Much to Bellator’s dismay, their light heavyweight title belongs to someone not named Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal; Emanuel Newton bested Attila Vegh in a lackluster decision at Bellator 113 to unify the light heavyweight strap. The first round of Bellator’s season 10 lightweight tournament took place at Bellator 113 too.
But the first notable event of the night happened on the prelims. A bout between journeymen Daniel Gallemore and Fredrick Brown ended with one of the worst stoppages in MMA history. Gallemore elbowed Brown, putting him out on his feet. After a few punches from Gallemore, Brown faceplanted. At this point, Brown was clearly “done” but referee Chuck Wolfe allowed about a dozen more blows to land before he had seen enough. It was despicable, to say the least. See for yourself (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA)
Other preliminary card events of importance: Derek Anderson kneed Brandon Girtz’s head into the rafters in the night’s first lightweight tournament quarterfinal. Former WEC standout LC Davis was scheduled to fight on the prelims, but his fight was moved to after the main card. At the time of writing, the results of this fight aren’t available. We’ll update the article when they are.
Much to Bellator’s dismay, their light heavyweight title belongs to someone not named Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal; Emanuel Newton bested Attila Vegh in a lackluster decision at Bellator 113 to unify the light heavyweight strap. The first round of Bellator’s season 10 lightweight tournament took place at Bellator 113 too.
But the first notable event of the night happened on the prelims. A bout between journeymen Daniel Gallemore and Fredrick Brown ended with one of the worst stoppages in MMA history. Gallemore elbowed Brown, putting him out on his feet. After a few punches from Gallemore, Brown faceplanted. At this point, Brown was clearly “done” but referee Chuck Wolfe allowed about a dozen more blows to land before he had seen enough. It was despicable, to say the least. See for yourself (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA)
Other preliminary card events of importance: Derek Anderson kneed Brandon Girtz’s head into the rafters in the night’s first lightweight tournament quarterfinal. Former WEC standout LC Davis was scheduled to fight on the prelims, but his fight was moved to after the main card; it wasn’t televised or streamed. Davis won via guillotine with only two seconds left in the first round.
In the first televised fight, Tim Welch fought Derek Campos in another lightweight tournament quarterfinal bout. The first round was evenly matched, but Campos was more aggressive, consistently pushing Welch back with his striking. He also landed more strikes. Campos almost finished Welch in the second, wobbling him with a right hand. He neglected to swarm a battered Welch, however. Instead, he opted for a takedown, which allowed Welch to recover and eventually rise to his feet. The third round didn’t feature much action. Campos took Welch to the ground and held him there. Unsurprisingly, Campos got the nod from the judges.
It didn’t take long for Polish prospect Marcin Held to defeat Rodrigo Cavalheiro. After a very brief striking scuffle, Held took Cavalheiro to the mat and submitted the Brazilian with a toehold.
In the night’s co-main event, David Rickels fought Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. This was also the last lightweight tournament quarterfinal of the night. The first round was, essentially, five minutes of brawling with some grappling interspersed. Rickels got the better of nearly every exchange in the first round, but that changed in the second. Freire hurt Rickels with a right hook, swarmed in, and then dropped him cold with a left hook. After one follow-up strike, it was called off.
The lightweight tournament semifinals will be as follows:
Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Derek Campos.
Marcin Held vs. Derek Anderson
Bellator 113′s main event was to unify Bellator’s light heavyweight title. Interim champ Emanuel Newton faced non-interim champion Attila Vegh. It was a long, boring 25 minutes, that featured ineffective striking and lots of missed “spinning shit.” There really isn’t much to tell other than that both guys threw lots of strikes that amounted to nothing. If you DVR’d the event, watch this on fast forward if you feel the need to watch at all. Twitter pundits scored it every way imaginable, but the only people that mattered (the judges) gave it to Newton.
Complete Results:
Main Card
Emanuel Newton def. Attila Vegh via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
Patricky Freire def. David Rickels via KO (punches), 0:54 of round 2
Marcin Held def. Rodrigo Cavalheiro via submission (toe hold), 1:56 of round 1
Derek Campos def. Tim Welch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
LC Davis def. Tory Bogguess via submission (guillotine), 4:58 of round 1
Derek Anderson def. Brandon Girtz via KO (knee), 0:23 of round 2
Israel Giron def. Cody Carrillo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Eric Wisely def. Donnie Bell via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Daniel Gallemore def. Fredrick Brown via TKO (punches), 3:34 of round 1
Bobby Cooper def. Marcio Navarro via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the co-main event at Bellator’s first pay-per-view event May 17 at The Landers Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The card is headlined by the third installment between current lightweight ch…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the co-main event at Bellator’s first pay-per-view event May 17 at The Landers Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The card is headlined by the third installment between current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former champ Michael Chandler in what will be one of the most hotly anticipated rubber matches in MMA history.
