I gave him a clatter in the face" Redmond stated after the fight that Goddard had intended to continue to fight to round two but Mohegan Sun commission who oversaw the event decided to end the fight and declared the win to Ward due to McGregor's behaviour in the ring. For his second fight with the promotion, Ward faced Martin Hudson at Bellator 200 held in the Wembley Arena on 25 May 2018. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Ward faced Justin Moore at Bellator 223 on 22 June 2019. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. On 15 August 2019, it was announced that Ward had signed an exclusive multi-fight, multi-year contract extension with Bellator. Ward was expected to face Pietro Penini at Bellator Dublin on 27 September 2019, but the bout was scrapped due to Ward's injury. Subsequently, the bout was rescheduled to Bellator London 2 on 23 November 2019. Ward lost the fight via unanimous decision. Next, Ward faced Kyle Kurtz at Bellator 240 on 22 February 2020. Ward rebounded from the loss via third-round knockout. Ward faced Andy Manzolo at Bellator Milan 3 on 3 October 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Ward was scheduled to face Norbert Novenyi Jr. at Bellator 270 on November 5, 2021. On October 6, Norbert announced that he had suffered a torn ACL and had to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Fabian Edwards. Ward had to pull out however due to a ruptured bicep. Ward faced Alan Carlos at Bellator 281 on May 13, 2022. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Ward faced Fabian Edwards on October 29, 2022 at Bellator 287. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Ward faced Mike Shipman on February 25, 2023 at Bellator 291. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Death of João Carvalho Ward's victory over João Carvalho by knockout at Total Extreme Fighting 1 on 9 April 2016 was overcast with a tragic circumstance. Carvalho felt unwell, suffering from a headache 20 minutes after the fight and was sent to a hospital for a brain surgery. He died at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 48 hours later as a result of injuries he suffered in the defeat. His death sparked outpouring grief from the MMA community. The death of Carvalho aroused considerable debate, focusing on the sentiment