It took overcoming some rough spots early, but grappling-savvy Emmanuel Sanchez looked nothing short of impressive in route to a third-round submission win over former champion Daniel Straus.

After an action-packed first round, which saw some crazy reversals and near-misses, Sanchez (16-3 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) took control of the featherweight co-headliner in the final two rounds, marking his best Bellator display yet with the tap of Straus (24-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA).

Straus was off to a solid start, as Sanchez seemed in trouble for the bottom early. The roles, however, were quickly reversed, as a bloodied Sanchez got ahold of Straus’ kneecap in pursuit of a leg-lock. The ex-champ, however, stayed calm – and soon was the one applying the heat from the top. After a brief scramble, Straus seemingly dug first for a D’Arce, and then a North-South choke, but relented. Straus stayed in control from the top for a while before Sanchez was again able to reverse, taking Straus’ back on the ground. While Sanchez failed to find a fight-ending submission there, he was able to get the mount shortly before the bell rang.

While Sanchez was the only with the early success in the final round, Straus did have his moments on top position. As the ex-champ worked from the half-guard, though, Sanchez was able to once more reverse. Soon, it was Sanchez who saw himself working from Straus’ half guard. It took him a while, but Sanchez managed to pass the guard and mount, landing elbows as Straus defended his face. While Straus never stopped resisting, he was simply unable to escape the unfortunate position, as Sanchez kept landing elbow after elbow. By the end of the round, Straus didn’t have many options but to keep cover – which, though under the referee’s close watch, was enough to get him to fight another round.

Straus came out swinging in the third and final round, throwing some wild shots before landing a takedown against the cage. As Sanchez seemed to be slowly making his way up, Straus grabbed ahold of his leg and ended a scramble on top. Quickly, though, Sanchez had his legs around Straus’ neck and shoulder, setting up a triangle choke. Straus had no choice but to tap, granting Sanchez the submission win.

While Straus has seen better days, currently riding the first skid of his Bellator run after the title-costing loss to Patricio Freire at Bellator 178 in April, Sanchez certainly can’t complain. Given a 2017 that saw him taking straight wins over Georgi Karakhanyan, ex-champ Marcos Galvao and, now, Straus, no one can’t really blame him for being on a dancing mood.

Bellator 184 results:

MAIN CARD (Spike, 9 p.m. ET)

• Champ Eduardo Dantas vs. Darrion Caldwell – for bantamweight title
• Emmanuel Sanchez def. Daniel Straus via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:56
• Pat Curran def. John Teixeira via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
• Leandro Higo def. Joe Taimanglo via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 7 p.m. ET)

• Manuel Muro def. Emmanuel Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Sean Holden def. Shakir McKillip via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:39 – 160-pound catchweight
• Carrington Banks def. Steve Kozola via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-25)
• Chance Rencountre def. Justin Patterson via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:58
• Teagan Dooley def DeMarcus Simmons via submission (Americana) – Round 2, 2:12
• Westin Wilson def. L.J. Hermreck via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 0:55
• Kendall Carnahan def. Daniel Carey via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ernest James vs. Ray Jones

For more on Bellator 184, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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