Tag: Bellator

Bellator 226: Bader vs. Kongo Full Report

It worked out perfect for MMA fans on Saturday, as Bellator 226 started just after the UFC 242 PPV had wrapped up. Broadcasted in full on DAZN, the card featured 20 bouts including the main event, featuring Ryan “Darth” Bader and Cheick Kongo. Bader attempted to defend his Bellator Heavyweight Championship in that fight. The show included some of the Featherweight Grand Prix first round fights, and it had mansy bouts with young MMA prospects in action. Live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, USA, let’s look at how Bellator 226 went down.

Bout 1: Luis Vargas (2-3) vs. Chris Gonzalez (2-0) (Lightweight)

Starting off the evening was a battle between a fighter who was undefeated and a fighter who aimed to even his record. While eating punches, Gonzalez landed a takedown right off the bat. Gonzalez stayed in top position for quite some time, landing an elbow which cut Vargas open. Vargas was able to take top position for a moment before they stood back up. Gonzalez landed another takedown before the round ended. Gonzalez was able to put Vargas on the ground in the second round and land more strikes. Vargas actually had control earlier in the round, but it was less relevant. Gonzalez tried for a rear naked choke in the final round but couldn’t secure it. Vargas got in top position with a minute left and started to land shots in hopes to make an impact. After clinching up, they traded blows in the final moments. Gonzalez landed one last takedown before the fight ended. All three judges gave the fight to Chris Gonzalez (30-27, 30-26 & 30-25).

My Scorecard:

Fighting Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Vargas 9 9 9 27
Gonzalez 10 10 10 30

Bout 2: Hyder Amil (3-0) vs. Ignacio Ortiz (2-0-1) (Featherweight)

The second fight saw two undefeated athletes face off. Both fighters got busy with punches only seconds into the fight. Amil was landing combinations of strikes, including knees to the stomach. Amil landed a takedown in the second minute. He got off some ground and pound in the position before they stood up for the last minute. Early in the second round, Ortiz secured a takedown but had the position turned over by Amil eventually. They stood up later, with Amil getting another takedown, although they got up right after. In a fatigued final round, both fighters had their moments. Amil scored a couple of takedowns in the round. Ortiz tried for a kimura but couldn’t secure it. Another takedown was landed before the fight concluded. When going to decision, Hyder Amil extended his winning streak to four in a row after a split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Amil 10 10 10 30
Ortiz 9 9 9 27

Bout 3: Abraham Vaesau (5-2) vs. Renato Valente Alves (5-4) (Catchweight 178 lbs)

In the first catchweight bout of the evening, Abraham Vaesau faced Renato Valente Alves. Alves was making his Bellator debut in this fight, while Vaesau was riding a two fight winning streak within the promotion. The first round had stand-up trades spaced out between five minutes. The second round was quite similar. While both of the rounds were slow paced, it was Alves who was landing the more important shots. Early in the third round, Vaesau was landing tons of kicks. Alves scored a takedown with two minutes left in the fight. He put in a rear naked choke which eventually got the victory due to it. Despite the new scenery of being in Bellator, some things never change for Renato Valente Alves who got his fourth career rear naked choke win.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Vaesau 9 9
Alves 10 10

Bout 4: James Terry (20-10) vs. Batsumberel Dagvadorj (5-0) (Welterweight)

The next fight saw the more experienced James Terry face a flawless Batsumberel Dagvadorj. Terry chased a single leg takedown after a minute of stand-up but had it successfully defended. Halfway through the round, Dagvadorj landed a left which dropped Terry. After some grounded strikes, Dagvadorj put in a bulldog choke which made Terry tap out. Batsumberel Dagvadorj had an impactful Bellator debut, beating promotional veteran via submission.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Terry
Dagvadorj

Bout 5: Cass Bell (3-0) vs. Isaiah Rocha (3-0) (Bantamweight)

Two undefeated bantamweights in Cass Bell and Isaiah Rocha faced off. Similar to the fight on the card before, Bell dropped Rocha with a left and then put in a choke, this time a guillotine choke to get the win. Rocha went out cold in the choke. All via finish, Cass Bell extended his record to 4-0.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bell
Rocha

Bout 6: Amber Leibrock (3-3) vs. Jessica Borga (2-2) (Featherweight)

In the first (and only) female fight of the evening, Amber Leibrock faced Jessica Borga. Leibrock had a clear height advantage. Borga tried for a takedown early on but was stopped, staying clinched against the cage. With a minute and a half left in the first, they went back to stand-up. Leibrock landed some good punches. Borga got a takedown, throwing punches before putting in an armbar that made Leibrock tap out. Making her Bellator debut, Jessica Borga earned her first professional MMA submission victory.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Leibrock
Borga

Bout 7: Adam Piccolotti (11-3) vs. Jake Smith (7-2) (Lightweight)

Lightweights were up next, as American Top Team’s Jake Smith faced Adam Piccolotti. Both fighters had very sharp striking, having their moments. Piccolotti got a takedown halfway through the first round. In the second round, Piccolotti got a takedown. He took the back of Smith and put in a rear naked choke to win the fight. 

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Piccolotti 10
Smith 9

Bout 8: John Macapa (22-4-2) vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw (20-10-1) (Featherweight)

Finishing off the preliminary part of the card, two experienced featherweights in John Macapa and Ashleigh Grimshaw competed. The first round had explosive striking, with Macapa landing lots of hard combinations. Grimshaw developed a big cut above his left eye. Macapa had even more highlights in stand-up in the second round. After scoring a takedown, Macapa focused on ground and pound from top position. With many more cuts on his face, the doctor decided to stop the fight in-between rounds, giving a win to John Macapa.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Macapa 10 10
Grimshaw 9 8

Bout 9: Gaston Bolanos (5-1) vs. Daniel Carey (6-3) (Featherweight)

Starting off the main card was the first of many featherweight fights. In this bout, Gaston Bolanos faced Daniel Carey. In stand-up, it was Bolanos who was doing most of the work. Carey jumped in for a guillotine during the stand-up, bringing the fight to the ground. He kept the guillotine in until the referee stopped the fight, as Bolanos went out cold. While Daniel Carey was not a part of the featherweight grand prix, he made a good case to be in the next one with his victory.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bolanos
Carey

