Fans were treated to a mixed martial arts (MMA) duo last night as Bellator 290 crashed inside the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., while UFC Vegas 68 went on collapsed inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the main event of Bellator 290, Ryan Bader disposed of Fedor Emelianenko in the very first round for the second time (review here), sending him to retirement with a loss. In the UFC Vegas 68 headliner. Serghei Spivak also scored a first-round stoppage victory after forcing Derrick Lewis into a triangle arm tap (highlights).
Biggest winner(s): Ryan Bader and Sergei Spivac
It was another quick night at the office for “Darth”, which sent Fedor packing in 150 seconds, 115 more than it took him the first time around. It’s now been three straight title defenses for Bader, who is now considering some new blood for his next challenge. While some may be quick to discredit “Darth” for crushing an aging veteran who was about to exit the fighting game, the pressure was still on him to not lay an egg and win as expected. . Bader has moved to 9-2-1 since joining Bellator, which turned out to be quite a career-prosperous move.
Spivac picked up a rather easy first-round victory over Derrick Lewis, manhandling “Black Beast” from the jump, not allowing the heavy-handed fighter to unleash an attack in their 265-pound bout. After scoring an early takedown, Spivac began to soften the big man with jabs to the side of the head. Lewis managed to get up, but only for a little while as he was soon back on the mat. This time he wouldn’t get up as Spivac put in an arm triangle which made him tap out quickly. It’s now been three straight wins for Spivak, who is aiming for a Top 10 spot after his latest win.
Finalist: Lorenz Larkin
If you haven’t respected the Larkin name, it’s high time you did. “Da Monsoon” scored a vicious standing elbow against Mukhamed Berkhamov in the very first round at Bellator 290, putting him 7-0-1 in his last eight outings. The move up and down the weight classes has hurt Larkin’s title aspirations, but if he stays at welterweight, he could get closer to that championship fight. Larkin started his Bellator career with two straight losses after making the jump from the UFC, but he’s looked unstoppable for the past five years. What a nice turnaround for the 36-year-old.
Biggest Loser: Derrick Lewis
Did you really think I was going to put Fedor here…in his fight for retirement…after all he’s done in sports? No. Most were expecting the result, so unfortunately it’s not a big surprise. Plus, “The Last Emperor” is now retired, so winning, losing, or drawing was not going to do anything for his career or his legacy in most people’s eyes. The reason Lewis gets the spot is because he’s now lost three in a row, all stoppages, with his last win coming in December 2021. Overall, “Black Beast” is 1-3 in his last four fights and will now plummet to the bottom of the heavyweight rankings after a loss that saw him put zero offensive output. It’s unclear where it went wrong for Lewis, but he better find the cure to get back to the killer he once was fast enough before he digs himself a deeper hole he can’t get out of.
To see full results for Bellator 290, click hereand for UFC Vegas 68, click here.
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