Jackson fights in his hometown of Memphis for the first time since his professional debut against Mike Pyle in November 1999.
Taking on one of Bellator’s most polarizing stars in King Mo in the light heavyweight tournament finals, Rampage understands the importance of this fight and cherishes the opportunity to showcase his skills in Bellator’s inaugural PPV event.
“I’ve been wanting to come back to Memphis for the last decade, and I’m finally getting that chance to fight in one of the biggest fights of my career for Bellator,” Jackson said in a Bellator press release. “After being part of the Bellator family for a while now, I feel like the old Rampage, and that’s not a good thing for Mo. I’m back, I’m a monster, and I’m looking to put on another entertaining fight for all my fans on May 17.”
After leaving the UFC on a disappointing three-fight skid, Rampage reinvented himself under the Bellator banner.
He knocked out the iron-chinned Joey Beltran in his promotional debut at Bellator 108 in November 2013, and he recently knocked out Christian M’Pumbu with some vicious ground-and-pound at Bellator 110 to reach the light heavyweight tournament finals.
Before these performances, his last knockout came way back in 2008, when he took out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva with a textbook left hook at UFC 92.
Despite the resurgence and apparent return to form for Rampage, his opponent King Mo is not scared. He sees this fight as a chance to catapult himself into the ranks of the light heavyweight elite.
“When it comes down to it, this is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time, and I’m going to be able to beat his a** in his hometown, and everyone is going to respect me,” Lawal said in a Bellator press release. “Rampage is just a stepping stone in my way to get that title shot again and get that belt.”
As two of the most prolific smack-talkers in the game, Rampage and King Mo will settle their verbal barbs inside the cage on May 17. Each man packs serious power in his hands and possesses a solid wrestling foundation, so this fight could turn into a stand-and-bang war to remember.
Who do you favor leading into the fight?
Will Rampage secure the win in his hometown, or will King Mo earn another shot at the Bellator light heavyweight title?
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the co-main event at Bellator’s first pay-per-view event May 17 at The Landers Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The card is headlined by the third installment between current lightweight ch…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the co-main event at Bellator’s first pay-per-view event May 17 at The Landers Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The card is headlined by the third installment between current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former champ Michael Chandler in what will be one of the most hotly anticipated rubber matches in MMA history.
Jackson fights in his hometown of Memphis for the first time since his professional debut against Mike Pyle in November 1999.
Taking on one of Bellator’s most polarizing stars in King Mo in the light heavyweight tournament finals, Rampage understands the importance of this fight and cherishes the opportunity to showcase his skills in Bellator’s inaugural PPV event.
“I’ve been wanting to come back to Memphis for the last decade, and I’m finally getting that chance to fight in one of the biggest fights of my career for Bellator,” Jackson said in a Bellator press release. “After being part of the Bellator family for a while now, I feel like the old Rampage, and that’s not a good thing for Mo. I’m back, I’m a monster, and I’m looking to put on another entertaining fight for all my fans on May 17.”
After leaving the UFC on a disappointing three-fight skid, Rampage reinvented himself under the Bellator banner.
He knocked out the iron-chinned Joey Beltran in his promotional debut at Bellator 108 in November 2013, and he recently knocked out Christian M’Pumbu with some vicious ground-and-pound at Bellator 110 to reach the light heavyweight tournament finals.
Before these performances, his last knockout came way back in 2008, when he took out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva with a textbook left hook at UFC 92.
Despite the resurgence and apparent return to form for Rampage, his opponent King Mo is not scared. He sees this fight as a chance to catapult himself into the ranks of the light heavyweight elite.
“When it comes down to it, this is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time, and I’m going to be able to beat his a** in his hometown, and everyone is going to respect me,” Lawal said in a Bellator press release. “Rampage is just a stepping stone in my way to get that title shot again and get that belt.”
As two of the most prolific smack-talkers in the game, Rampage and King Mo will settle their verbal barbs inside the cage on May 17. Each man packs serious power in his hands and possesses a solid wrestling foundation, so this fight could turn into a stand-and-bang war to remember.
Who do you favor leading into the fight?
