Another week and another Bellator is in the books. The welterweight tournament got underway, though not in as near colorful fashion as both War Machine and Joe Riggs wound up withdrawing right before it started, but it turned out to be an interesting card with a terrific main event fight. Now it’s time to revisit the Hammond, IN, event and figure out what we learned.
Pat Curran is the best finisher in Bellator – He may not be the best featherweight, nor the best fighter, but the dude is a stone cold killer when it counts. At the end of the Strauss fight you could see it. I always talk about fighting like a desperate man, but not fighting desperately, and this was the definition of that. That final minute was high drama because Curran knew he had to get that choke in or he was going to lose. He was going to sink it in and get that tap and you could see it in his eyes. When Strauss tapped with seconds left it was one of those amazing moments in MMA. Great fight but a terrific finishing instinct from Curran.
Bellator’s top tier featherweights are top tier, period – Pat Curran gives Jose Aldo an exciting fight in what’d probably be a close fight. Daniel Strauss is probably the worst matchup for him. Pitbull probably gets lamped in awesome fashion. But they all would deserve to be in the cage with the UFC’s featherweight elite. A lot of people slag on Bellator for any number of reasons but from lightweight down their elite would match up favorably with the UFC’s elite. And I bet Vitaly Minakov wrecks a bunch of UFC heavyweights in short order.
Sam Oropeza scored the upset of the year so far – Everyone thought Souza would wreck him and Oropeza came out and lamped him in short order.
Bellator’s featherweight division looks very interesting right now – Curran/Pitbull 2 is up next at a date to be determined, maybe on the PPV, and Strauss gets the winner. Throw in the fact that Frodo Khasbulaev still has yet to get his shot, or get his visa in order, and Bellator’s 145 pound division is something special right now. Lots of talent and none of them are past 30.