Bout 10: Emmanuel Sanchez (18-4) vs. Tywan Claxton (5-0) (Featherweight Grand Prix First Round)

The first of four featherweight grand prix matches were up next. The undefeated Tywan Claxton faced the experienced Emmanuel Sanchez. Claxton earned a takedown early in the fight. They got back up shortly after with both fighters landing some decent punches. Claxton got another takedown, and while he didn’t do much he stayed in the dominant position on the ground. They got up with a minute left in the round. Sanchez got a takedown in the final moments, doing ground and pound to a seemingly defenseless Claxton. Claxton got a takedown halfway through the second round. In bottom position, Sanchez put in a triangle choke which Claxton endured for some time before tapping out. Emmanuel Sanchez became the first one to hand Tywan Claxton a loss, and advanced to the next round of the featherweight GP.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Overtime Total
Sanchez 10
Claxton 9

Bout 11: Sam Sicilia (17-9) vs. Pedro Carvalho (10-3) (Featherweight Grand Prix First Round)

The second of four Featherweight Grand Prix fights on the card was Sam Sicilia versus Pedro Carvalho. Sicilia got a takedown in the first minute of the bout. When they stood back up, Sicilia landed some shots against the cage. He went for a second takedown halfway through the round. Carvalho got in top position. As the round was nearing it’s finish, Carvalho tried for a choke but couldn’t get it. Both fighters traded clean punches early in the second round. Carvalho reversed a takedown and took the back of Sicilia. Carvalho put in a rear naked choke which made Sicilia tap out quickly. 24-year-old Pedro Carvalho advanced into the second round of the Grand Prix via submission.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Overtime Total
Sicilia 10
Carvalho 9

Bout 12: Pat Curran (23-8) vs. Adam Borics (13-0) (Featherweight Grand Prix First Round)

Before the next fight, Cris “Cyborg” Justino did an interview in the octagon, discussing her newly signed contract with Bellator. The third Featherweight Grand Prix fight saw undefeated Adam Boris faced Pat Curran. The first round included pretty even striking. Early in the second round the crowd started to boo. With a minute left in the second round, Boris landed a knee which dropped Curran. Boris landed hammerfist strikes on the ground, finally finishing the fight in the final seconds of the fight. Continuing his undefeated career, Adam Boris will be seen again in the next round of the Featherweight Grand Prix.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Overtime Total
Curran 9
Borics 10

Bout 13: Daniel Straus (26-8) vs. Derek Campos (19-9) (Featherweight Grand Prix First Round)

The final fight of the evening from the Featherweight Grand Prix was Daniel Straus versus Derek Campos. The fight went to the ground early after Straus slipped from throwing a kick. Campos was in half guard in top position for quite some time, attempting a head and arm choke at one point. Campos got another takedown in the first minute of the second round. The rest of the round was seemingly identical to the one before. On the ground in the final round, Campos really started to apply pressure with a choke. Straus was able to endure it somehow, despite how tight the choke became. Campos had a flurry of strikes on a helpless Straus until the fight came to a close. Going to the judges, all three had Derek Campos advancing to the next round (30-26, 30-25 & 30-25). The next four Featherweight World Grand Prix matchups will take place on September 28th.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Overtime Total
Straus 9 9 9 27
Campos 10 10 10 30

Bout 14: Ryan Bader © (27-5) vs. Cheick Kongo (30-10-2) (Bellator Heavyweight Championship)

The main event of the evening was Ryan Bader attempting to defend his Bellator Heavyweight Championship about Cheick Kongo. Bader was on a seven-fight winning streak, and Kongo went into this fight after eight-straight wins. Bader was working a jab early in the fight. Kongo shot for two takedowns but Bader stopped both of them. Bader scored a takedown in the second minute of the fight. Bader was smothering Kongo on the ground. With a minute or so left in the round, referee Mike Beltran paused the fight due to an eye poke. A doctor came into the cage to check on Kongo and ruled that he couldn’t compete. Due to it being an accidental poke, the fight was ruled a no contest. After Bader’s interview, he got into an altercation with Rampage Jackson. It didn’t look like there was any actual physical exchange between the two, as numerous people were there to separate them.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Bader
Kongo

Bout 15: Cornelius Savage (0-0) vs. Evan Gubera (0-1) (Middleweight)

For those who weren’t satisfied with the main event, Bellator had some postlims to showcase. The first of six fights was a pro debut for Cornelius Savage, facing Evan Gubera who aimed to get his first pro victory. The way Savage moved in the cage was very stiff, but not due to an injury or anything like that. Savage got a double leg takedown in the third minute. In the final minute of the round he got a single leg takedown too. The second round was a pretty slow one, with both fighters having their moments in stand-up. In the final round, Savage seemed to be the more fatigued fighter. Gubera tried for a triangle choke and an armbar in the final moments of the fight but failed to get Savage to tap out. The scorecards were split, but two of the three gave that fight to Cornelius Savage (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). After the fight the crowd voices their displeasure, as did Mauro Ranallo and John McCarthy on the English commentary.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Savage 10 10 9 29
Gubera 9 9 10 28

Bout 16: Daniel Gonzalez (2-2) vs. Jon Adams (0-0-1) (Flyweight)

Flyweights took the octagon next, as Daniel Gonzalez and the winless Jon Adams faced off. The first round was pretty fast paced between the two, with both of them staying in stand-up throughout. In the second round it was Gonzalez who was the aggressor. He landed a knee at the end of the round which dropped Adams. The referee stepped in eventually to give Daniel Gonzalez his second Bellator win, leaving Adams winless.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gonzalez 10
Adams 9

Bout 17: Peter Ishiguro (1-1) vs. Elias Anderson (0-1) (Catchweight 140 lbs)

