This past weekend, MMA fans enjoyed a packed slate of events, with Bellator hosting big shows in Dublin and Inglewood, Calif., while the UFC broke new ground in Copenhagen, Denmark. Each event served up thrills, spills and plenty of excitement, but which one stole the show? MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Farah Hannoun and Nolan King sound off in this latest edition of Triple Take.
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Simon Head: When it comes to atmosphere, you’ll never beat the Irish
MMA fans were royally treated this past weekend with a host of great fights held across a number of events. And while I’m happy to hear the arguments about the other shows, I simply refuse to accept there was a better atmosphere, or more excitement, than the one Abbey Subhan and I experienced at the 3Arena on Friday night for Bellator 227/Bellator Europe 4.
The buzz was there right from the very start when we were almost buried under a pile of bodies as Dylan Logan’s legion of fans went bananas after their man’s second-round submission win. That craziness took place at around 5 p.m. local time, during just the second fight of the 18-fight card. It was a sign of things to come.
We had stunning knockouts, courtesy of Ilias Bulaid and Michael Page, and a host of submission finishes, thanks to James Gallagher, Leah McCourt and a clutch of preliminary card performers. The show was perfect for TV on this side of the pond, too. The live broadcast opened with the 3Arena crowd belting out “Sweet Caroline,” then “Freed From Desire” and the first live TV fight in the U.K. and Ireland served up a classic, as Peter Queally produced a Lazarus-style comeback to defeat Ryan Scope and take the roof off the famous Dublin venue. And I’m willing to bet that there wasn’t a reaction anywhere in world MMA this weekend to match the crowd when Queally stepped into the cage.
How do you follow a performance like that? With MVP, of course. The spectacular Brit’s flying-knee finish of Richard Kiely after a tetchy pre-fight build-up delivered a highlight-reel finish for the Dublin fans and put the London Shootfighters man back in the win column after his welterweight grand prix loss to Douglas Lima earlier this summer.
And it all finished with “The Jimmy Show” as Gallagher danced his way to the cage, subbed Roman Salazar in 35 seconds and led the 9,500-strong crowd in a sing-along to finish the night.
The ambience in the arena was such that even experienced campaigners Benson Henderson and Josh Barnett commented on how incredible it was and, thanks to a host of impressive performances in the cage and a raucous crowd in the stands, Bellator’s second visit to Dublin in 2019 turned into one of those rare “I was there” moments.
Bellator’s Head of Europe David Green told us to keep our weekends free in February for a potential return to the Emerald Isle. I’ve already cleared my schedule.
Next page – Nolan King: Bellator 228 dared to be different, and MMA needs that
Nolan King: Bellator 228 dared to be different, and MMA needs that
Bellator 228 dared to be different. The final leg of a triple-header weekend for major MMA events, the card was uniquely innovative.
Sure, it had the one-two punch of Gegard Mousasi vs. Lyoto Machida and Patricio Freire vs. Juan Archuleta at the top. Sure, it had four featherweight grand prix matchups total. Sure, it featured a handful of notable names and rising prospects on its undercard. But what really stole the show and made it a memorable night was the nearly 30-minute grand prix selection show.
During its 228th event, Bellator managed to do something different, something outside the box, and most importantly something that worked. It was well planned and well executed without being goofy or tacky. Oh, and it should be noted you’d be hard pressed to find someone more perfect than Mauro Ranallo to MC the mini-show. Shouts to Jenn Brown, too.
Playing it safe or “sticking to recipe” will always be successful for a promotion like the UFC. However, Bellator needs to think outside the box in order to gain any ground on the industry leader. Saturday night, they took a small step in that direction.
Not only did the selection show symbolize a first, it was engaging and interesting. It allowed fans to get to know all eight fighters a little bit further. From A.J. McKee’s skillet to Daniel Weichel’s stylish jumpsuit to Pedro Carvalho and Darrion Caldwell’s eagerness to face champion Freire, viewers were able to see fighters actually put there money where their mouth is. The fighters were the matchmakers.
Oh yeah, and Freire’s “champion’s choice” was a great, unexpected plot twist that really tied everything together. Good idea, John McCarthy.
While the discussion can be made of which event had the best fights or biggest finishes, there is no argument to be made about which of these cards will be the most memorable when viewing through a historical lens. Undoubtedly, Bellator 228’s selection show will stick out for years to come.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: The UFC found a new market in Denmark
Farah Hannoun: The UFC found a new market in Denmark
The UFC made its first trip to Denmark this past Saturday for UFC on ESPN+ 18 with a card full of Europe’s best talent. The night was headlined by rising star Jack Hermansson, who got the opportunity to fight close to home when he took on the heavy hitting Jared Cannonier. “The Killa Gorilla” once again was able to silence the crowd by taking out Hermansson in the second round, emerging as a top middleweight contender.
A star was born in Copenhagen.
The co-main event featured Olympian Mark Madsen, who very few were familiar with before this night. A lot of people took issue with his co-main event slot, but after hearing the crowd roar for his dominant performance over Danilo Beluardo, some started to look at Madsen as a future lightweight contender. It’s still early, but with his wrestling background, there’s nothing better than a hype train living up to expectations. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling is undefeated in his MMA career, and he looks to join the likes of former Olympic medalists Ronda Rousey and Henry Cejudo in doubling as a UFC champion.
UFC Copenhagen proved to be a special moment for the returning Nicolas Dalby, who was the feel-good moment of the week. After being cut from the UFC, battling with alcoholism and depression, he was able to make a successful road back in his home country. He showed his usual grit and toughness, outlasting Alex Oliveira for the decision win.
Gilbert Burns notched another short notice win at welterweight over Gunnar Nelson and is now very much a player at 170 pounds. Ovince Saint Preux secured another Von Flue choke to finish Michal Oleksiejczuk in a move that really should be officially changed to the “Von Preux choke.”
Notable performances also came from European standouts Marc Diakiese, Lina Lansberg, Jack Shore, John Phillips, Ismail Naurdiev, and Ion Cutelaba, proving that the European MMA scene is as stron as it’s ever been in the UFC.
With the electric sold-out crowd and local heroes emerging, it’s safe to say that the UFC has found a new market in Denmark, and I suspect they’ll be returning again in the near future.
