Thumbs Up
Best Fight: Michael Chander vs. Lyle Goodman
Worst Fight: None
1) Michael Chandler b. Lyle Goodman by decision to advance to the
finals fo the Lightweight tournament: Chandler is a beast of a
wrestler and did some beautiful looking slams in this fight. Woodhard
is very tough, but could not hang with Chandler's wrestling. What
made Chandler dangerous was the fact he is not a bad striker at all.
He has these looping punches, but they are very hard. Great fight.
Chandler has a great look and also a very good promo guy. Looking
forward to the Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final between him and
Patricky Pitbull. Either one of those guys vs. Eddie Alveraz will be a
very good fight. Woodhard will be invited back to compete in the next
Lightweight tournament. He has a tons of personality and heart.
2) Eric Prindle b. Josh Burns by doctor stoppage: Two big heavyweights
where featured. Prindle is a huge man who normally fights at Super
Heavyweight. Both men are two big strikers and they just dropped
bombs. In a fight that proved friends can fight each other, Prindle
and Burns beat the living hell out of each other. In one the most
surreal moments in watching MMA for me, after Bellator color
commentator Jimmy Smith referenced Burns no neck look ala King Kong
Bundy, Bellator play by play commentator Sean Wheelock said "Jimmy
with the Kayfabe". Amazing. Prindle has a million dollar look the
WWE could cream their pants over. I won't be surprised to see both
these guys in the Heavyweight tournament next Season. Doctor stoppage
because of a cut over the eye of Burns. Burns was upset, but Prindle
looked devastated his friend lost that way. If this was pro wrestling,
you could book Prindle was a low minded, kind hearted babyface who
really did not know how strong he really was. I am glad they included
this fight, and at the end of it, I wanted to see both again in the
Heavyweight tournament next Season.
3) Jay Hieron b. Brent Weedman by decision to advance to the finals of
the Welterweight Tournament: Bullshit decision win given to Hieron.
It was clear that Weedman won Rounds 2 and 3. He was more aggressive
and landed his strikes. Poor Weedman, he was obviously making a name
for himself by defeating Dan Hornbuckle and now looked to be defeating
the tourney favorite in Hieron. Bellator really needs to capture these
moments of controversy and use it to build up for future fights. In
the post match interview with Hieron, Jimmy Smith (who is very very
good commentator) never commented on the controversial decision or
asked Hieron about it. After the interviewing Hieron, they should have
gotten a comment from Weedman, who then "should" in turn want to
challenge Hieron again in the future to prove that he won that fight.
This is one Bellator's big weaknesses is they never capitalize on
these controversial decisions. Positive is Weedman will be the next
Welterweight tournament and now will be one of the top seeds.
4) Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren d. Nick Thompson by
decision in a Non-Title fight: Askren is amazing to watch, he is a
World Class wrestler and two time Danny Hodge trophy winner. A lot of
fans hate his style, but watching him control Thompson with just his
wrestling is jaw dropping. Askren's "funky" style of wrestling is so
good, that even though he is on top of his opponent, he moves around so
much the referee will not stand him up. Askren who needs to continue
to work on striking, but also needs to work on submissions. Many of
times I saw him have armbars and during the Round 3 had a kimura
staring him in the face. Askren is going to be a top guy in MMA in a
year or two. Once his contract with Bellator ends (I believe he has
one or two more fights left) he is going to be signed by the UFC.
Another good show by Bellator Fighting Championships. Looking at the
results seeing all those decisions you would think it was a boring
show, it was far from that. Strikeforce was the better action packed
show, but Bellator always delivers. If you haven't seen Bellator yet,
you need to set your DVR's . You won't be sorry.
John LaRocca
San Jose, CA
Strikeforce Feedback Thumbs Up. Best Match: Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley Worst Match: None From top to bottom this was one of the best shows of the year so far. It had a bit of everything and was one of the best MMA shows of the year so far. Aoki showed in the opener why he's easily one of the most dangerous men in the world when a fight goes to the ground. I actually scored the Mousasi and Jardine fight a draw. I thought Jardine did enough in the first to just edge out the round and with the point deduction I had it 10-8 for him. Mousasi clearly won the second and third so I think a draw was about right. Melendez looked like a killer in his fight and got himself over like crazy. The main event was also great. Easy contender for round of the year. I think the stoppage was appropriate, 3 seconds to go or not. Who knows how many more punches Diaz could have landed in those 3 seconds. Patrick McHugh, Ireland Thumbs up
Best: Diaz vs. Daley
Worst: The Mousasi - Jardine decision
Wow. Four high octane fights done in less than 2 hours. No complaints here.
Lyle Beerbohm is a one dimensional figher who played right into Shinya Aoki's strength. The result was no surprise. Thankfully Aoki finished him quickly.
Mousasi-Jardine was a fun fight to watch. I spent the whole fight wondering whether Jardine would survive the whole 15 minutes against Mousasi. I was surprised with the majority draw decision. I guess two of the three judges gave Jardine round 1 in addition to the point deduction which made it a 10-8 round. I didn't see Jardine winning any of the 3 rounds so I had it 29-27 Mousasi. The point deduction was legit to me as he clearly upkicked him flush on the the face. This fight screams re-match. Either way, I give Jardine props for showing a lot of heart and guts for surviving 3 rounds with a stone-cold killer like Mousasi. Maybe Dana and Lorenzo, who wwere in attendance, will give him a contract.
Melendez-Kawajiri: Totally unexpected stomping by Gilbert. I can't believe this was the same Kawajiri who physically manhandled Josh Thompson. I'd love to see Melendez against the top guys in the UFC.
Diaz-Daley: An absolutely satisfying finish as I hate that douchebag Daley. I felt if Diaz was smart, he'd take him down and submit or ground and pound Daley. However, I knew Diaz was a stubborn and bull-headed guy who might actually stand and trade with Daley. This wild card factor led to one hell of a ride as I thought Diaz was done a couple of times. But he's so damn tough that he got back up and beat Daley at his own game. There's really no one in Strikeforce for Diaz to fight, so hopefully we see Diaz fighting guys from the UFC roster.
A. Wong
Toronto, ON
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