By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
Bellator Europe 9 and UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana were both this past week. Let’s get to the rundown.
Bellator Europe 9
GOOD- Charlie Leary stops Keifer Crosbie
They both dropped each other in the first round. Crosbie did some damage but Leary really hurt Crosbie, cutting him and making his face swell. It was that cut and swelling that led to the cageside doctor stopping the fight after the first round. Leary offered Crosbie a rematch afterward but it’s not like this was a robbery or anything.
GOOD- Charlie Ward vs. Alex Manholo
Ward was just too much for Manholo, overpowering him multiple times and grinding him down. Manholo fought hard but just couldn’t overcome Ward, who got the decision victory. Good win for Ward.
GOOD- James Gallagher submits Cal Ellenor
Gallagher quickly got the takedown and started working his ground-and-pound and grappling. Gallgher tried multiple submissions but Ellenor fought them off. Eventually, however, Gallagher locked in a rear-naked choke about four and a half minutes into the first round. Good win for Gallagher, who called out the rest of the division after the win.
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana
GOOD- Dusko Todorovic stops DeQuan Townsend
Todorovic punished Townsend with some big shots but he managed to survive the first round. The second round saw Todorovic get the takedown and work for some submissions but end the fight with his ground-and-pound. Good win for Todorovic.
GOOD- Kyler Phillips stops Cameron Else
They fought on the ground a lot in the first round but Phillips probably got the better of things. The second round saw Phillips get a takedown and work his ground-and-pound and get the stoppage. Good win for Phillips.
GOOD/BAD- Yorgan De Castro vs. Carlos Felipe
There was some good action in the this fight but also some slow clinch work that I didn’t care for. Felipe was just the better fighter and got the decision victory. Good win for Felipe.
GOOD- Germaine de Randamie submits Julianna Pena
De Randmie was just the better fighter throughout this fight. Pena did okay but GDR was just more active. Pena did some damage but not enough. De Randamie got a tight guillotine locked in during the third round and made Pena go to sleep with it. Good win for de Randamie.
GOOD/BAD- Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
To be perfectly honest, this fight was just meh. You knew after the second round that Holm was going to win, but you still had to sit through three more rounds of this. Aldana just came forward and Holm hit her over and over. She turned it up some in the fifth round and delivered some good shots but this just felt tedious. I found myself looking at the clock and getting restless throughout this fight. Good win for Holm, but this was a little rough to watch.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank and you can check out my blog at https://3pr117238763.wordpress.com/ where I do The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for all the wrestling shows and talk about sports and video games and various other things. Thanks for reading, have a good week.
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