If you asked, many MMA fans wouldn’t be surprised to see Rampage floor Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Those fans making that pick did not end up disappointed. The two MMA greats met for the astounding fourth time at […]
If you asked, many MMA fans wouldn’t be surprised to see Rampage floor Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Those fans making that pick did not end up disappointed.
The two MMA greats met for the astounding fourth time at Bellator 206. The fight saw both fighters unload their usual looping punches in an effort to knock the other one out. But it was Jackson who was the more aggressive fighter. He stalked Silva throughout the fight and landed the more effective punches.
In the end, he floored “The Axe Murderer” with a monster right hand and poured on some ground and pound to earn the stoppage in the second round. Rampage evened his series with Silva at 2-2 with the win.
Watch the highlights of Rampage’s big win below:
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (38-13) evens the score with Wanderlei Silva, stopping his greatest rival with a big right hand and follow-up punches! The second-round knockout snaps a two-fight skid and marks the 19th KO of Jackson's career. #Bellator206pic.twitter.com/6Vd4NgoQLg
Surging prospect Aaron Pico came into his main card bout against veteran Leandro Higo at tonight’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, with a monstrous (and justified) hype train following him. And he just added more fuel to its raging fire with a first-round stoppage of Higo. Pico […]
Surging prospect Aaron Pico came into his main card bout against veteran Leandro Higo at tonight’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, with a monstrous (and justified) hype train following him.
Pico used an aggressive, stalking style of striking from the fight’s outset, stalking Higo towards the cage and unloading endless power shots. Higo was a game competitor, however. He landed some solid knees, a stinging two-punch combo, and some thudding low kicks of his own.
Pico’s demolishing offense was just too much for him in the end. He walked Higo down with huge shots to the body and head, rocking him badly. Pico poured on the punches and Higo was on the brink. Perhaps he was even too tough for his own good, as the referee inexplicably let him stay in the fight and absorb a ton of shots.
Finally the fight was stopped several seconds after it should have been, giving Pico his third first-round knockout victory of 2018. Watch the highlights via ESPN’s Maximiliano Bretos here:
Aaron Pico continues to make progression in his pro-MMA career as in his latest fight booking, he took on the always dangerous Leandro Higo.
As seen on the main card of Bellator 206 that went down on Saturday night (September 29, 2018) at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on their new streaming service home, DAZN, Pico defeated Higo by TKO in a featherweight bout.
This fight didn’t last long as Pico was aggressive early and looking to knock Higo’s block off. Higo with two knees to the face to test the prospect. Pico hurts Higo but then Higo defended the onslaught against the fence very well. Hard right hand floors Higo and eventually gets the late stoppage. Color commentator and former referee, John McCarthy, was very critical of Mark Smith, who was serving as the referee for this fight as it should’ve been stopped earlier than it was.
As soon as Pico signed with Bellator MMA back in 2014, there was a ton of hype behind him due to his success as an American freestyle wrestler. Pico had no easy task in his Bellator MMA debut at the Bellator NYC on pay-per-view event against Zach Freeman in a lightweight bout. This fight did not last long. In the world of Mauro Ranallo, who made his Bellator MMA debut as a commentator, this was over in a New York minute.
Most thought that this had to hurt the confidence of Pico, who was highly hyped leading into this bout despite the fact that he had no MMA experience before. Luckily for him, he signed a multi-fight contract with the promotion and got more fights under his belt to not only improve on his skills but to impress Bellator brass. Since then, he scored three straight finishes by strikes over the likes of Justin Linn, Shane Krutchen, and Lee Morrison.
On the flip side, Higo made his Bellator debut as a late replacement for Darrion Caldwell against Eduardo Dantas in a non-title bout at Bellator 177 but lost by decision. In his next two fights, he would pick up a decision win over Joe Taimanglo and lose in his latest bout to Darrion Caldwell by submission.
