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Bellator returned to Dublin for a fun card that featured an energetic crowd, fun finishes, and oh yeah - Conor McGregor. Let’s take a look at the results…
Main Card
Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. Jason Jackson via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Paul Hughes def. Bobby King via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 4:50
Arlene Blencowe def. Sinead Kavanagh via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 3:02
Dalton Rosta def. Norbert Novenyi Jr. via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Darragh Kelly def. Mathias Poiron via technical submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 1:29
Preliminary Card
Kasum Kasumov def. Matheus Mattos via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Nathan Kelly def. Jose Sanchez via submission (ninja choke) — Round 1, 3:42
Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Tyler Mathison via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sarvarjon Khamidov def. Marcirley Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Shinobu Ota def. Roger Blanque via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:18
Michelle Montague def. Karolina Sobek via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:41
Nate Kelly def. Paul Nolan via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 1:49
The Prelims
Like I said in my preview, I was hoping to learn some names with this card. Let’s take a look at what I saw…
All the Kellys looked awesome. Nate, Nathan, and Darragh all had impressive finishes that got the crowd into it.
Both Michelle Montague and Shinobu Ota also had finishes that put them on my radar.
Dalton Rosta vs. Norbert Novenyi Jr.
This is why you let the fights happen. Personally, I didn’t expect Rosta to have much of a chance. I was big on Novenyi Jr. and what I saw from him previously. Rosta did a great job of picking apart Norbert’s weaknesses - staying on top of him on the ground. Novenyi Jr. had some spots, especially towards the end of the fight. But at the end of it, he came away with his first loss. I still think he’ll do fun things in MMA, but he definitely has some things to work on after this fight.
Arlene Blencowe vs. Sinead Kavanagh
Kavanagh had the crowd behind her, but Blencowe had a lot of power behind her punches. In the end, the power won, with Blencowe knocking Kavanagh down multiple times and getting the submission finish. Blencowe looked really strong here.
Paul Hughes vs. Bobby King
It was great to see Paul Hughes get the spotlight here. Bobby King came out for a real fight and got it. He actually got some shots in and didn’t allow for it to be a complete “Paul Hughes Show.” But in the end, Paul Hughes was just too good and got the finish. Hughes, to his credit, wasn’t thrilled with his performance. But a win is a win and he knows what he has to fix. The promotion is fully behind him, so I expect big things in the future.
Ramazan Kuramagomedov vs. Jason Jackson
New champ! I almost called it, but decided to pick Jackson at the last second. Oh well! This was close, though, and it mostly came down to who took the other fighter down and maintained control. It wasn’t a super sexy win, but hey - a title was won. Can’t hate on it.
Conor McGregor
The injured Conor McGregor was in the corner for Sinead Kavanagh and in the crowd for some other fights. Paul Hughes gave him a huge shoutout in his post-fight interview. It was interesting to see him so heavily featured on a Bellator show. In fact, he’s been featured on more non-UFC shows than UFC shows lately.
My Picks
I only picked four fights in my preview and went 1-3 on them. This is why I haven’t been betting real money lately, haha. Not good…
Overall, I enjoyed this show a lot. I had to pause it for an hour or so to get some things done and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was actually easier than the last Bellator show when it came to fast forwarding through the talking and videos to get to the next fight. Great job, Max!
What did you think of the show? Did you like what you saw from Paul Hughes? What do you think of the new champ? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back later this week to take a look at PFL, Invicta, and UFC. See you then!
