Heavy hitting Ron Sparks showed he has a good ground game as he submits Vince Lucero in the first round.
In the first bout of the televised portion of Bellator 43, Vince Lucero (20-18) of Casa Grande, AZ took on up-and-coming Ron Sparks (6-0) of Louisville, KY in a heavyweight bout.
Before the fight, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told BleacherReport.com/MMA that he was afraid this was going to be the biggest mismatch on the card.
The first round began with both fighters exchanging punches in the middle of the cage. It was very clear on the on-start that Sparks was the more polished striker, as he landed the better of the punches and kicks.
Less than two minutes in to the opening round, Sparks landed a kick and punch that dropped Lucero. from there, Sparks got side control, and locked in a key lock that forced Lucero to tap.
From the outcome, it looks like Rebney’s prediction was correct. Don’t be surprised if we see Sparks in Bellator’s next heavyweight tournament.
Official Result—Ron Sparks defeated Vince Lucero via submission (key lock) at 2:18 of the first round.
Ron Sparks runs his perfect record up to 7-0, while Vince Lucero drops to 20-19.