Bellator 231, Bellator 232, and UFC Singapore were all this past weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 231, Bellator 232, and UFC Singapore
Bellator 231
UGLY- Jake Hager vs. Anthony Garrett
Not much to this fight as Hager landed a couple of knees to the cup within the first two minutes of the first round and the fight is ruled a No Contest. That sucks.
Ilara Joanne submits Bec Rawlings
Rawlings showed some pretty good defense here but practically no offense at all. Joanne showed good aggression and eventually locked in a kneebar in the second round to get the submission win. Good win for Joanne.
GOOD- Ed Ruth vs. Jason Jackson
Jackson landed the more damaging shots but Ruth did land a lot of takedowns. He didn’t do much with the takedowns, though, so I don’t think they should count for as much. Ruth landed a lot of shots, too, and Jackson stuffed some takedowns but two of the judges scored the fight for Ruth and one for Jackson so Ruth gets the split decision win. It’s a good win for Ruth, but I think Jackson should have gotten the win.
GOOD- Phil Davis stops Karl Albrektsson
Albrektsson did all right but Davis was just the better fighter. His punches were harder, he landed his takedowns, and he was more aggressive. He dropped and finished Albrektsson a little over three minutes into the third round. with a big flurry. Good win for Davis.
GOOD/BAD- Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson
I had low expectations going into this fight but this was slightly better than that so I thought it was fine. Mir showed superior striking as Nelson just waited and waited to throw that right hand. Mir did some damage with a big knee in the second round and Nelson was in danger of being finished but he survived. Frank Mir won the decision, good win for him.
Bellator 232
GOOD- Kevin Ferguson Jr. stops Craig Campbell
Ferguson landed some big shots early and got the TKO win in a little less than forty seconds. Good win for Ferguson.
GOOD- Nick Newell vs. Manny Muro
This was a really close fight. Muro won the split decision but that easily could have gone to Newell. Both men fought hard and worked to get the advantage and the judges thought Muro did a bit more. I think that’s probably the right decision. Good win for Muro.
GOOD- Patrick Mix submits Isaiah Chapman
Mix got an early takedown and spent the next few minutes working for, and locking in, the submission for the win. Good grappling from Mix, and win as well.
GOOD- Paul Daley stops Saad Awad
The first round was full of plenty of heavy shots from both men. Daley likely won the round with the judges but Awad landed some big shots of his own. In the second round, Daley dropped Awad with a powerful left hand and finished him off with some hammerfists. Good and exciting win for Daley.
BAD- Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
The evening ground to a halt here, as this was a methodical fight at best. MacDonald kept trying for takedowns but couldn’t land many, if any. I don’t remember him getting any takedowns but maybe I missed one. The crowd really didn’t like this fight either. This was the finals of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix and MacDonald was defending his Bellator Welterweight Championship and this is what happens?
Terribly disappointing to say the least. Lima fought pretty well as he negated most of the offense from MacDonald and delivered some big shots of his own. MacDonald was also apathetic when he had the advantage as he didn’t do much in those times.
Lima also won a million dollars, in addition to the Bellator Welterweight Title, so this was a great night for him. The fight may have been disappointing but this was a good win for Lima.
UFC Singapore
GOOD- Muslim Salikhov vs. Laureano Staropoli
Salikhov landed some good shots over the course of this fight, but Staropoli kept coming. He showed good toughness but it wasn’t enough as Salikhov got the decision win. Good win for Salikhov.
GOOD- Ciryl Gane submits Dontale Mayes
There was a lot of legkicks in this fight as both men kept throwing them. There was also plenty of good punches and even a flying knee from Gane. He ended the fight with a heel hook with less than fifteen seconds to go in the fight. Good win for Gane.
GOOD- Beneil Dariush submits Frank Camacho
Dariush peppered Camacho with strikes before going to the ground and locking in the rear-naked choke to get the submission win just over two minutes into the first round. Good win for Dariush.
GOOD- Stevie Ray vs. Michael Johnson
There was some good striking in this one, as they each pummeled each other with hard shots. I thought Johnson won more rounds but two of the judges scored it for Ray and the third ruled it a draw so Ray gets the nod. Good win for Ray.
GOOD- Demian Maia submits Ben Askren
Askren had some not very good striking in this fight, not that Maia is exactly the best of strikers either. Plus, we all know the real draw here is seeing these guys grappling on the ground. I think Askren won the first two rounds but that’s moot as Maia got the better of a grappling exchange in the third round and locked in a rear-naked choke. Askren fought it for a bit but eventually he passed out. Big win for Maia.
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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