It's almost undeniable now that Bellator MMA is the main competition to the dominant force that is the UFC. This has become even more obvious with the recent series of high profile free agents, including the likes of Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and Lorenz Larkin, all of whom are experienced at the very highest level.
With this, and my impending trip to London to watch Bellator 179 in mind, I thought I'd lay out my top 10 favourite fighters currently under the employ of the promotion:
10. Benson Henderson - Lightweight/Welterweight (24-7)
Perhaps wrongly, I've always seen Benson Henderson as Mr Reliable, but never Mr Exciting. Without doubt one of the most decorated members of the current Bellator roster, and one of only two to ever hold UFC gold, Smooth has shown himself to be one of the greatest lightweights of all time. However, thanks to his calm demeanour and ability to sneak under the radar, it is unlikely that he will ever get the recognition he deserves.
Nevertheless, he has been in some wars, including one of my favourite fights of all time against Anthony Pettis in WEC, ending in the now immortalised 'Showtime kick'. While his initial Bellator entrance has been underwhelming, I have no doubt that he will continue to challenge Michael Chandler at the top of the lightweight card.
9. Paul Daley - Welterweight (39-14)
A true one punch knockout artist, Paul 'Semtex' Daley has been at the pinnacle of Bellator since arriving at the promotion in 2012, and has fought against some of the biggest names in the sport, including Nick Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal. His ferocious right hand has sent many to the canvas and guarantees an exciting night, but he has also shown he is not averse to the spectacular, with his recent KO victory over Brennan Ward coming by a remarkable flying knee.
While it could be levied against him that he has never really managed to break into the elite of the UFC, his upcoming bout against Rory Macdonald at Bellator 179 could change all that, putting him really in contention for Andrei Koreshkov's title.
8. Michael Page - Welterweight (12-0)
This is an odd one for me, as his flashy style and entertainment value should rank Michael 'Venom' Page higher on my list, as his fight was certainly one of the main reasons I was excited for my first Bellator live event. While this sadly hasn't come to pass on this occasion, some of his highlights are outrageous. His tornado kick knockout of Ben Dishman at UCMMA 26 is quite frankly one of the most astonishing I have ever seen, while his flying knee KO of Cyborg Santos deservedly earned the 'Knockout of the Year' honours at the MMA Awards.
However, what the Brit gains in cage presence, he loses in personality. I'm accustomed to confidence and cockiness in MMA interviews, but there is something about MVP's character that doesn't sit right with me. In particular, his reaction to Ronda Rousey's 47-second comeback defeat to Amanda Nunes last December, which was to release a dance video mocking the former champion's stumbling around the Octagon as she tried to survive - you stay classy MVP!
7. Patricio Freire - Lightweight/Featherweight (25-4)
Synonymous with the Bellator promotion, the Pitbull brothers have seen it all under the Scott Coker umbrella. While Patricky is just as entertaining as his younger brother, he's never quite hit the heights of Patricio, Bellator's current Featherweight champion.
Patricio has enjoyed some memorable wars in the Bellator cage, and his hands are as heavy as anyone in the world, with his most memorable knockout over Daniel Weichel. His backwards and forwards against Daniel Straus has been legendary, with four bouts to date, and I don't doubt there will be a few more before the pair hang up their gloves.
6. Chael Sonnen - Middleweight/Light-Heavyweight (29-15)
Another brash, mouthy guy, but this guy's the OG. Famed for talking his way into title fights he had no right to be in, Sonnen came within a whisker of defeating the greatest fighter of all time, before being caught in a triangle choke with moments to go.
While his trash-talking may have diminished slightly over the years, with some of his jibes directed at Tito Ortiz more like something you'd hear on a school playground than in the cage, he certainly made it popular as an art, enabling the likes of Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping to take the psychological warfare of MMA to another level.
5. Liam McGeary - Light-Heavyweight (12-1)
I've tried, where possible, to favour the 'Bellator' originals in this list, recognising those fighters that have come through the ranks in the secondary promotion, rather than simply jumping ship from the UFC. For a couple of years, Britain's McGeary was exactly that, becoming the Bellator light-heavyweight champion in February 2015. His active guard saw him claim a series of a high profile submissions, most impressively against MMA legend Tito Ortiz, though he became a notable loser from the free agency trend, with Phil Davis taking his belt in a dominant performance.
He appears to be on the comeback trail, and a win over Linton Vassell at Bellator 169 in London could see him close in on a rematch with the American wrestler.
4. AJ McKee - Featherweight (8-0)
Arguably the brightest young prospect in Bellator, though with the likes of MVP and Chidi Njokuani in the talent-rich 170 lbs weight class, it's hard to properly compare. Nevertheless, this featherweight continues to impress, with his most recent fight a highlight reel head kick KO of Dominic Mazzotta, and it seems inevitable that McKee will get a bigger name later this year.
Most impressively, the youngster has not let the hype go to his head, and remains focused but ambitious, talking about the potential of beating Jon Jones record and claim a belt before his next birthday. How likely that is remains to be seen, but if he continues his meteoric rise, it seems inevitable that he will be a world champion at some point.
