Bellator 241 free fight: Zach Zane outworks Nainoa Dung in promotional debut

Zach Zane wasn’t about to let another big opportunity slip away.

Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) failed to make good on his opportunity at Dana White’s Contender Series this past June, but made sure things went differently when he made his Bellator debut in December.

He faced fellow Hawaiian Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in Honolulu and used a grapple-heavy approach to score a unanimous decision win.

In Round 1, Zane used his wrestling early to control the fight. The brown belt in jiu-jitsu was able to get the fight back down to the mat in Round 2, putting heavy pressure on Dung with multiple submission attempts. The two engaged in a beautiful scramble, with Dung sweeping Zane, but Zane was able to wound up in top position once again.

Dung came out with a sense of urgency in the third, throwing heat and landing a whipping body kick that had Zane shooting for the single leg. Dung defended well and latched onto a mounted arm-in guillotine choke, that Zane battled out of.

But he found himself trying to fend off a rear-naked choke attempt when Dung continued to aggressively look for the finish. It was too little too late for Dung though. Zane was able to fight out of any danger in the third round, outscoring Dung 29-28, on all three judges’ scorecards.

Zane returns to action at Bellator 241 when he takes on Nick Newell. In the meantime, check out Zane’s fight with Dung in the video above.