Bellator 253 Review

Shots for Stots

Raufeon Stots vs. Keith Lee

Bantamweight Fight

Stots seemed to always have this fight under control.  He scored takedowns and always played his distance properly.  Lee seemed to only be setting up a situation where he could swing his way out and hope to catch Stots by surprise.  Stots had the body language that he would’ve liked to score a knockout, but was willing to adapt and settle for points with takedowns.  This was a fun fight and a good performance for both fighters, but Stots had the better look.

Rating: 7.5/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Raufeon Stots

Dang It Bobby

Joey Davis vs. Bobby Lee

Welterweight Fight

This was a very one sided fight, Joey Davis took it to the ground early and used his superior wrestling ability to run things from start to finish.  Bobby Lee never quit but Davis had an answer for everything.  Davis is one of those welterweights to keep your eye on, he’ll be fighting for a title sooner rather than later.

Rating: 8/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Joey Davis

Action Jackson

Benson Henderson vs. Jason Jackson

Welterweight Fight

Jason Jackson was very prepared for this fight.  He was ready to adjust on the fly.  Henderson didn’t seem to have the power to do enough damage to slow down Jackson.  Jackson did a lot of out of character things in this fight, but it was all needed to stay in the top position.  Another Jamaican based fighter with a great performance.  He certainly re-earned his nickname “The Ass-Kicking Machine”.

Rating: 8.5/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Jason Jackson

Main Event

First Featherweight Finalist

Featherweight Grand Prix Semifinal

AJ McKee vs. Darrion Caldwell

This fight took a little more than a minute.  McKee got Caldwell to the ground early and locked him into place in what looked like some kind of choke, and before the fight sponsorships were done being listed, Caldwell tapped out.  McKee is handling a tournament exactly as he should, with speed and grace.  What a showing.

Rating: 8/10

Result: 1st Round Submission for AJ McKee (Neck Crank) (1:11)