To put it plainly, Bellator 124 was a solid show. Once the less-than stellar main-event matchup was announced, hopes weren’t especially high for the card. As it turns out, it was another positive chapter in building of the Scott Coker era with the promotion.
The former Strikeforce head man has brought an exciting buzz to Bellator as president. The featured fight didn’t disappoint as Coker sat ringside to watch.
There was just one KO finish, and it was quite explosive. In the main event, light heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton knocked out Joey Beltran to retain his title.
Newton is solidifying himself as one of the promotions best fighters pound for pound. His awkward but effective style has proved to be crowd-pleasing. Just like he did against Muhammed Lawal, Newton used a spinning back fist to put the persistent and game challenger out cold.
While Newton’s KO finish deserves attention, submissions were the order of the day on this night. Four of the event’s finishes came by way of the tapout. The most impressive and memorable moment came in the co-featured bout.
Liam McGeary used an inverted triangle to make Kelly Anundson say uncle. McGeary won the light heavyweight tournament and assured himself a title shot with the win.
Previously known as a fierce striker, McGeary showed another impressive aspect of his game with the submission win.
Here’s a look at all of the results.
- Emanuel Newton defeated Joey Beltran via KO (spinning back fist) at 3:07 of third round
- Liam McGeary defeated Kelly Anundson via submission (inverted triangle choke) at 4:40 of first round
- L.C. Davis defeated Zeilton Rodrigues via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
- Ryan Couture defeated Tom Bagnasco via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:01 of first round
- Justin Jaynes vs. Reuben Barajac—scratched
- Ben Reiter vs. Shamir Garcia—scratched
- Eric Ramirez defeated Cortez Phelia via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:38 of third round
- Jason Fischer defeated Tony Hervey via unanimous decision (30-26×3)
- Leroy Johnson defeated Adrian Henderson via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Mike Hernandez defeated Thomas Vasquez via unanimous decision (29-28×2, 30-27)
- Sabah Homasi defeated Eric Moon via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:07 of second round
- Adrian Hadribeaj defeated Mike Hamida via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
Most Impressive Performances
Liam McGeary
This one was easy. McGeary looked out of his element most of the first round. Anundson, the skilled and bulky wrestler had top position through most of the first five minutes. McGeary did a good job defending himself off his back, but it looked as if he was just biding his time until the end of the round.
However, he kept the long legs on his 6’6″ frame active while on the bottom.
Some might have felt as though he looked a little strange with the lower-body action, but McGeary proved to be crazy like a fox.
McGeary was able to wrap his legs around Anundson’s head and neck to lock in the inverted triangle choke. It took mere seconds before Anundson tapped out. It was one of the best submissions you’ll see all year.
The submission was impressive because of the rarity of the move but also because McGeary had never shown submission prowess in the past. All eight of his prior wins had come by KO. With this new wrinkle shown against an accomplished wrestler, McGeary has made himself one of the best up-and-comers in Bellator.
L.C. Davis
The 33-year-old wrestler was absolutely dominant against Zeilton Rodrigues. He didn’t get the finish, but Davis controlled the action so much, it wouldn’t have been crazy to award him a 10-8 round for one of the stanzas.
Rodrigues seemed to want to keep the fight standing, but Davis just overpowered him in almost every instance. Because of his power, technique and cardio, Davis has what it takes to be a major factor in the bantamweight champion.
What’s Next for Newton?
Let’s be honest, Beltran has heart, but he never deserved to be in the cage with the champion. Newton needs to face a dangerous opponent who can really challenge him.
McGeary would seem to be that guy.
Per the Spike broadcast, McGeary called the champion out. At 6’6″, McGeary has five inches on Newton, so the length would present a problem. The power would also be something Newton must beware of.
Beltran landed a good amount of strikes, but he didn’t appear to have the snap to do any significant damage.
The champion brings a diversified and potent, round-winning style into the cage. Seeing how he matches up against a tall, hungry and dangerous challenger will be interesting.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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