Will Rampage secure the win in his hometown, or will King Mo earn another shot at the Bellator light heavyweight title?
Bellator kicked off its 10th season of fights in style Friday night.
Former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced off with former Bellator champion Christian M’Pumbu. After some taunting from both sides over the initial reluctance to engag…
Bellator kicked off its 10th season of fights in style Friday night.
Former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced off with former Bellator champion Christian M’Pumbu. After some taunting from both sides over the initial reluctance to engage, M’Pumbu wound up slipping on the cage during an exchange. Jackson then delivered a few short punches that knocked the champ out cold.
The co-main event, which featured a showdown between former Strikeforce champion “King” Mo Lawal and Mikhail Zayats, was a drag on the entire event. The first two rounds saw both light heavyweights struggle to mount any offense, exacerbated by the general lack of effort to do so at all. In the end, Lawal wound up getting a shady 30-27 unanimous decision on all cards.
Lawal and Jackson got in the cage at the end of the night in order to promote their upcoming bout with a silly pro wrestling-style “hold me back” scuffle.
Rampage and King Mo go all pro wrestling promo in the cage. I did like Rampage’s “I’m a monster!” line. Rest of it was eh.
In the featherweight tournament’s opening round, four fighters advanced to make up the semifinal round.
Dan Weichel defeated Scott Cleve with an impressive all-around performance, landing a hard punch to set up intense ground scrambles, which led to a submission. He takes on Matt Bessette, who edged out Diego Nunes with a questionable split-decision win.
Des Green took an eyebrow-raising (though not necessarily controversial) unanimous decision over Mike Richman. He advances to the semifinals to meet Will Martinez, who earned that spot at the expense of Goiti Yamauchi.
While the undercard featured back-to-back no-contests, the biggest highlight came from Rings veteran Egidijus Valavicius, who scored a devastating knockout in the opening minute of his fight with Atanas Djambazov. Should either of the finalists of the light heavyweight tournament go down to injury, it is very possible the 35-year-old will step in as an injury replacement.
Main Card Results
Quinton Jackson defeats Christian M’Pumbu by knockout via punches at 4:34 of Round 1
Mo Lawal defeats Mikhail Zayats by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Bessette defeats Diego Nunes by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Des Green defeats Mike Richman by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card Results
Daniel Weichel defeats Scott Cleve by submission via rear-naked choke at 3:46 of Round 1
Saul Almeida defeats Andrew Fisher by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Egidijus Valavicius defeats Atanas Djambazov by knockout via knee and punch at 0:48 of Round 1
Ryan Quinn defeats Andrew Calandrelli by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Manny Lara vs. Josh Diekman ends in no-contest due to eye poke at 0:18 of Round 1
Marvin Maldonado vs. Rico DiSciullo ends in no-contest due to illegal knees at 1:53 of Round 1
I have a feeling that most of you degenerate gamblers are going to take this weekend off. And hey, that’s a very logical decision. The TUF: China Finale is packed to the brim with squash matches and unknown prospects, and if you’re the type of person who doesn’t normally watch Bellator or Titan FC, it would be an incredibly stupid risk to throw money down on fighters you barely recognize.
Which is exactly what makes a “Gambling Addiction Enabler” for this weekend’s fights so appropriate. With the UFC hosting an obscure Fight Pass card — and Bellator and Titan FC featuring guys you’ve heard of but aren’t necessarily invested in — only the most hardcore MMA fans and the most hopeless gambling addicts are going to be risking their money on this weekend’s fights. If you fall into either category, we’d be letting you down if we decided not to share our rock-solid (*tries to stop laughing*) gambling advice with you.
It’s hard to disagree with the odds here. Kim has not only faced tougher competition, but he also has the advantage of fighting on his home continent; not exactly a frivolous observation, as Kim himself would be quick to point out. A straight bet on Kim won’t yield an impressive return, but it does make for a low-risk parlay addition.
I have a feeling that most of you degenerate gamblers are going to take this weekend off. And hey, that’s a very logical decision. The TUF: China Finale is packed to the brim with squash matches and unknown prospects, and if you’re the type of person who doesn’t normally watch Bellator or Titan FC, it would be an incredibly stupid risk to throw money down on fighters you barely recognize.
