Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made his Bellator debut on Friday evening at Revel Atlantic City in New Jersey, doing it in style by defeating Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran in a Bellator 108 main-event MMA fight.
The two longtime UFC fighters took to the cage seeking to recapture some of their previous glory, and Jackson prevailed in registering a TKO at the very end of the first round at 4:59.
It marked Jackson’s 15th career knockout and the 11th in the first round, per Spike TV’s telecast.
After a three-fight losing streak in the UFC, Jackson’s message afterward was clear: He felt rejuvenated:
Knee problems plagued him in the past, but the explosive strength was on display in claiming a resounding victory.
From the outset, it was clear the fighters wanted to attack each other. In the first 20 seconds, Rampage stepped in and kneed Beltran in the abdomen, and the two locked up, which wound up being a common theme throughout.
Then Beltran broke free and laid a big right hand to Jackson’s face, which pushed the 35-year-old back.
TSN MMA writer James Lynch was not sold on Jackson’s quickness and felt Beltran held his own until the very end:
While Beltran is more of a methodical fighter who prefers to wear down his opponents, Jackson has the force to knock out his rivals with one punch. His prowess was on display, but it didn’t come easy.
That power is why Beltran preferred to be a bit more conservative in the early going, as he sought an opportunity to counter whenever Jackson went in for the KO.
The pace of the fight favored Beltran, as he locked up a frustrated Jackson against the perimeter, giving him little room to operate and go on the offensive.
Beltran kept pounding away and looked to be in command, but with around 30 seconds before the first-round bell rang, he lost his grip on Jackson, and the two drifted toward the middle of the cage.
One second before the end of Round 1, Jackson crushed Beltran in the face with a left hook, which was the decisive blow that sent the Mexicutioner to the canvas.
It had been a while since Jackson had to have one of his fights called early because of his undeniable power:
The triumph in Atlantic City improves Jackson’s MMA record to 33-11 and drops Beltran to 14-10 with one no-contest.
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