3. Bobby Lashley - Heavyweight (15-2)
Much like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley burst onto the MMA scene following a semi-successful career in the WWE. However, while his record is undoubtedly impressive, he has yet to hit the pinnacle of the sport, though he remains a juggernaut in the Bellator heavyweight division, with many believing he deserves a shot at the currently vacant title.
Perhaps most impressively, Lashley continues to perform duties both in the cage and the ring, now performing for Impact Wrestling. While this may go some way to explaining his lack of a title shot as yet, there is no denying his talent, and I'd certainly expect to see him up there in the next 12 months.
2. Quinton Jackson - Light-Heavyweight/Heavyweight (37-12)
The answer for why I like Rampage is simple: he's honest. As a fighter, he recognises that he doesn't have the same background in wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu as many of his competition, but he simply doesn't care. He has taught himself what he needs to know, enabling him to walk his opponents onto the nuclear bombs he has in his gloves. As he showed time and time again in the UFC, with his vicious KO of Wanderlei Silva instantly sprinting to mind, his punching power is fearsome, and he has the capability to end anyone's evening early.
As a personality, there is no-one like him. As his time as coach on The Ultimate Fighter showed, he's got more than a little of a prankster in him, and some of his interviews are legendary. Quite simply, there's not many as entertaining on the microphone as Rampage, but unlike the likes of Conor, where he creates an arrogant and brash character, Jackson is simply being himself - confident, but jovial.
1. Rory Macdonald - Welterweight (18-4)
The main reason I bought a ticket for Bellator 179 in London was because of Rory Macdonald. While his personality is nowhere near as entertaining as the likes of Jackson, he more than makes up for it in his fights! In my opinion, Macdonald has been involved in the greatest mixed martial arts fight of all time - his near five round war with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189. It demonstrated the heart of the Canadian and the depths he would go to to secure the title.
Though he was unsuccessful on that occasion, he will find his route to the Bellator title no easier in the now talent-rich welterweight division. Nevertheless, his fight with Paul Daley has the potential for fireworks, and I can't wait to see it!
Who are your favourite Bellator fighters? Let me know either in the comments section below, or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA.
Showing posts with label MVP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MVP. Show all posts
Friday, 19 May 2017
Friday, 27 January 2017
MMA Awards 2017: The Case For... Cody Garbrandt
As breakouts go, coming from unranked to champion of the world in the space of 12 months is about as fairytale as it gets. As we entered 2016, Cody 'No Love' Garbrandt was just another promising UFC bantamweight fighter, travelling largely under the radar behind other young prospects like Thomas Almeida and Aljamain Sterling. Interestingly, at a UFC 199 press conference, then champ Dominick Cruz insisted he knew nothing of the 24-year-old, stating that to him, Garbrandt was just another of the 'young kids on the block'.
Whether that statement was true or not, just six months later at UFC 207, Cruz was being comprehensively out-manoevered by the Alpha Male fighter on the way to a convincing unanimous decision defeat.
This was the end to another picture perfect year for No Love, racking up a 4-0 record during 2016. When compared to the other nominees, only Derrick Lewis can match his record, with Michael 'Venom' Page (3-0), Yair Rodriguez (2-0) both remaining unbeaten during the year. Meanwhile Doo Ho Choi, despite posting a contender for Fight of the Year, could only manage a 1-1 record during 2016, ultimately keeping him out of the running for this award.
So other than his record during the year, why does Garbrandt's rise stand out from his peers? Over the last 12 months, he has announced himself on the world stage on two separate occasions, starching the aforementioned Almeida in his first bout as headliner, before shocking the MMA universe to claim the belt from Cruz on December 30th. In comparison, both Bellator's Page and Rodriguez could only manage a once, with MVP hitting the headlines with his brutal flying knee knockout of Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos, while Rodriguez also executed a perfect flying technique of his own against Andre Fili at UFC 197.
Doo Ho Choi, the Korean Superboy, stood out for his fight against Cub Swanson, but with it ultimately ending in defeat, perhaps 2017 should be targeted as his breakthrough year. Similarly, Derrick Lewis remains in the mid-card of a rather weak UFC heavyweight division, with his only headline performance an underwhelming 4th round TKO victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov. With Travis Browne slated to be next for 'The Black Beast', next year could prove to be the one that makes his name.
When it comes to Garbrandt's key moments, while the power he displayed to knock out Almeida was impressive, it was the manner of his victory at UFC 207 that solidified him as not just a future star, but one for the present. Anyone who has watched a Dominick Cruz fight knows how elusive he is, and how unpredictable his movement has been in recent bouts, out-thinking both TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber to claim and retain the title.
However, when it came to the new Alpha Male prospect, Cruz found himself in an uncomfortable position from the word go. With Garbrandt seemingly unfazed by the high pressure environment, as well as the acrimonious build-up, which many believed would leave him emotional inside the cage, he demonstrated remarkable composure to not just live with the champion, but bamboozle him. His footwork and head movement were second to none, so much so that he was able to drop his hands and spawn a number of GIFs and Anderson Silva comparisons. Such was Garbrandt's success, he was able to dance, complete press-ups and taunt Cruz following a knock-down!
