Competing in his hometown of London tonight, Simeon Powell is known for his finishing power, scoring seven finishes in his nine victories. Making his professional MMA debut in 2021, Powell has competed for the PFL six times prior to his Bellator debut tonight. Powell competed in the 2023 PFL Europe season, falling short in a loss to Jakob Nedoh – Powell’s first pro loss – in the inaugural PFL Europe light heavyweight championship bout.

 

Rafael Xavier began training jiu-jitsu at 15 years old, going on to become a second-degree black belt. Xavier, who is also a national Muay Thai champion, will be making his first appearance for a major MMA promotion tonight. Xavier, who has 11 finishes in his 13 victories thus far, scored a finish of Dan Vinni in his last fight in December.

 

Will Powell get the hometown win, or will Xavier stop that from happening?

 

 

Round 1

 

Powell with a left jab and a low kick. Low kick from Xavier, but he goes off balance. Low kick from Powell. Low kick from Xavier. Left hand from Xavier. Left jab from Xavier. Left hand again from Xavier. Calf kick gets Powell off balance briefly. Strong front kick to the face gets Powell rocked! Xavier comes rushing in, but Powell grabs a hold of him to get Xavier pinned to the fence. Powell looks for a throw, but Xavier prevents that.

 

Left hand and a right from Powell. Front kick from Powell is blocked. Right hand from Xavier. Powell level changes, and he drives Xavier to the fence. Powell looks for a lift, but he can’t get it. We’ve got a clinch against the fence. Powell looks for another trip, but he can’t get it. Xavier shoves him off. Xavier is bloodied under his left eye. Another front kick from Xavier, but it’s blocked. High kick from Xavier is blocked. Left hand from Powell. Strong left hand from Powell, and he works a combination before another battle against the fence. Xavier misses a left jab. Strong right from Powell misses. Low kick from Xavier trips up Powell a bit. Round kick from Xavier. Both men go for one last shot at the bell, and Xavier lands a left hook that drops Powell!

 

 

Powell is able to get up and get to his corner! But will he be ready for round two?

 

 

Round 2

 

Xavier not jumping on Powell. Powell with a low kick. Xavier with a low kick. Left hand misses for Xavier. Xavier misses a right hand. Left hand from Powell backs Xavier up. High kick from Xavier is blocked. Low kick from Xavier. Round kick from Powell. High kick from Xavier is blocked. Left hand from Xavier. Right hook from Powell is blocked. Powell looks for a combination. Left hands from both men. A few left hands from Powell, but Xavier trips him up with a leg kick and he fires a flurry! Uppercut from Powell before a clinch, bringing Xavier to the fence.

 

Powell with a knee to the legs of Xavier as the two pummel for clinch control. Strong right hand from Powell on the break. Jab by Powell. Low kick from Xavier. Right hand by Powell. The two exchange. Short front kick from Xavier. Low kick from Powell. Left hand from Powell. Outside trip from Xavier, but he trips himself! Powell lets him up. Powell with a combination. Powell went for a jumping knee, but Xavier nearly lands a counter that could have been lights out. Right hand from Xavier. High kick from Xavier is blocked.

 

 

Round 3

 

Low kick from Powell. A pair of jabs from Xavier. Front kick misses for Xavier. Jabs from Powell. Low kick from Xavier. A pair of left hands from Powell. Left hand from Xavier. One-two from Powell. Low kick from Xavier. Left hand from Powell. A couple of left hands from Powell. A pair of jabs from Xavier. Xavier with a high kick, and Powell just gets a hand up. Low kick from Xavier. A couple of punches land for Powell. Xavier misses a left straight.

 

Xavier misses a front kick, but he lands a left hook. Front kick from Xavier. Powell goes for an elbow, but he was just out of range. Powell goes for a takedown, but Xavier holds it off as the two go against the fence. Powell looking for a takedown. Xavier spins with him and he avoids the takedown and gets out of the grasp. Punches from both men with a minute left. Powell with a couple of left hands. Left hand from Xavier. Round kick to the body by Xavier. Powell goes for a low kick, but Xavier lands a left counter. Front kick misses for Xavier. Xavier lands a body shot before the bell.

 

 

OFFICIAL RESULT

 

Simeon Powell defeats Rafael Xavier by split decision (29-28x2, 28-9)