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Bellator 190 pre-event facts: Champ Rafael Carvalho goes for title-defense record
Bellator heads back overseas this week for Bellator 190, which takes place Friday at Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy, with a main card that airs on Spike.
A middleweight title fight takes center stage as the main event when reigning titleholder Rafael Carvalho (14-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) looks to match the division’s all-time title-defense record when he meets Italy’s own Alessio Sakara (19-11 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).
For more on the numbers behind the 185-pound title fight, as well as the other bouts scheduled for the main card, check out 17 pre-event facts about Bellator 190.
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Main event
Rafael Carvalho and Scott Coker
Carvalho’s two consecutive Bellator title defenses are the most among current Bellator champions.
Carvalho’s two consecutive Bellator middleweight title defenses are second most in history behind Alexander Shlemenko (three).
Carvalho enters the event on a 14-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since his MMA debut in December 2011.
Carvalho’s five-fight Bellator winning streak in middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Carvalho has earned 11 of his 14 career victories by stoppage.
Carvalho has earned all 11 of his career stoppage victories by knockout.
Alessio Sakara
Sakara, 36, is the oldest of the eight scheduled main-card fighters.
Sakara is 3-0 (with one no-contest) since his UFC tenure ended in October 2013 with four consecutive losses.
Sakara has earned both of his Bellator victories by knockout.
Remaining main card
Brandon Girtz
Brandon Girtz (14-7 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) enters the event on a three-fight losing skid. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2015.
Girtz has earned 11 of his 15 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his six Bellator wins.
Luka Jelcic (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has earned nine of his 10 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished nine of those wins in Round 1.
Lena Ovchynnikova (12-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) is 4-4 (with one no-contest) in her past nine fights after starting her career with an 8-0 record.
Ovchynnikova’s two-fight winning streak in Bellator flyweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind champ Ilima Macfarlane (six).
Alejandra Lara (6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), 23, is the youngest of the eight scheduled main card fighters.
Mihail Nica (6-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has earned all six of his career victories by stoppage.
Nica’s 36-second submission of Samba Coulibaly at Bellator 176 is the second fastest submission in Bellator lightweight history behind Zach Freeman’s 24-second win at Bellator 180.
For more on Bellator 190, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
FightMetric research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
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