Bellator 226 marked the start of the eagerly anticipated featherweight grand prix as half of the 16-man tournament field kicked off the first round of competition in four elimination bouts. Emmanuel Sanchez was the first man to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals as he handed a devastated Tywan Claxton the first loss of his career via second-round submission. And the American was joined by Dublin-based Portuguese contender Pedro Carvalho , who produced a second-round submission of his own to eliminate Sam Sicilia from the tournament. Undefeated Hungarian Adam Borics impressed as he dismantled former featherweight champion Pat Curran ’s legs before finishing him with punches, while Derek Campos dominated but couldn’t finish uber-tough former champ Daniel Straus . Related Adam Borics says he ignored corner advice to secure first-round finish at Bellator 226 'Great Brown Shark' Emmanuel Sanchez says he's ready for anyone in Bellator grand prix quarterfinals Bellator and DAZN had cameras all over the arena as they followed the fighters from the moment they arrived at SAP Center in San Jose, all the way to the cage and back out to the backstage area after the fights were over as the stars of the grand prix shared their thoughts and emotions before and after their respective matchups in a revealing third episode of “Countdown.” Check it out in the video above
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