A surprising game plan and a pitiful performance led to the crowning of a new Bellator welterweight champion on Friday night. In the main event of Bellator 140, Andrey Koreshkov dethroned Douglas Lima with a takedown-heavy attack and more will to win. Koreshkov accomplished his goal via unanimous decision.
Bellator acknowledged their newest champion on Twitter:
From the beginning of the fight, Koreshkov came forward, secured takedown after takedown with little resistance for the champion. You would have thought this was a sparring session if you only looked at Lima’s weak sense of urgency.
The video below from WhipClip will tell you everything you need to know about this fight:
It’s not an understatement to say this was one of the most disappointing performances from a champion in a long while.
Whether it was the 15-month layoff, or the massive weight cut Lima had to undergo to make 170 pounds that led to the woeful showing, we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that Lima looked awful as he simply handed his title to Koreshkov.
The new champion deserves credit for being prepared and using an under-appreciated part of his arsenal to win. Still, he’ll get tougher fights from any fighter in Bellator’s top five 170-pounders than he got from Lima on Friday.
Here’s a look at the rest of the results:
Biggest KO’s
Michael Page, you are Ridiculous…in a Good Way
(Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden with the tweeted image)
Who’s the most dynamic welterweight in mixed martial arts? For my money, it’s “MVP” aka Michael “Venom” Page. Notice, I didn’t say, he’s the best—though that can’t be ruled out down the line—Page is simply electric in and around the cage.
Check out this cage entrance from WhipClip:
This is the biggest KO section, so we know Page’s best work came inside the cage. He danced, he moved and then he promptly knocked Rudy Bears out. Here’s the shot from WhipClip:
The 28-year-old Brit is now 8-0 as a professional and a shot at the title can’t be far off if he keeps winning. I couldn’t agree more with MMA History Today’s assessment of Page:
Ward Vanquishes Carroll
Brennan Ward lit Roger Carroll up with a powerful right hand that had the latter out before he hit the canvas. Carroll wanted no part of a stand-up battle with Ward as he repeatedly try to entice him into a grappling battle.
It didn’t work.
Instead, Carroll proved he only slightly resembles Chuck Liddell, he doesn’t fight like him. Here’s the KO from WhipClip:
Best Submission
Oh Boy, Kin Moy
After being controlled for the first two rounds in a negligible preliminary bout, Kin Moy pulled off an awesome come-from-behind victory via submission over Blair Tugman.
It was one of those fights that you would probably never watch live, but if you get the opportunity, you should try to catch the last round. Tugman took Moy to the ground as he had in the first two rounds.
This time, Moy went for the triangle as soon as the two men went to the canvas. Tugman ultimately went belly down and was forced to tap.
Moy may never be a contending bantamweight, but there’s nothing better than a submission that snatches a victory from the jaws of defeat—except of course for a KO that does the same thing.
Keefe McKenna of MMA Latest News didn’t miss Moy’s comeback:
When the fight was over, Moy showed off a battle scar from his thrilling victory:
Biggest Loser
Payant Must Pay Her Dues
Sarah “Soulja” Payant joined Bellator with about as much hype as can be expected for any female fighter with the promotion. Her week started poorly as she missed weight for her scrap with Kailine Medeiros, per 411Mania.com.
When the fight started, Medeiros proved to be stronger, quicker and more skilled. The Brazilian forced Payant to tap out just 3:24 into the fight. WhipClip has the sub finish:
Back to the drawing board for Payant.
What’s Next
On August 28, the promotion returns for Bellator 141. Former UFC veteran Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard makes his Bellator debut against Brandon Girtz.
Guillard has his flaws as a fighter, but he has night-changing power and almost always puts on an exciting fight.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com