Which is exactly what makes a “Gambling Addiction Enabler” for this weekend’s fights so appropriate. With the UFC hosting an obscure Fight Pass card — and Bellator and Titan FC featuring guys you’ve heard of but aren’t necessarily invested in — only the most hardcore MMA fans and the most hopeless gambling addicts are going to be risking their money on this weekend’s fights. If you fall into either category, we’d be letting you down if we decided not to share our rock-solid (*tries to stop laughing*) gambling advice with you.
It’s hard to disagree with the odds here. Kim has not only faced tougher competition, but he also has the advantage of fighting on his home continent; not exactly a frivolous observation, as Kim himself would be quick to point out. A straight bet on Kim won’t yield an impressive return, but it does make for a low-risk parlay addition.
On paper, Christian M’Pumbu is exactly the type of fighter who Rampage Jackson should have zero problems with — he’s as pure of a kickboxer as you’ll find in a major MMA promotion, who would rather stand and trade haymakers than clinch against the cage. Yet after watching Jackson’s promotional debut against Joey Beltran, Rampage at -450 is not even remotely worth the risk of an upset. Especially when you consider that Bellator is sort-of hoping for Rampage vs. King Mo in the next round of this tournament, which obviously means that at least one of them is destined to lose on Friday night. M’Pumbu at anything over +450 would be worth a $5 for shiggles, but at +360? Move along, people; this fight is in Stay the Hell Away From territory.
I’m surprised that Shawn Jordan isn’t a bigger favorite. Jordan has the better record, the more impressive resume, and better wrestling; he should have zero problems with Matt Mitrione. Honestly, the only advantage that I’m giving to Mitrione is that his body isn’t covered in blatant scratch worthy of a spot on our ugliest tattoos in MMA list. Seriously, person who drew Jordan’s chest/shoulder piece, what the hell?
TUF: China Finale: Hatsu Hioki (-400) vs. Ivan Menjivar (+280) Bellator 110: Mike Richman (-250) vs. Des Green (+190) Bellator 110: Will Martinez (+280) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (-370)
Titan FC 27: Bryan Goldsby (+240) vs. Kevin Croom (-300)
And now we’re entering the squash match portion of the upcoming bouts. Don’t be fooled by Hatsu Hioki’s three-fight losing streak — he has looked unstoppable on Asian soil. Add on that this fight is a must-win for him, and there’s no way that his hand isn’t getting raised on Friday. Over in Bellator, Mike Richman should prove too experienced and well-rounded for Team Bombsquad product Des Green. Goiti Yamauchi is a twenty-one year old grappling ace with thirteen of his sixteen career victories coming via submission — eleven of which coming in the first round — fighting an 8-2 curtain-jerker. The prop that this fight will last less than 1.5 rounds is definitely worth exploring here. Meanwhile, in Titan FC, Kevin “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” [Author Note: Not sure if nickname is awesome or terrible] Croom is not only also a fantastic grappler, but he also benefits from fighting a 17-15 journeyman with seven career submission losses. Easy call.
Both Phan and Lee are coming off of losses, but Phan is favored here because he’s an Asian (sort-of) fighting in Asia, I guess. Except, you know, Phan grew up in California, so there is no “fighting on his home continent” advantage here, and Lee has proven that he can win in Asia at this level with his victory over Kid Yamamoto at UFC 144. At +145, a straight bet won’t provide a ton of bang for your buck, but Lee makes for a relatively low risk parlay addition.
“Hey, I’ve actually heard of this guy, so he will win” isn’t exactly a smart betting strategy. This is especially true with Mikhail Zayats; he has won eight of his last ten fights — including a first-round TKO over Babalu — and those two losses come to Emanuel Newton and Vinny Magalhaes. Bessette’s resume is slightly less impressive, but he’s an attractive pick simply due to how inconsistent Diego Nunes has looked recently. Nunes has lost three of his last four fights, and is coming off of a quick, nasty knockout loss to Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 99. Bessette isn’t worth a spot in your parlay, but a straight bet on him is far from the worst way you could spend $5 this weekend.
Stay the Hell Away From
Titan FC 27: Matt Riddle (-180) vs. Michael Kuiper (+150)
Remember our “Who Is the Biggest Waste of Potential in MMA History” roundtable? You can pretty much copy and paste what ReX13 wrote about BJ Penn here for my analysis of this fight. On paper, yes, this is Riddle’s fight to lose. But after a year that has consisted of retirement, unretirement, pulling out of fights, and getting fired from Bellator for Riddle, betting on “Deep Waters” this Friday is just as risky as betting on a post-Sonnen Paulo Filho: He may fight like the elite fighter he is, or he may put in the bare minimum effort needed to collect his paycheck, or he may decide to pull out of the fight at the last minute because, you know, whatever. The bottom line here is that this fight is a crap shoot, and neither fighter offers an attractive enough return on your investment to justify the risk. Just say no.
