Bellator free fight: Neiman Gracie submits Jon Fitch at Bellator 246

Neiman Gracie’s relentless pursuit of a submission finish eventually proved successful, as he finished Jon Fitch in the co-main event of Bellator 246 to claim a notable scalp in the promotion’s talent-rich welterweight division.

Faced with seasoned veteran Fitch, Gracie found it tough to put away the longtime contender, who defended admirably to stem the ceaseless tide of submission attempts from the Brazilian in Round 1. But, eventually, Gracie found a crack in Fitch’s defenses and exploited it.

After spending much of Round 2 having his submission attack effectively nullified by Fitch’s dogged defense, Gracie saw his opportunity and locked up a kneebar that gave Fitch no option but to tap at the 4:47 mark.

It gave Gracie his ninth submission finish from 10 career wins and, more importantly, saw him bounce back from his first career defeat, to Rory MacDonald, back at Bellator 222 in June 2019. It also marked the final time we would see Fitch inside the Bellator cage, as the American announced his retirement from the sport after 42 career bouts.

Relive Gracie’s victory at Bellator 246 via the video above.