Gallery Douglas Lima def. Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 206: Best photos view 14 images

SAN JOSE, Calif. – He doesn’t expect smooth sailing, but Douglas Lima believes he’s just ridded himself of his most difficult opponent in the Bellator welterweight grand prix.

The eight-man tournament that will determine the champion of the weight class and pay the winner $1 million kicked off on Saturday at Bellator 206. Lima (30-7 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) defeated fellow ex-titleholder Andrey Koreshkov (21-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) by fifth-round technical submission to win the trilogy between the two sides.

Lima has spent 59 minutes and 25 seconds of cage time with Koreshkov over the course of their three bouts. He knew it was going to be a challenging start to the tournament once the opening-round matchups were made, but he was able to overcome and advance to the semifinals.

“Definitely (he was the toughest fight),” Lima told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at the Bellator 206 post-fight news conference. “Koreshkov is the man. Definitely the toughest fighter, one of the toughest fighters I’ve ever fought. I said before the fight: To beat him you have to put him out, put him to sleep, break something. The guy just won’t tap and won’t stop fighting. He showed it tonight. All my respect to him. He’s a tough fighter.”

Bellator 206 took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Lima vs. Koreshkov was part of the DAZN-streamed main card following prelims on MMAjunkie.

After losing a five-round decision in the first bout at Bellator 140 in July 2015 then winning the rematch by third-round knockout at Bellator 164 in November 2016, Lima entered the trilogy matchup with Koreshkov very familiar with the opponent he was facing.

Lima, 30, controlled most of the action in the fight, but it was a very technical affair that wasn’t particularly crowd-pleasing. The fans in attendance expressed their disappointment, but Lima said he simply stuck to his game plan until he found the opening to lock in a rear-naked choke and put Koreshkov to sleep.

“His style of fighting, he was trying to make me tired,” Lima said. “What can I do? I don’t know what to say. People boo when it’s not exciting, but he’s a tough guy. You can’t give him any chances or make mistakes or he’ll knock you out. He was being very careful. At the end of the day I got the finish. That’s what I’m here to do. Now I hold the record for most finishes in my division.”

With the victory, Lima became the first fighter to advance past the first round of the 170-pound tournament. He will face the winner of Paul Daley (40-16-2 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) vs. Michael Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) in the next round to move one step closer to regaining the belt and taking the $1 million prize.

Lima has won multiple tournaments under the Bellator banner in the past, though, and because the task if far from complete he said he’s not thinking about the prizes at the end.

“I’m not even thinking about the money that is involved with these guys,” Lima said. “Money comes after everything. First I have to fight guys that are trying to hurt you. I’m confident. I won two tournaments before in Bellator and I’m planning on this one being the third.”

For complete coverage of Bellator 206, check out the MMA Events section of the site.