By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
Bellator 261 and UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov were this weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.
Bellator 261
GOOD/BAD- Christian Edwards vs. Simon Biyong
Biyong got a nice slam in the first round but after Edwards got up he hit Biyong with a knee that dropped him. Biyong was so messed up that the cageside doctors checked him in between rounds to make sure he could continue. Honestly, the second round sucked. Nothing really happened. The third round got better, though. Edwards hurt Biyong with some good strikes and he won the judges decision. Good win for Edwards.
BAD/GOOD- Sydney Outlaw submits Myles Jury
Outlaw took Jury down immediately but not much happened after that. The second round was a repeat, as Outlaw took Jury down and things stalled out. The third round was also a repeat. The only difference was this time Outlaw was able to lock in the submission. Credit to Outlaw for his tenacity and skill but this fight sucked to watch. Still, good win for Outlaw.
GOOD- Daniel Weichel vs. Keoni Diggs
Time to wake up here as these guys came to fight. They were both throwing and absorbing some big shots. That continued throughout the fight. Both guys bled and paid the price and it’s unfortunate that one had to lose. Weichel won the split decision and that tells you how close the fight was. I thought Weichel won but I could see why someone would score it for Diggs. Good win for Weichel.
GOOD- Liz Carmouche stops Kana Watanabe
Carmouche popped Watanabe with a big right hand and stunned her, then pounced on her and pounded her until the referee finally jumped in. The ref should have jumped in sooner but I don’t want to take away from Carmouche. Good win for her.
GOOD/BAD- Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky
Johnson did a little more throughout the fight as Moldavsky seemed content to be more reactive. This was scheduled for five rounds as it was for the Bellator Interim Heavyweight Championship. This was a close fight but it was just kind of there. They fought hard, I give them credit for that, and they both bled. They paid the price, so I’m really trying to not be too hard on them, but this fight felt like it was taking place underwater. That was especially true for Moldavsky, I don’t agree with him winning this fight by decision. I think Johnson did more and should be the Bellator Interim Heavyweight Champ right now. Nonetheless, congratulations to Moldavsky for winning the belt. Good win for Moldavsky.
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov
GOOD- Renato Moicano submits Jai Herbert
Moicano quickly got a couple of takedowns and did some nice ground-and-pound damage but Herbert survived the first round. He wouldn’t make it past the second round, though, as Moicano took him down again and beat him up with his strikes, then transitioned to a rear-naked choke to get the submission. Good win for Moicano.
GOOD- Nicolas Dalby vs. Tim Means
Means dropped Dalby in the first round and cut him. Means with his usual hard punching and testing the chin of his opponent. Dalby showed some really good toughness as he kept coming despite taking a lot of damage. Somehow Dalby got stronger in the third round after absorbing all that punishment and he started taking the fight to Means. It got to the point that Means had to start clinching a lot. Credit to Dalby for being that tough but Means won the decision. Good win for Means.
UGLY/GOOD- Andre Fili vs. Daniel Pineda ends in No Contest
Fili hurt Pineda a few times in the first round but Pineda was able to survive. The second round saw Fili poke Pineda in the eye and he couldn’t continue so the fight was ruled a No Contest. I won’t say much more than I hate eyepokes and this was another fight ruined by them. Moving on…
GOOD- Raoni Barcelos vs. Timur Valiev
The first round was pretty close but Valiev did a little more so he took it. The second round looked to be more of the same until Barcelos dropped Valiev twice in a short time period. Somehow, Valiev was able to survive and keep going. The third round played out a lot like the first so Valiev got the judges decision victory but Barcelos almost stopped him in the second round. That sucks for him but good win for Valiev. I’m not sure how he survived that second round but credit to him.
GOOD- Tanner Boser stops Ovince Saint Preux
Boser outpaced and outworked OSP in the first round as he was hitting him from all angles. The second round saw some controversy as the referee touched both fighters after it looked like Boser might have grabbed the fence to pull himself back up. However, the ref didn’t stop the fight or anything and Boser finished OSP seconds later. OSP says he plans to appeal as the ref’s touch made him pause and hesitate and he believes that led to the finish. As it stands, though, good win for Boser.
GOOD- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
This was another fight that seemed like it was taking place underwater. I kind of hate saying that because both guys were working but this fight was just kind of there. I also hate saying that because there was drama in this fight, just as there was in the Johnson-Moldavsky fight in Bellator. Volkov came out strong and in my opinion took the first two rounds. Then Gane took rounds three and four so it came down to the fifth round. Gane took that and won to possibly put himself into a title match. I’m torn on Gane, as I often find myself not being overly excited to see him fight but he’s 9-0 in his MMA career. He’s also 13-0 in his Muay Thai career for what that’s worth as well. The guy doesn’t lose. Yeah, I think he’ll get his ass kicked if he fights UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou but that’s probably just my casual fanboy side talking. I do know this, Gane deserves a chance to prove any doubters wrong.
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Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. Thank you for reading, have a good day.
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