The next fight was a catchweight bout between Peter Ishiguro and Elias Anderson, who was hunting for his first pro win. Both fighters had a good first round, being somewhat evenly matched in stand-up. Late in the round Anderson caught a kick and nearly got the fight to the ground because of it. Ishiguro had quite a vocal fanbase in the somewhat empty crowd, chanting his nickname “Wasabi.” Ishiguro’s left jab was utilized quite well in this fight. Late in the second round, Ishiguro was able to counter a takedown attempt, earning top position as the round concluded. Anderson had the better final round, keeping a fast tempo of punches while Ishiguro had clearly gotten fatigued. The fight went the distance with all three judges ruling it in favour of Peter Ishiguro (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Ishiguro 10 10 9 29
Anderson 9 9 10 28

Bout 18: Favian Gutierrez (2-2) vs. Alan Benson (0-1) (Middleweight)

The next post-lim fight saw Favian Gutierrez aim to snap a losing streak against Alan Benson, who was chasing his first pro victory. The first round was somewhat inactive, although Gutierrez was the one dictating the pace. In the second round, Benson was dropped by punches. He was able to recover on the ground, with Gutierrez in top position on the ground. They stayed in this position until the round ended. The final round was a pretty slow one. In a split decision, it was Alan Benson who was given the victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). This was the second decision of the night that had people up in arms. Maybe the judges got tired as the broadcast was reaching the seventh hour.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gutierrez 10 10 9 29
Benson 9 9 10 28

Bout 19: Albert Gonzales (1-1) vs. Tyson Miller (0-0) (Catchweight 180 lbs)

In the second last post-lim of the night, Albert Gonzales and Tyson Miller made their Bellator debut. After a minute or so of competition, Gonzalez broke his leg after a kick was checked, ending the fight. While it was through an unfortunate outcome, Tyson Miller made his professional debut. Gonzalez was stretchered off.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gonzales
Miller

Bout 20: Ivan Batinich (3-1) vs. Daniel Compton (2-1) (Middleweight)

Concluding the evening was Ivan Batinich facing Daniel Compton in a middleweight fight. Compton immediately shot for a takedown in the first round. Batinich contested the takedown attempt, eventually being the one who scored a takedown and took top position. Batinich landed a suplex and then tried for a rear naked choke. He also attempted an armbar but it didn’t work. Before trying for a choke, a cut above the left eyebrow of Batinich appeared. Compton got some elbows in when clinched against the cage just before the first round ended. The second round had a hectic ground game from both fighters. Batinich took the back of Compton with a minute and some left in the round. He went after the rear naked choke, finally putting it in after Compton was fighting it for a minute or so. With 30 seconds left in the round, Compton tapped out, giving Ivan Batinich his fourth professional victory.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Batinich 10
Compton 9

Bellator has a hectic fall scheduled after a somewhat quiet summer. With eight shows scheduled over the next three months, Bellator has their hands full. Later this month, the promotion will put on a double header on September 27th and 28th. The first show, Bellator 227 will take place at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, including big names like James Gallagher, Michael “Venom” Page and Benson Henderson. The next day, Bellator will come back to The Forum in Inglewood, California, USA, for Bellator 228. The main event of that card will see Patricio Pitbull put his Bellator Featherweight Championship on the line against Juan Archuleta. The card will also include the second half of the Bellator Bantamweight GP First Round.

Austin Vanderford To Face Debuting Grachik Bozinyan At Bellator 234

Shortly after his last win, Austin Vanderford has another booking. Originally reported by MMAFighting, it was announced that Vanderford will face Grachik Bozinyan in Tel Aviv, Israel at Bellator 234 in November.

Vanderford extended his undefeated professional career two weekends back, defeating Joseph Creer via a second-round doctor’s stoppage. It was “The Gentleman’s” second fight within the promotion.

With a 10-3 record, Russian fighter Grachik Bozinyan will be a tough opponent. Coming from the Absolute Championship Berkut promotion, Bozinyan has quite the portfolio of submission finishes.

Bellator 234 is currently scheduled to be headlined by Sergei Kharitonov and Linton Vassell. Kharitonov recently defeated Matt Mitrione, coincidentally on the same card as Vanderford. Vassell will attempt to break a losing streak which was kicked off nearly two years ago.

Scheduled to take place on November 14th at the Menora Mivtachim Arena, Bellator 234 will be the promotion’s fourth appearance in Tel Aviv, Israel. Here’s the full card so far:

  1. Sergei Kharitonov (30-7) vs. Linton Vassell (19-8) (Heavyweight)
  2. Roger Huerta (24-11-1) vs. Sidney Outlaw (13-3) (Lightweight)
  3. Olga Rubin (6-1) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (5-4) (Featherweight)
  4. Austin Vanderford (8-0) vs. Grachik Bozinyan (10-3) (Middleweight)

Paul Redmond Pulls Out of Bellator 227 Bout with Brandon Girtz, Replaced By Jon Tuck

Bellator 227 lost a main card fight in Brandon Girtz versus Paul Redmond on Wednesday. The news was broken by MMAFighting that Redmond would not appear on the card. Due to injury, the fight was lost due to Redmond suffering a fracture tibia. Redmond was the focus of the fight, as he would be competing in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland.

The replacement opponent for Girtz has already been announced, that fighter being Jon Tuck. The fighter from Guam will be making his Bellator debut after an extensive run in the UFC which dates back to 2012. The “Super Saiyan” will be fighting for the first time after a year-long layoff.

Paul Redmond had just made his Bellator debut back in February, earning a decision victory over Charlie Leary. Prior to that, Redmond fought at a high level of MMA, competing in various promotions. Among them were UFC, KSW, BAMMA and Cage Warriors.

Brandon Girtz is one of the many fighters who has made his career in Bellator. Starting with the promotion in 2012, Girtz has attained a record of 8-6 over the years. His recent win was earned against Saad Awad at Bellator 219.

Bellator 227 is headlined by Irish prospect James Gallagher and Cal Ellenor. The card will also feature big names in Michael “Venom” Page, Benson Henderson, Ryan Scope and more. The card will take place at the 3Arena in Dublin on September 27th.

 

Cris Cyborg Signs “Multi-Fight, Multi-Year” Deal With Bellator

After a seven-fight stint in the UFC, Cris Cyborg will now call Bellator her home. The deal was announced by Bellator promoter Scott Coker on Monday afternoon via Twitter. The tweet included a video from Cyborg, who said at the end “I just want to say Cyborg Nation, welcome to Bellator!”

