Joe Soto first Bellator champion
Joe Soto brutalized Yahir Reyes into a rear-naked choke submission 4:11 into the second round Friday at the Citizens Bank…
Joe Soto brutalized Yahir Reyes into a rear-naked choke submission 4:11 into the second round Friday at the Citizens Bank Arena, to become Bellator Fighting Championships’ first featherweight tournament champion.
Soto, who dispatched Ben Greer with a first-round technical knockout in April and decisioned Wilson Reis in May en route to the tournament finals, had little trouble with Reyes. Soto (7-0) grounded the Tijuana fighter in seconds, then drilled away on the prone Reyes (14-6) with punches and hammerfists for five grueling minutes.
Soto repeated his ground-and-pound domination in the second round. After referee Jason Herzog showed no signs of stopping the one-side affair, Soto mercifully mounted Reyes’ back and applied the fight-ending choke. Reyes tapped out instantaneously.