Rory MacDonald sought greatness and tried to become a simultaneous two-division champ in Bellator MMA. Gegard Mousasi responded by busting his face open with jabs and power punches, then after MacDonald’s disastrous Imanari roll in round 2, Mousasi smashed Rory’s nose some more and elbowed and punched him relentlessly from top position until Herb Dean called it off. Once MacDonald was fully mounted, it was game over.
Mousasi dominated the Canadian almost from the opening minute and never let off the hook. He was faster, more accurate, more technical, and then on the ground he was as ruthless as ever. He’s still the Bellator middleweight king, and presumably he’ll take on either Rafael Lovato Jr or Lyoto Machida (if he beats Rafael Carvalho in December) next. That was really a terrific display by the Moose, and it’s his eighth straight victory.
As for MacDonald, it’s going to be awhile you would assume before he takes on Jon Fitch in the welterweight tournament quarterfinals. He’s hardly been active since the Robbie Lawler rematch, and that nose took another pounding. I’m a fan of Rory but the damage he’s taken in his losses is really concerning. This was a heavy beatdown he endured, and the most lopsided one of his career.
More thoughts on a very fun card:
- Many viewers (self-included) had the odd buffer on DAZN, and there was a delay from the stream that was noticeable because there were tweets from on-site reporters. The video player has got to be better than that, especially if you want to be the “Netflix of sports.” Beyond DAZN itself, the studio trio of Jay Glazer, Chael Sonnen, and Josh Thomson is a rough listen, ditto the analysis from Big John McCarthy. Props to Bellator for the “big fight feel” presentation at the SAP Center, but the pacing was terrible and the broadcast team was just “meh.” Oh yes, and the Channel 5 broadcast in the UK cut off before the main event because the pacing took forever, so someone messed up there. Messed up real bad.
- I admit it, Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva entertained me. Jackson knocked Silva out in round 2 to even their rivalry at 2-2, but Silva did have his moments and they were willing to let their hands go. It was old man violence that was hardly anyone’s idea of great MMA, but what do you expect from two guys in their 40s? Now we await their inevitable fifth fight, which I’m sure Oscar De La Hoya is eager to promote. (I kid, I kid… I think?)
- Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov had a largely dull opener to the Bellator welterweight tournament quarterfinals, but Lima picked Koreshkov apart, stuffed the takedowns, and then choked the Russian unconscious in the fifth and final round. Lima is a really terrific fighter and continues to get better. He’ll face the Paul Daley-Michael Page winner, and frankly I think he easily beats either one of them. Heck, Lima already beat Daley comfortably, so there’s that!
- Aaron Pico is a freak. Leandro Higo gave him a few bothersome moments on the feet, but Pico’s firepower is something else. His handspeed is impressive, his power is serious, and he mixes up his strikes to the head and body, and he put away Higo in less than 3:30. Frankly the ref could’ve stopped the fight much much sooner, as Higo was too tough for his own good, but Pico is undoubtedly a star on the rise. That pro debut loss feels so long ago. Higo is the most experienced fighter Pico has faced, and he passed the test with flying colors. Hopefully they cool it with the “LeBron James of MMA” talk over at Bellator, though.
- Strawweight Keri Melendez (wife of Gilbert Melendez) picked up a split decision win over Dakota Zimmerman, who was making her professional debut. I have no idea why Zimmerman got a card on one scorecard, but she did well to weather an early storm in the opening round and was able to put Melendez in danger with a triangle-turned-armbar. Unfortunately, Zimmerman’s want of a grappling match didn’t result in as much success (or meaningful offense) in rounds 2 and 3, and Melendez was the deserved winner.
- Gaston Bolanos kicked off the main card with a second-round TKO of Ysidro Gutierrez. Known for his spinning elbow KO last year, Bolanos dropped Gutierrez with a left hand behind the ear, then swarmed Gutierrez with vicious ground-and-pound underneath and around both armpits to get the fight stopped. Bolanos is still inexperienced in MMA, but he’s a talented striker with Muay Thai kickboxing experience, and has a lot of entertainment value at the very minimum.
- Did you see this slam KO by Arlene Blencowe vs. Amber Leibrock? Trust me, you’ll want to watch it.
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