Sanchez, jiu-jitsu players shine at tapout-filled Bellator 198

The bulk of Bellator 198's main card belonged to its grapplers.

Saturday's bill in Chicago saw four straight fights end by submission, with Emmanuel Sanchez leading the charge in the featherweight co-headliner. The Roufusport man trapped UFC import Sam Sicilia in a standing arm-triangle choke against the fence and kept the squeeze on until they made it to the canvas and Sicilia surrendered 3:52 into the opening frame.

Sanchez's second straight submission victory extended his win streak to four and improved his Bellator record to a stellar 9-2. He followed the impressive showing with a bold challenge to the victor of Bellator 203's July headliner between divisional champ Patricio Freire and Daniel Weichel. Sicilia, meanwhile, has dropped four of his last five - the sole victory a decision over Marcos Galvao in his December promotional debut.

Undeterred by a late opponent change, Rafael Lovato Jr. - one America's most decorated jiu-jitsu practitioners - made quick work of the newly unretired Gerald Harris with a 71-second armbar in their 188-pound catchweight tilt.

Lovato lost his footing on a flying knee, but needed mere moments to hand Harris - fighting in an injured John Salter's stead on four days' notice - his first submission loss once the Oklahoma native followed to the mat. The 34-year-old Lovato remained unbeaten in eight walks to the cage with the tapout.

As for welterweight Neiman Gracie, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace kept his record unblemished by putting Javier Torres away in under two rounds.

The 29-year-old couldn't secure a leg lock in Round 1, but once he got his foe to the mat in the second, Gracie passed to full mount, slapped on an arm-triangle choke, and passed over to Torres' left side to make him tap for the first time in his career at the 3:18 mark.

All but one of Gracie's eight career victories have come by way of submission. Torres - who withdrew from their first date at Bellator 185 due to injury - saw a four-fight win streak snapped in his promotional debut.

In his long-awaited MMA debut, Dillon Danis capped the main card's 175-pound catchweight opener with a 98-second submission of Kyle Walker. After being treated to a couple of stiff left hands, the Marcelo Garcia disciple pulled half guard to bring Walker into his world, went for an armbar, then snatched a scrambling Walker's leg for a kneebar before transitioning for the fight-ending toehold.

Walker has now dropped four straight - three of them by submission in less than two minutes.