Shortly after the news broke, Scott Coker hopped on ESPN podcast “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show,” touting the importance of the deal. “I think we have the biggest contract put together in the history of women’s MMA… We all know what the value of Cyborg is and I think we represent it in our deal.” The fight was announced as a multi-year and multi-fight deal.

When asked about how Cyborg was treated in the UFC, Coker said “I don’t think the UFC knew what to do with her. They’re not in the 145 pound weight class business.” Bellator’s current female Featherweight Champion is Julia Budd, a 15 fight veteran who has spent just under half of her career within Bellator.

Bellator’s first Women’s Featherweight Championship fight took place in March 2017, a month after UFC declared their first champ. The current UFC Featherweight Champion is Amanda Nunes, who defeated Cyborg for the belt in December of 2018.

The partnership won’t be the first time that Cris Cyborg has worked with Scott Coker. The Brazilian fighter had a five-fight run earlier in her career in Strikeforce, who was managed by Coker at the time.

Bellator currently has nine events scheduled in 2019, including a big upcoming event on September 28th, with Patricio Freire putting his Featherweight Championship on the line against Juan Archuleta at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

The September 2019 MMA P4P List

Here is the very first pound-for-pound MMA ranking list on the site. This will be updated monthly as fights change the list. Let’s start:

Men’s P4P Top 15:

1. Khabib Numagomedov (27-0)

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a flawless fighter in his whole professional career. After getting a round four victory over Conor McGregor, Numagomedov not only became the best fighter in his weight class, but became the best in the world. In days he will be tested once again when he faces interim champion Dustin Poirier.

2. Jon Jones (25-1)

While Jon Jones has been a highly ranked fighter for quite some time, his recent nail-biting performance against Thiago Santos has knocked him down a spot on the list. On paper, Jones continues to reign terror over the light heavyweight division.
3. Henry Cejudo (15-2)

If 2019 has been a breakout year for anyone, it was for Henry Cejudo. After pulling off an upset last summer against Demetrious Johnson, Cejudo has successfully defended his belt while also climbing up to bantamweight, claiming that championship over Marlon Moraes. While being the only male double champ is a valid case to take the #1 spot, Cejudo’s championship reign has been short thus far. Nonetheless, his success in 2019 can’t be emphasized enough.

4. Robert Whittaker (20-4)

Since it’s been a year and some change before Robert Whittaker last fought, his skillset isn’t necessarily fresh in our minds. But, looking at the stats, it’s there, and nobody has proven superior to it yet. Carrying a win streak that dates back to 2014, “Bobby Knuckles” won a title fight over Yoel Romero back in 2018 to earn Middleweight gold. In October, Whittaker will face Israel Adesanya in his home country of Australia.

5. Stipe Miocic (19-3)

After a year’s absence from the MMA, Stipe Miocic came back last weekend to reclaim his Heavyweight Championship, taking Daniel Cormier four rounds deep before finishing him with punches. After having three defenses before, Miocic showed that his chapter with the championship isn’t done as he started his second reign as the champ in July.

6. Max Holloway (21-4)

If this list was created months ago, Max Holloway would be in the conversation of being one of the top fighters. Although after his loss to Dustin Poirier in April, losing his interim Lightweight belt, he lost some value. In a bounce-back bout back in July, beating Frankie Edgar and retaining his Featherweight Championship, Holloway showed that he is still a very valuable fighter in the division.

7. Kamaru Usman (15-1)

Kamaru Usman earned his long-deserving Welterweight Championship shot back in March, defeating Tyron Woodley via decision. With a fifteen win record with only one blemish, Usman has been nearly perfect in his career. People are awaiting the announcement of his next fight.

8. Israel Adesanya (17-0)

Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker’s time on the bench has given Israel Adesanya a chance to fight up the division’s rankings. Only joining the UFC in 2018, Adesanya has went 6-0 since then, defeating big names like Derek Brunson, Anderson Silva and most recently, Kelvin Gastelum. His recent win pushed him to the front of the divisions line, as Gastelum was aimed to be the next person to fight Whittaker.

9. Dustin Poirier (25-5)

“Diamond” Dustin Poirier dethroned Max Holloway back in April, and now awaits his championship fight in September against Khabib Nurmagomedov, unifying the interim and Lightweight UFC Championship. His impressive recent wins have put him on this list, but his next particular fight give him a chance to shoot even higher up the rankings.

10. Daniel Cormier (22-2)

While Daniel Cormier lost to Stipe Miocic on Saturday, the loss ended a year long stretch of high level wins. Cormier had a strong 2018, continuing to defend the light heavyweight championship and claiming the heavyweight championship. Now, despite only losing once, Cormier is now beltless. And while politics could describe the end of his light heavyweight reign, Miocic beat “DC” fair and square. Since Cormier has been public about contemplating ending his MMA career lately. So, his next move, whether it’s in or out of the octagon is yet to be seen.

11. Colby Covington (15-1)

For a year or so now, Colby Covington has been the odd man out of the Welterweight title picture. In 2018, he beat Rafael dos Anjos in an interim title match. After getting his belt taken away from him, he came back in early August to beat Robbie Lawler in a five round clash. Likely being the next person to face Usman, Covington is one of the biggest names to watch.

12. Paulo Costa (13-0)

In July, Paulo Costa defeated Yoel Romero in a three-round war, moving to the front of the Middleweight lineup. The jacked Brazilian fighter has been undefeated since his entrance into the UFC in 2017. His more notable wins came over Uriah Hall and Johny Hendricks.

13. Demetrious Johnson (29-3-1)

Easily the best Flyweight outside of the UFC, Demetrious Johnson has had a graceful transition into ONE Championship, after being traded there in early 2019. Heading into the Flyweight GP finals in October, “DJ” has defeated Yuya Wakamatsu and Tatsumitsu Wada before. His exit in the UFC came after taking his first loss in a long time against Henry Cejudo via split decision.