Suggested Stakes for a $50 Wager
The Ultra-Conservative Approach:
$25 on Kim+Hioki+Ricci parlay (returns $20.44) $20 on Richman+Yamauchi parlay (returns $15.57) $5 on Shawn Jordan (returns $3.70)
In the likely event that all three bets pay off, you’ll earn a total of $39.71 for your efforts.
The Live Dangerously Approach:
$20 on Richman+Yamauchi+Jordan parlay (returns $41.91) $20 on Kim+Zayats parlay (returns $53.29) $5 on Matt Bessette (returns $14.25) $5 on Croom+Lee parlay (returns $11.33)
I once read that the biggest mistake that novice gamblers make is betting not to lose; whether that’s a quote from a book about Nick the Greek or something I read off of the bathroom wall at a gas station casino is irrelevant. With a little luck, this parlay returns $120.78.
The “Whatever, It’s Mardi Gras #YOLO” Approach:
$25 on Hathaway+Bessette+Gurgel (returns $2,169.50) $20 on Lee+Zayats (returns $119.65) $5 on Matt Riddle (returns $2.78)
Semi-Related: It’s common for gambling addicts to find the rush of losing and trying to win back their losses more addictive than actually winning. I figured that was an appropriate disclaimer to use before casually pointing out that this strategy will return $2,291.93. Have a nice day.
Two of Bellator’s biggest stars and most recognizable fighters will be in action at Bellator 110 on Friday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal have both had very decorated and distinguished MMA…
Two of Bellator‘s biggest stars and most recognizable fighters will be in action at Bellator 110 on Friday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal have both had very decorated and distinguished MMA careers. The two men may be on a collision course in what would be one of the most hyped bouts in the promotion’s history.
Before that can happen, Rampage and King Mo have to take care of business against lesser-known competition on Friday. Here’s a look at the card, predictions and viewing information. Just after the table is a breakdown of the primary storylines to watch from the event.
Sophomore Jinx?
Rampage dispatched Joey Beltran in his first Bellator bout. Beltran was the perfect opponent for Jackson because he wouldn’t take him to the ground. Jackson is best when he’s standing and trading, and if M’Pumbu goes that route with him, he’ll likely meet a similar fate as Beltran.
The 36-year-old former Bellator light heavyweight champion does have some grappling skills, but chances are he won’t get an opportunity to display them.
Rampage vs. King Mo needs to happen somewhere down the line, and M’Pumbu isn’t good enough to throw things off course.
This fight is just a warmup for Rampage, who Bellator expects to be its champion once this tournament is over. He is bigger, more powerful, more experienced and more skilled than M’Pumbu. Rampage will keep this fight upright, walk M’Pumbu down, nail him with his fists and likely end this fight somewhat early.
Respect for the King
Many don’t realize just how much King Mo has accomplished in his MMA career. Because he’s never competed in the UFC, he’s never garnered the type of major attention that some of his contemporaries have.
He is one of five men to have held the Strikeforce light heavyweight title and he owns wins over GegardMousasi, Roger Gracie and Mark Kerr in his career.
On Friday, he’ll take on Mikhail Zayats, a Russian submissions specialist. He is a gold medalist in combat sambo from the 2008 Sambo World Championships.
Grappling might be Zayats‘ best plan of attack, but it won’t be easy. Lawal has never been submitted in his career. Once he’s able to ensure the fight is decided in the stand up, his power, speed and relentlessness will lead to a stoppage win for him.
Recently, King Mo talked about the prospects of fighting Rampage after the bout with Zayats with Alex Schlinsky of Fan Sided. King Mo said:
“If we fight, there is going to be beef again. Anytime there is money involved there is beef. I ain’t going to be cool with somebody who is trying to take my money. Why should I be cool with him?”
Richman Will Make it Exciting
Can Mike Richman continue his stunning and destructive ways on Friday? The featherweight is equally as dangerous as a striker and submissions fighter. He has seven KOs and seven submissions in his career. He often gets his opponents out of the fight quickly.
Of his 14 finishes, 13 of them came in the very first round. Based on that, his opponent Desmond Green could be in for a short night.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will fight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the co-main event at Bellator’s first pay-per-view event May 17 at The Landers Center in Memphis, Tenn. 
