Bellator 228 and UFC Copenhagen were this past weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.
Recapping Bellator 228 and UFC Copenhagen
Bellator 228
BAD/GOOD- Daniel Weichel vs. Saul Rogers
I didn’t care much for this fight. There was some good spots but also some bad spots. Weichel used his experience to get the decision over a tough fighter in Rogers. Good win for Weichel.
BAD/UGLY- Darrion Caldwell vs. Henry Corrales
This fight sucked. Caldwell had some good takedowns but didn’t do anything with them. He laid on Corrales like a blanket. He got the decision victory but who cares? No one will remember this fight by next week. Moving on.
GOOD- A.J. McKee stops Georgi Karakhanyan
McKee dropped Karakhanyan with a strong left, then pounced on him and pounded him out for the win in less than ten seconds. Good win for McKee.
BAD- Patricio Freire vs. Adam Archuleta
Another crap fight. There were a few good moments but more junk. Lowblows, eyepokes, and inaction, that’s a recipe for a bad fight. Pitbull got the decision and successfully defended his Bellator Featherweight Championship but this was not a good fight.
GOOD/BAD- Gegard Mousasi vs. Lyoto Machida
Compared to some of the other fights tonight, this was okay. My expectations were lowered by the previous fights and I’m sure this being a Machida fight lowered them as well, but I kind of liked this fight. It only being three rounds helped, I’m sure I’d have been a lot less into it if it were five rounds. Mousasi won the split decision to avenge an earlier loss to Machida. Good win for Mousasi.
UFC Copenhagen
GOOD/BAD- Alex Oliveira vs. Nicholas Dalby
This fight was solid, fairly good though far from great. The effort seemed to be there for the most part. Dalby won the decision, good win for him.
GOOD- Ovince Saint Preux submits Michal Oleksiejczuk
Oleksiejczuk came out fighting well in the first round, delivering some nice strikes. OSP battled back, though, and in the second round he locked in a tight choke and got the submission. Good win for OSP.
GOOD- Ion Cutelaba stops Khalil Rountree
Cutelaba got a few takedowns early, then punished Rountree with some big ground-and-pound to get the stoppage win about halfway through the first round. Good win for Cutelaba.
GOOD/BAD- Gilbert Burns vs. Gunnar Nelson
It might be too generous to put the GOOD first, but I appreciated the effort here. Nelson probably took round one but rounds two and three were in favor of Burns so he got the decision victory. Good win for Burns.
GOOD- Mark Madsen stops Danilo Belluardo
Madsen scored a quick takedown, advanced position, and beat up Belluardo with some vicious ground-and-pound to get the stoppage just over a minute into the first round. Good win for Madsen.
GOOD- Jared Cannonier stops Jack Hermansson
Hermansson got an early takedown, but Cannonier fought back with some kicks and punches. The second round started quickly as Cannonier hit Hermansson with a good uppercut then finished him up with some followup shots. Good win for Cannonier. He’s kind of coming out as a contender but he’ll probably need another few wins before getting a title shot. This is a really good win for him, though, and a good way to end an entertaining card.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
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