14. Tony Ferguson (25-3)

Tony Ferguson has been chasing the Lightweight Championship for a long time. Despite his resume, Ferguson isn’t the next person to get a shot, something he’s heard before. In the meantime, he’s beat high profile names like Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis and most recently, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Showcasing his “SnapJitsu” on the big stage, “El Cucuy” is one of the many big names within the stacked 155-pound division.

15. Kai Asakura (13-1)

At RIZIN 18, Kai Asakura went from prospect to title contender, defeating Kyoji Horiguchi in over a minute, causing a huge upset in Japanese promotion RIZIN. The win makes it so that Asakura will likely get another fight with Horiguchi, but that time in a championship setting. Becoming the best in the bantamweight division overnight, Asakura is someone to watch.

Women’s P4P Top 15:

1. Amanda Nunes (18-4)

There’s no doubt, Amanda Nunes is the best female fighter on the planet. Being the Bantamweight Champion for three years, and winning the Featherweight Championship from Cris Cyborg in December, Nunes is one of the two double-champs in the UFC. Attempting to make her fifth bantamweight title defence, Nunes will face Germaine de Randamie in December.

2. Valentina Shevchenko (18-3)

Claiming the Flyweight Championship back in December, Valentina Shevchenko has kept a close hold onto her belt. After defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a five round decision, she has beat Jessica Eye with a rude head kick and Liz Carmouche in a heavily dominant bout. The Flyweight division’s biggest struggle is finding someone who can actually give the Kyrgyzstan fighter a run for her money.

 
3. Weili Zhang (20-1)

For all of 2019 so far, the UFC Strawweight Championship has been a hot potato. From Rose Namajunas, to Jessica Andrade, and now to Weili Zhang, the belt hasn’t had any real home. Zhang claimed the belt last weekend, steamrolling Andrade in a fight that could fit within an Instagram video. Being China’s first Champion, Zhang could open business doors for the UFC with her reign.

4. Cris Cyborg (21-2)

Cris Cyborg’s short run in the UFC seemingly ended back in June, when she went three rounds with featherweight prospect Felicia Spencer, getting the nod via the judges. But, although that is the case, Cyborg is still a very high level fighter. Despite a sudden loss to Amanda Nunes in 2018, Cyborg has had a nearly flawless career. Wherever she goes next in her career, she will be expected to continue her dominance.

5. Jessica Andrade (20-7)

Jessica Andrade suffered a loss to Weili Zhang last weekend via strikes. Before then, she wrapped up her four-fight winning streak with a slam KO over Rose Namajunas. Andrade’s sudden loss is one that likely won’t make her fall too far away from the title picture. While she might have to fight someone else before another title shot as many people are high level contenders currently, Andrade getting another shot in the future is not a wild prediction.

6. Germaine de Randamie (9-3)

Germaine de Randamie has been a dominant fighter in her UFC career, although she hasn’t always been in the spotlight. Many could remember her controversial win over Holly Holm back in 2017, making her the first Featherweight Champion. Since then she has only fought twice, bettering Raquel Pennington and most recently Aspen Ladd. In December, de Randamie will have the biggest challenge of her career ahead of her, facing Amanda Nunes for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

7. Rose Namajunas (8-4)

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how fights went when the finish stealed the show. Rose Namajunas lost to Jessica Andrade back in May via a second round slam KO. While the knockout was absolutely brutal, it’s worth remembering that Namajunas was putting up a good battle before then. While seemingly being prone to takedowns, Namajunas didn’t disappoint in the striking department. It’s clear that Namajunas is a high level strawweight, and now no longer being a champion, is clearly a high level prospect.

8. Tatiana Suarez (8-0)

Despite having a short MMA career, Tatiana Suarez can say something about herself that many other fighters can’t: she’s undefeated. While the strawweight division is easily the most stacked women’s division, Suarez’s track record shows that she is likely a win or so away from a title shot. However, it looks like that can’t come immediately as the top dogs of the division have to hash out their fights.

9. Ilima-Lei MacFarlane (10-0)

Bellator were either really lucky or had a great eye for talent when they signed the 1-0 Ilima-Lei MacFarlane. The Hawaiian born fighter is approaching her second full year as their flyweight champion, with three title defenses since being crowned. While all opponents have been fair matchups, her biggest win was over UFC alumni Valerie Letourneau, which took place in Honolulu.

10. Julia Budd (13-2)

Julia Budd is also an example of talent that was early in their career when Bellator discovered them. Julia Budd fought in Strikeforce and Invicta before her 2015 Bellator debut. It’s worth noting that her two losses were in Strikeforce and came to Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey. Similar to the promotion’s Flyweight Champion, Budd is riding a three-fight winning streak and is undefeated within the promotion. While not at the highest tier of MMA, Budd’s skill level is undoubtedly at a high tier.

11. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-3)

For a large portion of her career now, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has competed at a high level of MMA. The Polish fighter has a record of 2-3 in her last three fights, recently losing a title fight to Valentina Shevchenko in December. She has a chance to bounce back into title contender status when she faces Michelle Waterson in October.

12. Michelle Waterson (17-6)

Michelle Waterson has been a real up-and-comer in the strawweight division recently. On a three fight winning streak, Waterson has defeated big names in Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Felice Herrig recently. Wanting to become the first “Mom Champ,” undoubtedly the biggest test for the Jackson Wink fighter will come in a five round fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in October on ESPN+.

13. Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2)

The atomweight divison has long been a (no pun intended) small division in MMA. It’s not represented in many large organizations like UFC or Bellator. But in Japan, the weight class has it’s niche, and it definately has it’s #1 fighter in Ayaka Hamasaki. The experienced fighter is on a five-fight winning streak. She punched in her title fight ticket by defeating DEEP Jewels Champion Mine Kuroba. On New Year’s Eve, she dethroned Kanna Asakura, and has won in a rematch against Jing Yu Frey and defeated Thailand prospect Suwanan Boonsorn A.K.A AMP The Rocket. Many people predict a superfight between her and Road FC Champion Seo Hee Ham on the horizon. The fight would be the biggest in the division in years.
14. Viviane Araujo (8-1)

Viviane Araujo has quickly made a name for herself in the UFC. Taking a short notice fight against Talita Bernardo in May was what got her foot through the door. She won the fight with an overhand right, which was working for her in the three rounds she competed. She has since defeated Alexis Davis via decision and landed a December fight against Jessica Eye. The fight would spring her up the rankings even more, as currently she is still not on the radar of some MMA viewers.

