Heading into Bellator 27 there was every reason to be pumped on the show. The obvious reason being Joe Soto vs. Joe Warren for the Bellator featherweight championship, the first ever title defense in Bellator history and my personal pick for the most anticipated bout of the month. Besides that we get three matches in the bantamweight tournament clearly the best thing this season has going for it. Let’s get to the results…….
Ed West vs. Bryan Goldsby
Commentator Jimmy Smith informs that West is a favorite to make it to the finals and since I was unfamiliar with these fighters heading in I simply took his word for it. The early action was comprised of all sorts of kicks…leg kicks, sidekicks, bizarre looking flying kicks. Very little damage was done in the first round and West probably took the round only because of a nifty rolling knee bar that he locked on in the waning seconds. Round 2 saw another pair of those knee bars and the round actually ends with West going for the submission while Goldsby is pummeling him right in the face. The round is ultra close but I gave it to Goldsby because for my money a late submission attempt isn’t enough to overcome the control he maintained throughout most of the round. The last round is rather uneventful; Goldsby spent a fair amount of time on top but also spent a fair amount of time in a guillotine choke. On a round by round basis I could’ve given the match to Goldsby but when looking at the whole picture I just had a gut feeling that West was the better man so I had the third round going to West with him winning 29-28. Apparently the promotion is allergic to finishes as now 8 out of their last 9 televised matches have gone to the judges. . .it’s no way to attract uneducated fans but sometimes that’s just the way things work out. The best that the sport of MMA can hope for is that the fans will come for the knockouts but stay for the human game of chess.
West def. Goldsby via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Time seems to be pinched but still they found time to have two ring girls bring Jimmy Smith a birthday cake…well that was nice.
Zack Makovsky vs. Nick Mamalis
Bellator is being unusually candid in fessing up to the fact that Mamalis’ two fights last season were actually showcase fights for his opponents. It is a very real part of the business and I appreciate them not treating me as though I were an idiot. Now if they could just spend a little more time talking about what a quiet, laid back guy Nick Mamalis is then all would be right in the world. Makovsky takes Mamalis apart in the first round using a single leg take down and then quickly moving to full mount. Mamalis seems determined when striking but lackluster when on the bottom. Makovsky takes an easy 10-9 lead. Next round they both take turns on the bottom. When the fighters find themselves in the North/South position it oddly doesn’t receive the attention from the audience it got last week when Daly and Ward were in it. Makovsky doesn’t seem as polished in the ground and pound position but spends a lot more time there and once again takes the round. Mamalis comes out in the third round looking like the desperate man that he is. He swings for the fences and appropriately enough gets taken down. His never say die attitude is still in place as he very nearly clamps on the rear naked choke and when that doesn’t work resorts to throwing haymakers. But, as we know, bantamweight haymakers just aren’t made the same way heavyweight haymakers are. It’s a great finish to a great fight but hey, wouldn’t you know it, it’s another decision
Makovsky def. Mamalis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Joe Soto vs. Joe Warren (Featherweight Title Bout)
Heading into the fight if I had to pick a winner I would’ve tossed a coin. Had, for whatever reason, that not been allowed, I would have had to go with Soto only because he just seems to be the more comfortable fighter. Soto, coming into this fight, had 9 wins and all but one were by stoppage whereas Warren had 5 wins and all but one had come by decision. Soto also hits harder and doesn’t have a miracle victory on his resume while Warren is probably still thanking his lucky stars that the first round bell came when it did in his fight against Patricio Pitbull. I did find myself sort of rooting for Warren however. He feels like an eternal underdog and throughout season 2 I found myself connecting with his character. Sure the great line he nailed after his semi-final victory was somewhat nullified by the fact that he totally recycled it after winning the tournament but who can hate on a guy for trying to be funny. The fight is a rather classic striker vs. grappler contest and the striker got the better of it in round 1. In fact Soto beat the living shit out of Warren. He just took shot after shot and seemed to connect with everyone of them. A few times Warren seemed ready to collapse but he just kept standing there and taking the beating. Then, near the end of the round, just to show everybody how hard he had been hit, he goes for a flying spinning back kick of doom and lands right on his rear end. He makes it to round 2 only through the grace of God. The round is easily 10-8 in favor of Soto. Then everything changes. As the second round opens Smith begins to discuss his scorecard. He sounds as though he were apologizing but we find out later that he did indeed have it scored 10-8 for Soto so obviously he had nothing to apologize for. But before he can even get it out Warren drops Soto with a shot and then pounces with a nasty barrage of hammer fists. Soto, unwisely, survives and makes it back to his feet. Warren chases him down and lands a devastating knee right on the button and knocks the champ out cold. He looks dead. It’s the kind of knockout that is so incredible that it ensures that the card will be considered a success no matter what came before or after. It will undoubtedly be featured on the season 4 opening credits. The best knee to noggin knock out I have ever seen. Joe Warren is your new Bellator featherweight champion; good for him I’m glad to see it.
Joe Warren def. Joe Soto via KO (0:33 of Round 2)
Travis Reddinger vs. Ulysses Gomez
Well how are we supposed to come down after that? The fight opens and Wheelock drops a real stinker of a line, “If your brother plays in the World Cup you’re probably gonna be a good athlete as well.” Way to generalize. The first round seemed like a bore but most likely anything would have after what we just saw. Gomez seems to be the much stronger competitor (it’s that World Cup blood he’s got in him) as he imposes his will over Reddinger and almost seems reluctant to fool around with a ground game. In round 3 Smith accuses Reddinger of shadowboxing which struck me as a rather funny insult. Gomez keeps getting Reddinger down and then keeps letting him up. The match looked like all Gomez to me but in the end he only won by split decision . . . don’t know what that judge saw that I didn’t but oh well. I have to say this whole UFC idea of providing bonuses for entertaining the fans is looking better and better as each episode of Bellator season 3 ticks on by.
Gomez def. Reddinger via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Next week Bellator has no scheduled tournament or title matches planned but we will see the return of some of their season 2 stars such as Carey Vanier, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Eric Schambari. Until then……
