Bellator 206 Post-Mortem: Superfight Smackdown
Reigning Bellator MMA middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi took on reigning welterweight champion Rory MacDonald in a main event superfight at Bellator 206 on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. There, Mousasi proved that sometimes size does matter, as he took out MacDonald with mounted ground-and-pound in the second round and looked outright dominant in doing so.
Round 1 of the contest began with Mousasi immediately taking the center of the cage, looking to probe MacDonald with a piston-like jab that proved to be the story of the opening five minutes. Each jab snapped MacDonald’s head back in emphatic fashion and never allowed the Tristar Gym-trained fighter to mount any credible offense early on in the fight. Mousasi made great use of a significant size and reach advantage, keeping MacDonald at the end of his punches and closing out the round in sterling fashion, leaving MacDonald and his corner with no answers to “The Dreamcatcher” puzzle.
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Evening the Score
In the co-main event, Quinton Jackson took on Wanderlei Silva. Their bad-blood rivalry dates back to Pride Fighting Championships, spans more than a decade and covers multiple mixed martial arts organizations. Jackson was looking to even the score, while Silva -- the victor in two of their first three encounters -- wanted to close the book. Jackson succeeded in his revenge tour, knocking out Silva in the second round with a vicious right hand and a few follow-up punches that coaxed referee Mike Beltran into action.
Round 1 played out similar to many “Rampage” fights. The Memphis,
Tennessee, native immediately looked for the center of the cage,
hands high in his signature boxing stance while looking to stalk
Silva. “The Axe Murderer” was content with circling the outside,
looking to stick and move while mounting offense in pockets rather
than in steady streams. Throughout the initial frame, Jackson got
the better of the striking exchanges, rocking his opponent with a
pin-point combo when he had Silva corralled against the cage.
However, the Brazilian managed to circle out and continue with his
strategy.
In the middle stanza, the duo went right back to how the first frame started: “Rampage” looked to get inside with his boxing and Silva circled, on the hunt for chopping leg kicks and outside shots. Early in the round, Jackson once again had Silva backed against the fence and the two engaged in a wild brawl, both men winging punches and refusing to relent. They eventually clinched against the cage, unwilling to risk the knockout blow being landed. With under a minute left in the second round, Jackson uncorked a massive right hand that planted Silva on his rear end, dazed and in trouble. Jackson teed off with a barrage of ground-and-pound to finish the job and even their head-to-head series at 2-2.
Leaving Zero Doubt
Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov squared off in a trilogy bout in the quarterfinals of the Bellator welterweight grand prix. They fought twice previously, with each fighter taking home a win. Lima proved to be the better man in their third encounter, submitting the Russian-born former champion in the fifth and final round after a chess match of a showdown that left fans wanting more.
Koreshkov looked to tie up Lima against the fence and impose his will in the clinch, where he attempted to land short shots and hunt for takedowns. Lima was more than willing to engage with his opponent in the grappling department, where he seemed to possess a surprising strength advantage; he only allowed Koreshkov to convert one of his takedown attempts. The rest of the fight played out in similar fashion, with Koreshkov utilizing an abundance of clinch work in a bid to tire his opponent.
In the fifth round, Koreshkov came out noticeably fatigued and more willing to engage in the standup with Lima. The Atlanta-based Brazilian came out with guns blazing and immediately went on the attack, looking to land hard punches and high kicks on Koreshkov. Lima landed with greater and greater regularity as the round wore on, connecting with a pair of knees that had Koreshkov on his back foot. Koreshkov shot for his final takedown attempt of the fight and was stuffed, as Lima quickly worked his way to the Russian’s back and sought openings for ground-and-pound. Before long, Lima sank his hooks and locked in a rear-naked choke. Koreshkov held on for a time but went to sleep inside the choke, as Lima advanced to the semifinals of the tournament.
Etc.
Aaron Pico faced his toughest test to date in former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo on the main card. Pico looked strong in the standup, rocking his opponent with punches before landing a flush right hand over the top that sent the Brazilian reeling. Higo held on and managed to stand but only prolonged the inevitable. He toppled to the canvas again, as Pico fired punches until it was over. The 22-year-old prospect has delivered four straight first-round knockouts … Keri Melendez and Dakota Zimmerman fought to a split decision that saw Melendez emerge victorious. Zimmerman came in with a grapple-heavy game plan, which forced Melendez to adjust on the fly to a relentless opponent. Zimmerman’s shining moment came at the end of the first round, where she locked in a triangle and then an armbar. However, she was unable to finish. Throughout the final two frames, Melendez managed to ward off the majority of grappling attempts and land significantly more damaging strikes than her opponent. The win moved her to 3-0 … Gaston Bolanos made it three consecutive wins at Bellator 206, as he knocked out Ysidro Gutierrez in the second round. Bolanos was quicker on the draw throughout, connecting several times on high kicks and straight punches. Bolanos showed growth in the grappling department, managing to take down his opponent with a double-leg takedown and a perfectly timed trip. Bolanos stuffed every one of his counterpart’s takedowns before delivering the finish.
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