the first time in 15 months, Alexander Shlemenko delivered a knockout inside the Bellator MMA cage.
And for the second time in less than three months, Melvin Manhoef was on the receiving end of one.
Shlemenko (52-9) scored a highlight-reel finish over Manhoef (29-13-1) at 1:25 of the second round via spinning back fist. The middleweight bout headlined Bellator 133 on Saturday at Save Mart Center in Fresno.
After a solid first round, Shlemenko knocked Manhoef out cold with a single shot. Manhoef wobbled at first, before crashing violently backward to the canvas. Referee John McCarthy stopped the bout immediately.
The former Bellator champion whose last knockout came against Doug Marshall in November 2013, called for a title shot after the win. He lost the 185-pound belt to Brandon Halsey in September.
"(Bellator president) Scott Coker, please, I want my belt back," Shlemenko said. "This is my belt. I made a mistake. Halsey, I am coming for you."
For Manhoef (29-13-1), it marks back-to-back knockout losses under the Bellator banner. The longtime professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist signed with the promotion late last year and dropped his Bellator debut to Joe Schilling in a second-round knockout loss.
The 38-year-old has been knocked out five times in MMA, plus multiple times within the kickboxing ring.
In a surprising move, Shlemenko attempted six takedowns in the first round of the middleweight fight. He failed to bring Manhoef down on any of them but continued to put forth the effort. He opened the second frame with a deep double leg attempt but failed to convert.
Manhoef did well defending the shots but couldn't capitalize on them. Shlemenko did well dictating the range of the fight, either sticking to the outside where he could throw his spinning attacks or tying up Manhoef on the inside along the fence. He landed a couple of spinning back kicks to Manhoef's midsection and, at one point in the first round, attempted a standing guillotine.
Manhoef landed essentially one hard shot -- a partially blocked right hand that briefly staggered Shlemenko. The Russian recovered quickly, however, and slowed the pace down with a takedown attempt.
Shlemenko won the Bellator title in February 2013 and went on to make three successful title defenses. He suffered a first-round submission loss at the hands of Tito Ortiz in a non-title light heavyweight fight in May and then lost his title to Halsey as a significant favorite four months later.
The 30-year-old contemplated a move to welterweight, but it appears he will remain at 185 pounds in the immediate future.
Weichel outpoints former champion Curran
Daniel Weichel scored the biggest win of his career in a split decision against former featherweight champion Pat Curran.
Winner of the Bellator Season 10 featherweight tournament, Weichel (35-8) lost a potential title bid when the promotion announced it would move away from its tournament structure last year.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Weichel turned in a stellar effort against Curran on Friday. Judges Derek Clearly and Abe Belardo scored the 145-pound contest 29-28 for Weichel. Judge Marcos Rosales had it 29-28 in favor of Curran. ESPN.com scored the bout 30-27 for Weichel.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt scored his best moments of the fight on the feet, consistently beating Curran (20-7) to the punch and landing the cleaner shots. He buzzed Curran with a counter right hand to the chin less than 90 seconds in and swept him completely off his feet with an outside leg kick later in the round.
Curran, who has never been knocked out in his career, absorbed the shots well and held his ground against Weichel -- but he struggled to respond with much offense. He peppered Weichel with inside leg kicks at every opportunity, but it was obvious Weichel was getting the better of the exchanges. Curran landed a hard counter right in the closing seconds of the opening round, after a Weichel flurry.
Fighting out of Frankfurt, Germany, Weichel found his groove on the feet in the second round. He started to pick Curran apart on the outside with a quick jab and occasional overhand right, although did forfeit a takedown with one minute left in the frame.
Weichel appeared tired in the third round and started to shoot takedowns without much setup. Curran, however, appeared fatigued as well, and allowed himself to be taken down twice. Both times he rose back to his feet quickly. Late in the fight, Curran shot on a takedown but was too far out and was forced to fight off a Weichel guillotine.
The 30-year-old Weichel has now won seven bouts in a row and 12 of his last 13. Twenty-one of his 35 career wins have come via submission. Curran, who entered the bout as the No. 8-ranked featherweight in the world, according to ESPN.com, has lost three of his last four fights.
Budd dominates Holloway
Julia Budd proved to be too much for Gabrielle Holloway -- everywhere.
Making her Bellator debut, Budd (7-2) easily dispatched Holloway via unanimous decision in a three-round featherweight bout. All three judges scored it a shutout for Budd: 30-26, 30-25 and 30-24.
Holloway (4-2), who accepted the fight on short notice, had little to offer Budd. She gave ground and backed up to the fence on her feet, where she continually gave up easy takedowns. On the ground, Holloway was purely defensive. Budd dominated her in every part of the fight but never came close to a finish.
After giving up an early takedown, Holloway gave up her back, which proved to be a bit of a theme as the fight progressed. Budd failed to ever lock up a choke, however, choosing to throw short punches and knees from the back. She struggled to keep Holloway on the floor at times but always managed to drag Holloway back to the ground when she stood up.
Holloway showed one brief speck of life in the third round, when she put Budd on her back with a head arm throw. Holloway had no idea what to do with it though, and Budd scrambled back to her feet immediately.
It was not a huge statement by Budd but very much a dominant win. The 31-year-old extends her current win streak to five.
Honeycutt stops MacFarlane in Round 3
Former NCAA Division I wrestling standout Chris Honeycutt easily out-grappled Clayton MacFarlane en route to his second win in the Bellator cage.
Honeycutt (6-0) took MacFarlane down at will, emerged from every scramble on top and continually worked into dominant positions. He moved into full mount midway through the third round, before finishing the welterweight bout with strikes on the ground at the 4:16 mark.
Fighting out of Dethrone Base Camp in Fresno, Honeycutt earned the fourth knockout of his career. The 26-year-old is a training partner to current UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck.
Honeycutt established his wrestling dominance early, taking MacFarlane (4-1) down in the opening moments of the fight. MacFarlane did not show much offense from his back but did a decent job of tying Honeycutt up and avoiding big shots.
The second round started with a clean kick to the chin from Honeycutt. He hurt MacFarlane later in the round with a knee to the chin. MacFarlane turtled near the center of the cage, which allowed Honeycutt to ride the back and land short punches.
The 26-year-old Honeycutt looked tired and a bit sluggish at the start of the third. His movement was labored and MacFarlane took advantage at one point, landing a short right hand to his chin after putting him against the fence. Honeycutt quickly recovered from the shot however, and scored a takedown moments later that eventually led to the end of the fight.
Honeycutt remained perfect since making his professional debut in January 2013. MacFarlane, a former NCAA Division II wrestling champion, suffered his first pro defeat.