Jaylon Bates breaks down slick armbar, excited to continue work with McKees after Bellator 268

PHOENIX – Bantamweight prospect Jaylon Bates remained undefeated Saturday at Bellator 268 after a first-round submission win over Raphael Montini at Footprint Center.

Bates (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) said after that he wanted a “quick, easy night” in the cage, and that’s pretty much what he got.

“The only moment that caught me off guard was when I got punched, because I didn’t expect him to close the distance that quick,” Bates told reporters. “Other than that, it was pretty smooth and pretty easy sailing.”

Bates, 24, explained how he pulled off the slick armbar to end the fight at the 3:49 mark of the first round.

“Saw it in the moment, capitalized on it,” Bates said He was like this (puts arms up) and trying to punch at me. I knew as soon as he did that, easy armbar. Go for it, get the job done. I heard there was like 30 seconds left or something like that, so I really wanted to get him out of there. Because who knows how the second round would’ve went, right?”

For this fight, Bates trained at Team Body Shop in Southern California with coach Antonio McKee and Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee after the promotion suggested they hook up. Bates has been grateful for the experience and looks forward to spending more time there.

“Learned a lot, picked up a lot, and I’m still growing,” Bates said. “We’re not even close to being done yet, so I’m excited.”