There is no doubt about his fighting technique, but if Garbrandt is lacking in any area, it's charisma on the microphone. Cruz made it perfectly clear in the build-up to UFC 207 that he didn't rate No Love's intelligence, and it's certainly true that in the current trend of sport and entertainment, Garbrandt offers far more inside the Octagon than outside.
But perhaps that isn't a bad thing. While he certainly generates conversations, both in real life and on social media, MVP's brash and cocky attitude also rubs many people up the wrong way. His disdain for opponents even after the event, particularly in the case of Cyborg Santos, whose skull he caved in with his knee, is seen as disrespectful. Likewise, the release of a dance video mocking Ronda Rousey's defeat to Amanda Nunes highlights the distasteful nature of his mental game. Ultimately, it sells fights, but Garbrandt has so far let his talking happen in the cage, and he seems to have done just fine!
Nevertheless, No Love has become one of the most exciting bantamweight fighters of all time, and it will be intriguing to see whether he excels in the role of champion as he did as the underdog. TJ Dillashaw, if that is to be his first defence, will certainly ask questions, but if he stays behind his hammer of a right hand, he will rapidly move from the 'Breakthrough' category to the headline one in no time at all.
Whether that statement was true or not, just six months later at UFC 207, Cruz was being comprehensively out-manoevered by the Alpha Male fighter on the way to a convincing unanimous decision defeat.
This was the end to another picture perfect year for No Love, racking up a 4-0 record during 2016. When compared to the other nominees, only Derrick Lewis can match his record, with Michael 'Venom' Page (3-0), Yair Rodriguez (2-0) both remaining unbeaten during the year. Meanwhile Doo Ho Choi, despite posting a contender for Fight of the Year, could only manage a 1-1 record during 2016, ultimately keeping him out of the running for this award.
So other than his record during the year, why does Garbrandt's rise stand out from his peers? Over the last 12 months, he has announced himself on the world stage on two separate occasions, starching the aforementioned Almeida in his first bout as headliner, before shocking the MMA universe to claim the belt from Cruz on December 30th. In comparison, both Bellator's Page and Rodriguez could only manage a once, with MVP hitting the headlines with his brutal flying knee knockout of Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos, while Rodriguez also executed a perfect flying technique of his own against Andre Fili at UFC 197.
Doo Ho Choi, the Korean Superboy, stood out for his fight against Cub Swanson, but with it ultimately ending in defeat, perhaps 2017 should be targeted as his breakthrough year. Similarly, Derrick Lewis remains in the mid-card of a rather weak UFC heavyweight division, with his only headline performance an underwhelming 4th round TKO victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov. With Travis Browne slated to be next for 'The Black Beast', next year could prove to be the one that makes his name.
When it comes to Garbrandt's key moments, while the power he displayed to knock out Almeida was impressive, it was the manner of his victory at UFC 207 that solidified him as not just a future star, but one for the present. Anyone who has watched a Dominick Cruz fight knows how elusive he is, and how unpredictable his movement has been in recent bouts, out-thinking both TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber to claim and retain the title.
However, when it came to the new Alpha Male prospect, Cruz found himself in an uncomfortable position from the word go. With Garbrandt seemingly unfazed by the high pressure environment, as well as the acrimonious build-up, which many believed would leave him emotional inside the cage, he demonstrated remarkable composure to not just live with the champion, but bamboozle him. His footwork and head movement were second to none, so much so that he was able to drop his hands and spawn a number of GIFs and Anderson Silva comparisons. Such was Garbrandt's success, he was able to dance, complete press-ups and taunt Cruz following a knock-down!
There is no doubt about his fighting technique, but if Garbrandt is lacking in any area, it's charisma on the microphone. Cruz made it perfectly clear in the build-up to UFC 207 that he didn't rate No Love's intelligence, and it's certainly true that in the current trend of sport and entertainment, Garbrandt offers far more inside the Octagon than outside.
But perhaps that isn't a bad thing. While he certainly generates conversations, both in real life and on social media, MVP's brash and cocky attitude also rubs many people up the wrong way. His disdain for opponents even after the event, particularly in the case of Cyborg Santos, whose skull he caved in with his knee, is seen as disrespectful. Likewise, the release of a dance video mocking Ronda Rousey's defeat to Amanda Nunes highlights the distasteful nature of his mental game. Ultimately, it sells fights, but Garbrandt has so far let his talking happen in the cage, and he seems to have done just fine!
Nevertheless, No Love has become one of the most exciting bantamweight fighters of all time, and it will be intriguing to see whether he excels in the role of champion as he did as the underdog. TJ Dillashaw, if that is to be his first defence, will certainly ask questions, but if he stays behind his hammer of a right hand, he will rapidly move from the 'Breakthrough' category to the headline one in no time at all.
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