Aaron Pico def. Leandro Higo by TKO (strikes) at 3:19 of round 1
The stage is set for tomorrow’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) packed Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. All that’s left is the Bellator 206 ceremonial weigh-ins. In the main event, middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will take on welterweight champion Rory MacDonald for the 185-pound title. In the co-main event, longtime rivals […]
The stage is set for tomorrow’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) packed Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. All that’s left is the Bellator 206 ceremonial weigh-ins.
In the main event, middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will take on welterweight champion Rory MacDonald for the 185-pound title. In the co-main event, longtime rivals Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva will meet for the fourth time.
Not to be outdone, the main card also features the opening round of the anticipated Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. Rapidly rising prospect Aaron Pico will also compete in his next fight against veteran Leandro Higo. Check out our full previews, predictions, and analysis for the main bouts here.
Bellator is back with perhaps their best card ever on paper with tomorrow night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The main card will stream live on new Bellator partner DAZN. The card’s headlining bout features a highly anticipated middleweight super fight between 185-pound Gegard Mousasi and welterweight […]
Bellator is back with perhaps their best card ever on paper with tomorrow night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The main card will stream live on new Bellator partner DAZN. The card’s headlining bout features a highly anticipated middleweight super fight between 185-pound Gegard Mousasi and welterweight champion Rory MacDonald. In the co-main event, former PRIDE rivals Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva will meet for an incredible fourth time.
The Bellator World Welterweight Grand Prix will also kick off at the event. Former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov will square off in the inaugural bout of the buzzworthy tournament. Touted rising star Aaron Pico also has next fight on the main card, facing Leandro Higo on his continued rise.
All of that adds up to an incredibly packed Bellator 206 main card. We broke down the important aspects of each major bout. Check out our Bellator 206 preview, predictions, and analysis here.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald
Hyperbole aside, this is probably the biggest fight Bellator could put on right now due to the track record of both fighters.
Mousasi has won seven straight bouts since his fluky TKO loss to Uriah Hall in September 2015. He’s finished five of those opponents by knockout and may be at his peak as a result. Mousasi did have some trouble in his Bellator debut against Alexander Shlemenko. He most recently destroyed former champion Rafael Carvalho in one round at May’s Bellator 200.
Likewise, MacDonald has been on a tear since coming to Bellator, albeit a smaller one. He’s won both of his fights against Paul Daley and Lima, winning the belt from the latter at Bellator 192 this January.
Both of these fighters bring a wealth of relevant in-cage knowledge and experience, a wholly well-rounded skillset, and the experience to back it up. Therefore, this is truly as elite a fight Bellator could make. In honesty, Mousasi and MacDonald are somewhat similar in style. They both employ crisp, accurate, and measured striking on the feet, choosing to pick their spots with peerless efficiency. Mousasi has shown much more knockout power on the feet, however, and does hold a size edge here.
Both can also finish the fight when it hits the ground. While neither is known as a world-class wrestler, both can take nearly any opponent down and defend opposing takedowns sufficiently. If and when the bout hits the ground, both fighters can absolutely finish the fight with an extensive list of submissions. Mousasi is a black belt in judo and MacDonald is in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
That all boils down to an incredibly close fight on paper. When that happens, the size advantage may play the biggest deciding factor. As you can see from above, Mousasi is the bigger fighter. It’ll be close, but I think he outlasts MacDonald by decision in a back-and-forth battle.
Prediction: Gegard Mousasi def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision
Bellator MMA prospect Aaron Pico is about to get a major step up competition next month at Bellator 206 when he squares off against Leandro Higo, who has 22 professional fights under his belt and an MMA record of 18-4. Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 4 …
Bellator MMA prospect Aaron Pico is about to get a major step up competition next month at Bellator 206 when he squares off against Leandro Higo, who has 22 professional fights under his belt and an MMA record of 18-4. Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 4 alum Leandro “Pitbull” Higo will be looking to get to […]