15. Andrea Lee (11-2)

Andrea Lee’s short UFC career has made her one to watch. Coming from Invicta FC including a couple fights within LFA, Lee has went to the scorecards three times in the UFC, all earning herself a win. In a week’s time, Lee will face arguably a similar-level fighter in Joanne Calderwood, who fell to Katlyn Chookagian in June.

Radar Fights:

This is the section that shows upcoming fights from fighters on the P4P lists.

9/7/19: Khabib Nurmagomedov (#1) vs. Dustin Poirier (#9) – UFC 242

8/7/19: Andrea Lee (#15) vs. Joanne Calderwood – UFC 242

10/5/19: Robert Whittaker (#4) vs. Israel Adesanya (#8) – UFC 243

10/12/19: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (#11) vs. Michelle Waterson (#12) – UFC on ESPN+ 19

10/13/19: Demetrious Johnson (#13) vs. Danny Kingad – ONE Championship: Century Show 1

12/14/19: Amanda Nunes (#1) vs. Germaine de Randamie (#6) – UFC 245

12/14/19: Viviane Araujo (#14) vs. Jessica Eye – UFC 245

 

Bellator 208 Full Report: Fedor To Meet Bader In Bellator Heavyweight GP Finals

The Preview

After Bellator put on Bellator 208 the previous night, they come back with Bellator 208 on Saturday. The main event of this show was Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) fighting Fedor Emelianenko (37-5) in the second semi-final match of the promotions Heavyweight Grand Prix. Last night was the first part of the round, with Ryan Bader beating Matt Mitrione in a very decisive bout. The angle of the advertisements leading up to this show was Chael Sonnen being very patriotic and wanting to fight a Russian. Sonnen very much carried the promotion for this show, even dressing as Uncle Sam for the ads and promotional photos.

Alongside the main event, the main card had four other bouts. The co-main event is Saad Awad (23-9) versus Benson Henderson (25-8). Awad is on a four fight win streak heading into this bout. Henderson won his last fight but has had a very 50/50 tenure in Bellator so far. Another Heavyweight bout besides the main event that is booked is Cheick Kongo (28-10-2) versus Timothy Johnson (12-4). Johnson is making his Bellator debut, but not against an easy opponent. Kongo hasn’t lost since 2015, picking up 6 wins since then. The other two bouts on the main card are Alexander Shlemenko (57-11) versus Anatoly Tokov (26-3) in a battle of the Russians, and Henry Corrales (15-3) versus Andy Main (12-3-1). That’s the fight that started the card.

A Recap of The Show

  1. The Featherweight fight between Henry Corrales and Andy Main began the main card. The whole first round was stand up fighting. Both fighters were slow and methodical with Corrales starting to pick up the pace in the final 40 seconds. The crowd booed with two minutes left in the round out of disapproval. With just over two minutes left in the second round Main landed a trip, but it was all for nothing since they were both back on their feet seconds later. Commentator Big John McCarthy had it 2-0 Corrales at this point, but on my scorecard I had it tied. The scorecards ended up not mattering once Corrales dropped Main with a left hook in a combination.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Corrales 10 9
Main 9 10
  1. The battle of the two Russians was next on the card in the Middleweight class. Anatoly Tokov fought Alexander Shlemenko. Tokov kept control in the first round, being dominant against the cage and on the ground. Early in the second round the fight was paused after Tokov got kicked between the legs. It did not take him long to be ready to resume the bout. The rest of the second round seemed very much like the first. It felt like both of these guys had clocked out at this point. The fight went the distance with the judges all scoring it 30-27 for Tokov.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Tokov 10 10 10 30
Shlemenko 9 9 9 27
  1. The first of two Heavyweight bouts on the main card was Cheick Kongo versus Tim Johnson. This fight was ended with just over a minute gone by. Johnson got rocked by a shot which made him fall into Kongo’s arms. Kongo finished the fight on the ground shortly after.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Kongo
Johnson
  1. The co-main event was Benson Henderson versus Saad Awad. In the first round Awad showed good defense on the ground. He almost got caught in a rear naked choke when trying to complain to the ref about Henderson grabbing gloves. Henderson had better stand up (predominantly kicks) and ground game. There was a close call at the end of round two where Awad had to survive a chokehold for 15 seconds. He was very much saved by the bell. In the final round, the fight was paused because of Henderson grabbing the cage. The rest of the round was much like the two before.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Henderson 10 10 10 30
Awad 9 9 9 27
  1. The main event of the evening was Chael Sonnen versus Fedor Emelianenko in the semi-finals of Bellator’s Heavyweight GP. When they were given the opportunity to touch gloves in the middle they didn’t, but once asked a second time did. Only seconds into the bout Sonnen got dropped by a punch. Fedor refused to go to the ground until Chael landed a takedown. Fedor was absolutely all over Chael for the first three minutes. Sonnen seemed to gain some control in the fight when he landed a takedown with two minutes to go. With 30 seconds left in the first round Fedor would not stop throwing punches down on Sonnen who was shelling up on the floor. The ref intervened and that ended the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Sonnen
Emelianenko

Looking Ahead

Walking away from this Bellator show the promotion has a championship match set up. In January Ryan Bader will battle against Fedor Emelianenko to crown a new Bellator Heavyweight Champion. This is a wish come true for Bader, who said on Friday that he wants to face Fedor. Bellator takes some time off after a doubleheader weekend. Bellator returns on November 15th for Bellator 209. A championship bout in Patricio Freire versus Emmanuel Sanchez main events that card.

