Bizarre Rafael Carvalho Effort Nets Bellator 155 Split Decision Over Melvin Manhoef

Squirrelly judging allowed Rafael Carvalho to keep the Bellator MMA middleweight championship after one of the more bizarre big-fight performances in recent memory. Carvalho was awarded a five-round split decision over Melvin Manhoef and retained control of the 185-pound title in the Bellator 155 headliner on Friday at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Scores were 48-47 (Michael Bell) for Manhoef, 48-47 (Randy Anderson) and 48-47 (Rob Hinds) for Carvalho. The champion did virtually nothing noteworthy from an offensive standpoint, aside from meaningless takedowns in the third and fourth rounds. Both fighters were scolded for passivity by referee John McCarthy in the first round. Manhoef, 40, picked up his pace in the second and beyond. Carvalho, who seemed disinterested for much of the match, did not follow suit. Worse yet, the Brazilian was warned for a pair of knees below the belt and two eye pokes during the 25-minute encounter. Manhoef (30-13-1, 2-2 Bellator) navigated the fouls, attacked the champion’s legs and body with kicks and mixed in punching combinations upstairs. The Dutchman even threw in a fifth-round takedown, but his efforts went for naught in the eyes of judges Anderson and Hinds. Carvalho (13-1, 4-0 Bellator) has won 13 fights in a row, none more controversial than this one. In the co-main event, former Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran rode a near-knockout in the first round to a unanimous decision over Millennia MMA’s Georgi Karakhanyan. Curran (22-7, 12-4 Bellator) swept the scorecards with identical 29-28 marks from all three judges. The bout took a dramatic turn inside the first five minutes, as Curran floored the onetime World Series of Fighting and Tachi Palace Fights titleholder with a crushing counter left hook. He swooped into top position and briefly advanced to full mount on the dazed Karakhanyan, but the finish he sought was not forthcoming. Curran maintained control in the second round, where he pancaked an ill-advised takedown …

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