By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
Bellator 254 and UFC 256 were both this past week. Let’s get to the rundown.
Bellator 254
GOOD- Romero Cotton submits Justin Sumter
Cotton got a takedown early in the first round and went to work. They grappled back and forth for a while before Cotton locked in a rear-naked choke to get the submission a little over three and a half minutes into the first round. Good win for Cotton.
GOOD- Linton Vassell stops Ronny Markes
They went to the ground and stayed there for most of the first round. Vassell was getting the better of it, but things were close. In the second round, Markes got a takedown but Vassell reversed and got on top. Vassell got to mount and kept raining down shots until he got the stoppage win. Good win for Vassell.
GOOD- Magomed Magomedov vs. Matheus Mattos
They spent a lot of time in the first round fighting for the takedown and on the ground, jockeying for position, Magomedov was doing more. The second round was a repeat, again with Magomedov getting the advantage. The third round saw Magomedov get an early takedown with more grappling around. He didn’t get lock in the rear-naked choke but he secured another clear round and that gave him the unanimous decision victory. Good win for Magomedov.
GOOD- Ilima Lei-Macfarlane vs. Juliana Velasquez
Velasquez was the more active fighter throughout, and that gave her the decision victory and the Bellator Flyweight Title. Lei-Macfarlane fought hard but Velasquez just did more. She kept throwing strikes and going for takedowns and when they went to the ground, she tried to stay active constantly. She took this fight to Lei-Macfarlane and won it in impressive fashion. Good win for Velasquez.
UFC 256
GOOD- Ciryl Gane stops Junior Dos Santos
Gane kicked the hell out of the legs and body of JDS in the first round, though JDS was able to land a few good shots of his own. More kicks from Gane in the second round and he cracked JDS a few times. The finish came when he stunned JDS and dropped him, then finished him off about halfway through the second round. Good win for Gane.
GOOD- Kevin Holland stops Ronaldo “Jacare'” Souza
Souza got a takedown early and went to work. However, Holland rocked Souza with a big right hook and followed up with more huge shots to get the win about 1:45 into the first round. Good win for Holland.
GOOD- Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
Dern took a big knee to the nose from Jandiroba that led to a lot of blood flowing. They split the first two rounds and Dern took the third for the unanimous decision victory. This was a close fight, with both fighters landing and absorbing lots of strikes and fighting hard on the ground. Good win for Dern.
GOOD- Charles Oliveira vs. Tony Ferguson
They traded some shots before Olivieira got a takedown. They grappled around for a while until right at the end of the first round, Olivieira locked in an armbar but Ferguson wouldn’t tap. His arm popped but he somehow didn’t tap. Things continued this way in the second round, with Oliveira doing more on the ground and causing more damage. Oliveira was busted open but he fought through it. The third round was a repeat, though Oliveira did cost a little bit. He won the fight so handily, though, that it doesn’t matter. Ferguson has now lost two in a row. Big win for Oliveira.
GOOD- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
Figueiredo kept his UFC Flyweight Title as they went to a draw in this fight. Both fighters were throwing early and often in the first round. They kept up the pace in the second round, with Figueiredo doing more and taking those rounds. It was close, though. The third round saw Moreno turn it up, though Figueiredo landed some really heavy shots of his own. Great toughness shown by both men. Moreno gets kicked low with a hellacious kick. He’s dry heaving it was so bad. A point is taken from Figueiredo and Moreno won the round so it’s a 10-8. Moreno also takes the fourth round as he put Figueiredo on skates for a moment before taking him down. However, they then hurt each other but kept right on firing. They blasted each other over and over, this was like a damn videogame. The fifth round was crucial because Figueiredo was trailing on the scorecards. Things slowed way down in this round, partly because of the crazy pace but also partly because Moreno’s arm was bothering him. Figueiredo took advantage of this and secured the round and the majority draw. This was a crazy fight and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an immediate rematch. I don’t want to get caught up in the moment but this has to be on the shortlist for Fight of the Year. Holy hell, this was awesome. A draw always sucks but it is what it is.
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 athttps://3pr117238763.wordpress.com/ where I talk about wrestling, sports, and videogames. Thanks for reading and have a good day.
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