HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 223/London and UFC Greenville

Bellator 223/London and UFC Greenville were both this past weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.

Bellator 223

GOOD- Charlie Ward stops Justin Moore

Moore landed several takedowns during this fight and was very active but Ward pulled out the win when he reversed out of a bad spot and got good position in mount and started raining down shots until the ref jumped in. Good win for Ward.

GOOD- Costello van Steenis stops Mike Shipman

Van Steenis landed some big shots, none bigger than the devastating elbows he nailed Shipman with in the second round that ended the fight. Good win for van Steenis.

UGLY- Fabian Edwards vs. Jonathan Bosuku

This fight sucked. It was boring and dull. Edwards won the decision. Moving on…

BAD- James Gallagher vs. Jeremiah Labiano

I didn’t like this fight either. It didn’t approach the levels of junk the previous fight did, but it was still horribly boring. Gallagher won the decision.

GOOD- Paul Daley vs. Erick Silva

The story of this fight for me was how in the hell was Silva able to withstand the punishment Daley was dishing out? Daley smashed him with some huge shots, but Silva took them and was able to survive. He almost got finished at the end of the second round but was able to hold on long enough for the round to end. It was crazy, I knew Silva was tough but damn. Daley won the decision. Good win for him.

Bellator London

GOOD/BAD- Aaron Chalmers submits Fred Freeman

There were some really boring parts in this fight, where Freeman was able to neutralize Chalmers and not allow him to do much of anything or take advantage of a good position he was in. Then, in the final minute of the second round, Chalmers was able to lock in a submission and Freeman had to tap. Nice win for Chalmers.

GOOD- Melvin Manhoef vs. Kent Kauppinen

Both guys landed some big shots, though Manhoef landed more. This fight went the distance as Manhoef got the decision for his first win in a couple years. This is also only his third decision victory, compared to 28 knockout wins. Good win for Manhoef.

GOOD- Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Gegard Mousasi

This was a close fight. So close, in fact, that one judge scored it a 47-47 draw. The other two judges scored it 48-47 for Lovato as he captures the Bellator middleweight championship. Mousasi came in as the champion but he couldn’t overcome the tenacious grappling of Lovato. He just kept coming and pressing forward. He earned this win with his hard work. Mousais would do something but Lovato would counter and negate it. Lovato also showed good toughness as Mousasi landed some big shots and bloodied Lovato’s face up. Good win for Lovato.

REPORT: Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler targeted for Newark

UFC Greenville

BAD/GOOD- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Kevin Holland

I didn’t care for this fight, it just felt slow and like they were fighting underwater. That’s probably a bit harsh but there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot happening. Holland won the decision.

GOOD- Andrea Lee vs. Montana De La Rosa

De Le Rosa scored some nice takedowns but Lee peppered her with jabs over and over. She busted her up with those jabs, and got the decision because of it. Good win for Lee.

GOOD- Andre Ewell vs. Anderson Dos Santos

Ewell landed a bunch of really hard punches but Dos Santos took them and kept coming. Dos Santos scored with some good takedowns but it was the striking of Ewell that led to him getting the decision win. Good win for Ewell.

GOOD- Randy Brown stops Bryan Barberena

Brown landed some big shots but Barberena battled back. The finish came not quite three minutes into the third round, as Brown hit Barberena with a big kick to the midsection that hurt him, then followed up to force the stoppage. Good win for Brown.

GOOD- Chan Sung Jung stops Renato Moicano

Jung crushed Moicano with a huge shot right away, then followed up with a flurry on the ground and that was it. Just under one minute into the first round and it’s over. That’s an impressive win. Moicano is a good fighter and Jung just walked through him.

I wouldn’t think Jung would get a title shot from this but stranger things have happened, pun intended. In all seriousness, though, this is a bigtime win because of the way it happened.

Anytime you finish someone in the first minute, that’s impressive. He might need another win or two before getting a title shot, but it sure seems like it’s coming. Even his recent loss to Yair Rodriguez came by a freak shot at the end of a fight that he was winning until the last second.

Jung has looked really good lately and his toughness and striking could prove difficult for UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway to deal with. If Jung keeps fighting like this, it won’t be long until we see if that truly proves difficult or not for Holloway.

Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank

More from MMATorch:

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• Jose Aldo signs multi-fight deal with the UFC
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• ROUNDTABLE: What did you make of Bellator’s broadcast strategy for Bellator 223/ Bellator London?