With Renzo Gracie and Rafael Cordeiro in his corner, Neiman Gracie took home the first knockout win of his MMA career in highlight-reel fashion, stopping Mark Lemminger with a blitz of punches at Bellator 266.
Referee Jason Herzog stepped in to save Lemminger at the 1:27 mark of the opening frame when Gracie knocked out his opponent on his feet. An elbow rocked Lemminger, but a lead uppercut set in motion the fight-ending punches that gave Gracie the TKO.
Afterward, Gracie celebrated with the traditional dance of muay Thai fighters, pointing to his corner. (Check out the finish above, courtesy of Bellator.)
“I don’t need to take people down to win fights any more,” Gracie said afterward. “I can win fights anywhere. But if I take you down...oh boy.”
Gracie then called out Michael Page, accusing “Venom” in a not-so-subtle way of avoiding a fight. He also demanded a rematch with Jason Jackson, who outpointed him in a previous decision he called a robbery. And finally, he called for a fight with Yaroslav Amosov, a fight he said was the worst style matchup for the current welterweight champ.
Lemminger drops to 1-3 in his past four outings.
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