Bellator Birmingham and UFC Ottawa were both this past weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.
Bellator: Birmingham
GOOD- Raymond Daniels stops Wilkes Barros
Daniels peppered Barros with repeated strikes and was clearly going for the home run early. It paid as he dropped him with a spinning body kick and finished him with a spinning back fist late in the first round for the win. Good win for Daniels and great highlight reel finish.
GOOD- Fabian Edwards stops Falco Neto Lopes
Lopes hit a couple of takedowns early but Edwards stunned him with some upkicks and pounced to finish him off about four minutes into the first round. Good win for Edwards.
GOOD- Pedro Carvalho stops Derek Campos
Campos got an early takedown but Carvalho escaped and hurt Campos with some big shots, then finished him just over two minutes into the first round. Good win for Carvalho.
GOOD- Brent Primus submits Tim Wilde
They went to the ground early with Wilde on top. However, Primus was able to lock in a gogoplata and get the submission. Cool finish and a good win for Primus.
UFC Fight Night: Ottawa
GOOD- Andrew Sanchez vs. Marc Andre Barriault
These guys were throwing some big shots during this fight. They both absorbed a lot of punishment, especially Sanchez as Barriault tore into him with some vicious elbows at one point. The third round slowed down as Sanchez worked to try to smother Barriault but overall, this was a good fight. Sanchez got the decision win. Good win for him.
GOOD- Walt Harris stops Sergey Spivak
Harris walked through Spivak in a little under a minute into the first round. He showed good power. Good win for Harris.
GOOD- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Brad Katona
Dvalishvili’s wrestling won him this fight. He was just all over Katona throughout and got the decision win because of it. Katona tried, but Dvalishvili was just too good. Good win for Dvalishvili.
GOOD- Shane Burgos vs. Cub Swanson
This was such a close fight and a hard one to judge. There are times where judges get things wrong, but in this fight, I don’t know if there is a wrong call. Burgos got the split decision and I can see either fighter winning. I would have gone with Swanson getting the decision but I could see Burgos getting the nod. Good win for Burgos.
BAD/GOOD- Derek Brunson vs. Elias Theodorou
I didn’t care for this fight. I mean, it wasn’t some horribly dreadful borefest but it wasn’t all that great either. Brunson won the decision as he took over in the third round and made it clear he deserved the win. Good win for Brunson.
GOOD- Donald Cerrone vs. Al Iaquinta
Cerrone beat up Iaquinta throughout most of this fight. Iaquinta showed good toughness but Cerrone was all over him pretty much from start to finish. Cerrone looked really good in this fight and showed that he’s still a contender. This might be the best he’s ever looked and for a career as long as his, that’s saying something. He overwhelmed Iaquinta and came at him from multiple angles and beat the hell out of his left leg. This was a really strong showing from Cerrone and sends a message that the rest of the division will have to take him seriously. Good win for Cerrone.
NEXT: ‘COWBOY’ REFUSES TO RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET
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