Bellator vet Mandel Nallo excited to finally make transition to UFC
DWCS 80 winner Mandel Nallo talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters after being awarded a UFC contract from Dana White.
Sixteen years into his mixed martial arts journey, Mandel Nallo might be able to call himself a UFC fighter.
At DWCS 80 on Tuesday, Nallo (14-3) brought the violence when he knocked out Cage Warriors lightweight champion Samuel Silva (13-4) in 3:29 seconds.
Nallo, 36, utilized leg kicks to slow the pressure-fighting Silva. Eventually he cracked Silva with a big cross that dropped the Brazilian and then he pounded away.
The win was his fourth in a row in gloved MMA since his Bellator departure in 2023. A longtime member of Tristar, Nallo went 4-3 in Bellator from 2017 to 2023.
Silva, 29, has a five-fight winning streak snapped.
Up-to-the-minute DWCS 80 results include:
- Mandel Nallo def. Samuel Silva via knockout – Round 1, 3:29
- Eduardo Chapolin def. An Tuan Ho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tommy McMillen def. David Mgoyan via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
