Bellator 215: Lindsey VanZandt dominates in her Bellator debut

The main event of Bellator 215 featured two of the biggest heavyweights Bellator had to offer. One of the most exciting bouts of the night, however, pitted two much lighter fighters. In her Bellator debut, atomweight Lindsey VanZandt took care of Tabatha Watkins via second-round TKO inside the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.

Coming from Invicta FC, VanZandt (5-1) was originally scheduled to face off against another opponent in Marisa Messer-Belenchia, but she had to back out at the last minute due to personal reasons. Tabatha “Batgirl” Watkins (3-1) seemed to be the perfect fit for the New York native. This ended up being the first atomweight bout in Bellator history and it did not disappoint. The end result was a technical and power masterpiece.

VanZandt started things off with an attempted spinning kick that missed, but the pressure was on after that. She then took things to the ground, and with her unique wrestling ability, Watkins had nothing to show against VanZandt.

Tabatha Watkins and @Damsel_MMA are live on our app right now!

Catch the#Bellator215 prelims here:
—> https://t.co/Y4hYPM3sjN <— pic.twitter.com/XQpFIXwe8U

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 15, 2019

Watkins was saved by the bell, literally, as VanZandt locked in an armbar that would have surely won the fight. VanZandt then continued to dominate the second until she smashed Watkins with a huge left that left her stunned. The referee called the fight off at 3:25 into the second.

This is VanZandt’s fourth win via knockout. “Damsel” is looking forward to her next opponent and potentially more opportunities with Bellator. She also hopes to bring a spotlight to the 105-pound division, one that Bellator hasn’t really tested out until recently.