Bellator 207 Full Report: Ryan Bader Moves On To Heavyweight GP Finals

Preview

Bellator began their first event of their two this weekend with Bellator 207. Like 208, which takes place tomorrow, 207 is headlined by a semi-final match in Bellator’s Heavyweight GP. The Friday card had Matt Mitrione fighting Ryan Bader. The Saturday night card is scheduled to have Fedor Emelianenko versus Chael Sonnen. The final four in the tournament are definitely all fan favorites. Below the main event, there are four other main card bouts. In the co-main event spot is what should be only another explosive Heavyweight clash besides the main event. Roy Nelson fights Sergei Kharitonov. Nelson was booked for the main event of Bellator 200 against Mirko Cro Cop. Due to an injury from Cro Cop before the fight, sadly this bout did not happen. Kharitonov returns to Bellator after fighting for M-1 and Russian Cagefighting Championship for a year.

Also on the main card is Kevin Ferguson Jr. versus Corey Browning. Both fighters are still somewhat new to MMA, with Ferguson Jr. holding a 3-1 record with all fights being under Bellator. Browning is making his Bellator debut, coming into the promotion with a 3-2 record. Below them is two veterans in Lorenz Larkin (19-7) versus Ion Pascu (18-8) in a Lightweight fight. That fight is the alternate fight for the Welterweight GP. Starting off the main card was Carrington Banks (7-1) and Mandel Nallo (6-0) fighting to protect their very clean win/loss records so far.

Rundown Of The Card

  1. Carrington Banks and Mandel Nallo fought with Bellator having no hesitation on starting the main card. After a minute in the first round of uneventful stand-up, Nallo showed great takedown defense. Banks tried for a takedown, with his second attempt being reversed into a takedown from Nallo. Nallo seemed near to putting in a chokehold but eventually stopped trying for it. With under two minutes left in the first Banks landed his first takedown, but took many elbow strikes to the head while on top. These two both battled on the ground as the first round ended. In the first minute of the second round Nallo landed a perfectly timed right knee to the head to absolutely put Banks to sleep. When the camera was in his face after the fight, all he had to say to the camera was “come to Tri Star” (the MMA gym that he trains at).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Banks 9
Nallo 10
  1. The next fight on the card was Corey Browning versus Kevin Ferguson Jr. A.K.A Baby Slice. When Browning did his walkout, the commentators talked about how Browning felt stress going into this fight. While Baby Slice had dominance for the most of round one, the final minute went in favour of Browning. Browning tried for a crucifix, then landed a handful of elbows until the round ended. The two fighters traded at the start of the second round, with Browning dropping Baby Slice after being hit by a combo. Browning looked like he was in trouble early in the second round, but somehow stood up seconds later. Browning was landing strikes from above onto Baby Slice until the ref stopped the fight. This was quite the turnaround as only moments before Baby Slice was inching close to a submission win. Browning got his hand raised without Baby Slice present. It was reported by Mike Bohn that he was stretchered out of the venue.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Browning 9
Baby Slice 10
  1. Lorenz Larkin and Ion Pascu fought each other in the Welterweight GP alternate bout. Most of the first round was stand up with Pascu trying to a takedown in the final minute of the round. In the second round Larkin showed dominance with his striking. With two minutes left in the final round Pascu landed a clean single leg takedown. While Pascu had good ground game for the remaining time, it wasn’t enough to win him the round on my scorecard. The judges gave Larkin the fight Unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Larkin 10 10 10 30
Pascu 9 9 9 27
  1. In the co-main event was Roy Nelson versus Sergei Kharitonov. In the first round Nelson went for a takedown but was stopped. Kharitonov landed an illegal knee to the top of Nelson. The fight was resumed, but a point was taken away from Kharitonov. Nelson started to take hard shots as the round was coming to a close. With under 10 seconds left, Kharitonov finished the fight with standing strikes and (legal) knees with Roy against the cage.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Nelson
Kharitonov

5. Before the main event they played a pretty good promo video for this fight. Matt Mitrione fought Ryan Bader to see who moves onto the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. In the promo it was mentioned by Mitrione how he’s not a good wrestler, but “every round starts standing”. Well, Bader landed a takedown only seconds into the first round. Bader started to land shots from above with two minutes to go. He continued like this until the end of the round. At the start out round two Mitrione came out swinging, until he got caught with another takedown. Bader was all over him once again on the ground. He nearly got a submission finish halfway through but did not get it. In the final round Bader landed another takedown only maybe 4 seconds in. The official scorecards had it in favour of Bader of course Unanimously (30-25, 30-24 & 30-25).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Mitrione 8 8 8 24
Bader 10 10 10 30

Looking Ahead

Now that Bellator 207 is in the books, one half of the puzzle has been solved. Ryan Bader said in his post fight interview that he’d like to fight Fedor in the finals, but now it’s just up to Fedor to do the job. Tomorrow from New York, Chael Sonnen fights Fedor Emelianenko, with the winner challenging Bader in the finale of the Grand Prix. After these two events are done Bellator will be gone until mid-November.

Bellator 205 Full Report: McKee Wins In The First Round

This weekend’s Bellator event feels like a primer for what comes next week. In 8 days Bellator will pack the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The show will have a Heavyweight battle between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, and also a Champion versus Champion bout in the Middleweight division when Gegard Mousasi faces Rory MacDonald. But until then, we have this card to view. Live from Boise, Idaho in the Centurylink Arena, the main event is a Featherweight battle between John Macapa and the still undefeated A.J. McKee. Below them on the main card was three other fights.

The main card began with Patricky Pitbull versus Roger Huerta in a Lightweight bout. Pitbull got rocked early in the first round, but recovered while answering back with strikes of his own. Pitbull really knew when to pick his spots when it comes to stand up fighting. Huerta really picked up the pace at the end of the round. With around 25 seconds left in the first, Pitbull got a takedown. At the start of the second round Huerta got dropped with strikes. Somehow, Huerta held on for 10 more seconds before the ref waved it off. By the time round one was halfway through you could tell that this fight would not be going the whole 15 minutes.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Pitbull 9
Huerta 10

Continuing on with the main card was Veta Arteaga versus Denise Kielholtz in a Flyweight bout. Arteaga had the crowd behind her since she was billed from Boise. Kielholtz seemed to want to keep it standing up in the first round while Arteaga went for a takedown many times. In the second round Arteaga got her first significant battle on the ground. After Kielholtz unpredictably shot for a takedown, while getting back up Arteaga was able to get a Guillotine. After fully locking in the standing Guillotine, Kielholtz tapped to end the fight. After the fight Veta said that she thinks that she deserves a title shot.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Arteaga 9
Kielholtz 10

