Carvalho trounces Sakara with nasty elbow to defend Bellator title

Rafael Carvalho made Alessio Sakara rue returning to middleweight in devastating fashion.

The middleweight champ needed south of a minute to back Sakara to the cage with a laser-sighted combination, landing a knee to the body before putting the challenger to sleep with an elbow from hell. The KO kept the crown around his waist in Bellator 190's main event in Florence this weekend.

Carvalho's second straight KO brought him to 6-0 under the promotion's banner and tied him with Alexander Shlemenko for the most title defenses in Bellator middleweight history with three.

The 36-year-old Sakara, on the other hand, saw a three-fight knockout streak end and his Bellator record fall to 2-1 in his first fight at 185 pounds in over four years.

In the lightweight co-main event, Brandon Girtz floored SBG Ireland man Luka Jelcic with a nasty uppercut before pouncing with punches for a knockout that snapped a three-fight skid at the 1:57 mark of Round 1. Jelcic saw a streak of four first-round stoppage victories halted in his promotional debut.