SBG prospect Lee Hammond enhanced his already glowing reputation with his second professional win to open the main card at Bellator latest event in the Irish capital.
Hammond defeated the previously unbeaten Jamie Hay with strikes inside the first round, bringing a close to the contest with a flurry of undefended blows against the cage prompting the referee to step in at the 3.32 mark of the first frame. It is the second successive fight in which Hammond has won by strikes, and follows his career debut win at the Heroes Fight League 2 event in Bucharest, Romania last November.
🇮🇪 @TheNotoriousMMA in the house to support his fellow Irish fighters tonight in Dublin. #Bellator275 LIVE NOW!https://t.co/nPsaXlChWb pic.twitter.com/ikvE3SJ1rt
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 25, 2022
What a statement from @LeeHammondMMA 💥🇮🇪
A perfect debut for the Irishman at #Bellator275. Watch LIVE on @BBCiPlayer and @VMSportIE. pic.twitter.com/UmTqPrLHRK
— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) February 25, 2022
Interestingly, it now makes two wins from two in which Hammond, one of Ireland’s most proficient grapplers, has used strikes to get his hand raised — and it marks the second time that Hammond has ended the unbeaten record of his opponent after doing the same in his debut against Ionuț Brostic.
Hammond was joined in his corner by longtime coach John Kavanagh, as well as friend and training partner Cian Cowley and Crumlin Boxing Club chief Phil Sutcliffe.
Conor McGregor, who is in attendance at the event, also joined Hammond in the cage afterwards to celebrate the win. Both Hammond and McGregor have been longtime training partners at SBG Ireland, with Hammond being drafted into McGregor fight camps on multiple occasions.
