Bellator 259: ‘Cyborg vs. Smith 2’ Results and Highlights

Bellator 259 took place this evening at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith 2.

Cyborg (24-2 MMA) and Smith (12-9-1 MMA) had originally collided under the UFC banner in May of 2016, with the Brazilian emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.

Cris Cyborg had entered tonight’s Bellator 259 main event sporting a three-fight winning streak, her latest being a second round submission victory over Arlene Blencowe.

Meanwhile, Leslie Smith was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Bell in her most recent outing this past September.

While Smith definitely put forth a much better effort against Cyborg this evening, the outcome was ultimately the same as Justino walked away with a TKO victory.

Cris Cyborg was able to score a last second finish of Leslie Smith in the Bellator 259 headliner, with the official stoppage coming at 4:51 of Round 5 due to punches.

PhotoCred: The Telegraph

In other action, Austin Vanderford (11-0 MMA) was able to keep his perfect record in tact after scoring a unanimous decision victory over fellow middleweight contender Fabian Edwards.

Fan favorite Valerie Loureda also competed at tonight’s Bellator 259 event, but wound up suffering the first loss of her professional career to Hannah Guy by way of unanimous decision.

Get all of tonight’s results and highlights below (via MMAJunkie):

Bellator 259 Main Card (Showtime at 9pm EST)

Champ Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 5, 4:51 – to defend women’s featherweight title

Cris Cyborg murked Leslie Smith! 💥https://t.co/Ycmk0lwaBY

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) May 22, 2021

Leandro Higo def. Darrion Caldwell via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Austin Vanderford def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

A bloody night at the office for @AustinV170MMA and @FabianEdwards24.#MMA #Bellator259 pic.twitter.com/gaiK1G5wjM

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021

Jaleel Willis def. Maycon Mendonca via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Hannah Guy def. Valerie Loureda via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Hannah Guy keeps working for the sub!

A real tense fight here at Mohegan Sun 🔥

Catch all the action LIVE on #Bellator’s new home @SHOSports 👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/TtmSj2RK75

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021

Bellator 259 Prelims (YouTube at 5:30pm EST)

Saad Awad def. Nate Andrews via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:16

.@SAADMMA with the walkoff at #Bellator259 pic.twitter.com/7NSkQzxJMJ

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) May 22, 2021

Grant Neal def. Tyree Fortune via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:20

.@GrantNeal gets the W tonight and improves to 6️⃣ & 0️⃣ as a pro.#Bellator259 #MMA pic.twitter.com/DzFCSgNo6A

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021

Sumiko Inaba def. Kristina Katsikis via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:35

Aviv Gozali def. Sean Felton via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:17

Gozali strikes again! 🇮🇱
It wasn’t quite 1️⃣1️⃣ seconds but @Aviv_Gozali is proving to be a problem with his submission game. 💪

Tune in to the #Bellator259 @MonsterEnergy Prelims, fueled by Vallarta Supermarkets. ⬇️
👉 https://t.co/seMfzaLSYK pic.twitter.com/DAL7AHOGoH

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 21, 2021

Davion Franklin def. Tyler King via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:02

Without question, @DavionGoAllDay Franklin is one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world. #Bellator259 pic.twitter.com/P66dCTnTcc

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) May 21, 2021

Leah McCourt def. Janay Harding via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:42

Danny Sabatello def. Brett Johns via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Alexander Shabliy def. Alfie Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

What did you think of tonight’s Bellator 259 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!