In the co-main event slot tonight, the undefeated Middleweight Rafael Lovato Jr. fought John Salter. The first round was purely stand up, which came as a shock because of how much the grappling of these two fighters was hyped up. In the second round, Lovato Jr. dropped Salter then went down for a Guillotine. Interesting how they stayed standing for so long with no desperation for ground game until there was a necessary moment to go there. The final few minutes of the round had the grappling that was billed for the bout. More than halfway into the third round, Lovato was wailing away on Salter while on the ground. Lovato Jr. got a submission in after repeated ground and pound to make Salter tap. After the fight, Lovato Jr. asked for a title shot after the fight. His post-fight interview/promo was very good.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Lovato Jr. 10 10
Salter 9 9

The main event of the evening was John Teixeira versus A.J. McKee. It’s a 23 year old undefeated fighter in McKee versus Teixeira, a fighter at age 31 with much more experience under his belt. Early in the first round there was an amazing catch of a spinning back kick from Teixeira. Only moments later, Teixeira got dropped by a left hand to end the bout very early. McKee did not have to land any more strikes after just the one. McKee wins and improves his undefeated streak to 12-0. Like many others on this show, McKee asked for a title shot in his post-fight interview. This wrapped up Bellator’s final show before they make their DAZN exclusive debut on their Saturday night broadcast next week.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
McKee
Teixeira

 

Bellator 200 Full Results: Gegard Mousasi Becomes New Middleweight Champion

Bellator seems to have a good luck charm when it comes to their big events and amazing cards. Months ago Bellator held their first New York event in Madison Square Garden. That event saw quite the quirky couple of fights, including a main event that had a double knockdown in it, something you rarely see. This time around, Bellator had a card that was absolutely stacked with finishes, as the promotion celebrated its 200th event. The SSE Wembley Arena played host to the special event. The venue looked to be completely full, except for the odd seat or two.

 

The card had a main event in Gegard Mousasi challenging Rafael Carvalho for the Middleweight Championship. This, along with many other fights had an ending that was not predicted by me. Conveniently, the show ended before midnight Eastern, despite the program being scheduled to go to 12:30. Due to the nature of timezones, the event was held in London during what would be early morning for North America. The show was aired on a tape delay, starting at 9PM EST. Bellator has done this many times before. People online had to do their best to avoid spoilers for the show. Mauro Ranallo and “Big” John McCarthy were the two voices of the show tonight. The show had an absence of Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson, after their scheduled match was scrapped. MMAFighting further elaborated on why this happened. The show started with a Light Heavyweight competition between Linton Vassell and Phil Davis.

 

  1. Linton Vassell versus Phil Davis was the first bout on the main card. This bout was done in the Light Heavyweight division. I would have covered the preliminary card, but due to time zones I could not. Near the end of the first round, Davis tagged Vassell, making him wobble for a second. He recovered, but took many more strikes from Davis. Davis landed two strong knees near the end of the round. Vassell was able to get a takedown in the second round, but Davis was able to stay present. Phil Davis was able to win the fight with a Right Kick to the head in the third round. No insurance strikes were really needed after the kick. Even though he won via stoppage, as the predicted scorecards had it, he probably would have won by decision anyways. The fight was ended in Round 3, at 1:05.

 

  1. Anastasia Yankova faced Kate Jackson in a Women’s Flyweight bout. Both fighters got a much more bland entrance than Vassell and Davis. Jackson is from England, but that did not make the crowd side with her more than Yankova. The fight was brought to the ground within the first minute. Jackson tried to put Yankova in a Rear Naked Choke, but Yankova escaped almost immediately after. While on the ground, it was mostly Jackson who landed strikes. In the second round, Yankova got some strikes in with around 30 seconds left in the round. The fight went the distance. Kate Jackson got the win with the scorecards saying 30-26, 30-26 & 29-27 for a Unanimous Decision.

 

  1. Mike Shipman and Carl Noon squared off for the third bout on the main card. Commentator Mauro Ranallo hailed Mike Shipman as a hometown hero, though the crowd did not show him much love. To be fair, you could put that on this crowd being dead pretty much all night. Just seconds in, Shipman floored Noon with a right. He ended the fight with Hammer-fist strikes. The fight ended in just over ten seconds.

 

  1. The fourth fight on the card was Ash Griffiths versus Aaron Chalmers. The fight was in a 163 Catchweight class. Chalmers comes into this fight undefeated. Chalmers took a knee mid-way through the first round, but then dropped Griffiths with a strike. Chalmers won the fight with a Standing Guillotine only moments later. Chalmers improved his record to 4-0.

 

  1. In the Welterweight class, Michael Page faced David Rickels. Rickels had a very unique attire, wearing pants that had cut rows of fabric. I can only assume that it was supposed to be a caveman look, to accompany his nickname. Rickels looked very confident in the first round, with lots of aneurysms and movements that made him look comfortable. Page absolutely dominated with strikes in the first round. Page struck a pose, which Rickels allowed, but did not enjoy watching. Rickels got absolutely dropped by a strike, but recovered and stood back up. Continuing the mind games, Page stood someone hunched over, waiting for Rickels to get fighting again. It was apparent at this point that this fight was a clash of two big personalities. Page got another combo, then did many dance moves to end the round. After a hard hit to Rickels’ left eye, which made him bleed like crazy, he did something that I rarely see in MMA. Rickels audibly quit the fight, giving Michael Page the win in the second round. After the fight, Page puts on an Infinity Stone glove, then does some dance moves (he could have been trying to impersonate Fortnite dances, but it was too hard to tell). After the commercial break, the broadcast showed Chris Pratt and 50 Cent posing for a photo with Michael Page.

 

  1. The main event of Bellator 200, is Gegard Mousasi challenged Rafael Carvalho for the Middleweight Championship. In the first round, Mousasi was absolutely hammering away with right hands while Carvalho was on the ground. Carvalho did not really defend himself, making the ref end the fight. Mousasi is the new Middleweight Championship. After the fight, he calls out Rory MacDonald to fight him now that he is the champion.