Light-heavyweight, Christian Edwards (2-0)
Jackson-Wink MMA product Christian Edwards continued his Bellator run in November and this time in highlight-reel fashion. Edwards took control with his kicks right away throwing two front kicks with his lead right leg. Switching it up Edwards landed a left head kick knocking his opponent out cold. There’s not a lot you can say about the fight, because it only lasted sixteen seconds.
Grade: B
Dropped him like a ton of bricks ! Christian Edwards said we need to know his name before the end of year. Well this is a great start! #Bellator233
— WhatsUpMMA (@WhatsUp_MMA) November 9, 2019
Light-heavyweight, Julius Anglickas (8-1)
It wasn’t a fight with a lot of action but it was a smart and tactical fight for Bellator’s Julius Anglickas last month. Also, handing out the first loss to Jordan Young was impressive. Jordan Young is mainly a grappler and Anglickas showed perfect takedown defense. He threw his jab a lot and kept active with leg kicks. He really set the pace and picked his shots. Despite never really getting close to finishing the fight, Anglickas dominated.
Grade: B-
Middleweight, Henrique Shiguemoto (13-3)
Making his comeback after a year layoff, Henrique Shiguemoto made quick work in his Road FC debut. In the opening seconds, he landed a hard outside leg kick sweeping opponent Won Jun Choi to the mat. Shiguemoto swarmed Choi on the mat with a barrage of rights to the side of the head. As they broke away on the feet, he landed three more big right hands putting the man down, and the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-
Lightweight, Mateusz Legierski (5-0)
Polish native Mateusz Legierski continues to build his resume and still has a 100% finish rate. He stayed heavy on his kicks for the first two minutes. Legierski attacked the lead leg of his opponent kicking the inside and outside multiple times. He was caught off balance throwing a kick but was never in real danger. His foe made a bad mistake letting Legierski back to his feet after the fight went to the ground. Both men started trading in the pocket and Legierski landed a huge right hand for the clean knockout.
Grade: B-
Featherweight, Vojto Barborík (11-1)
Despite facing a step down in competition, Vojto Barborik still looked pretty darn good last month. He started off light on his feet showing good movement. It was clear he wanted the fight on the ground, timing a nice single into a double leg takedown. On top, Barborik was a monster throwing nothing but elbows and a lot of them. As soon as he transitioned into mount he got the arm-triangle, stepped to the side and forced the tap.
Grade: A
Heavyweight, Ante Delija (17-3)
A 20-fight veteran but still a prospect, Ante Delija took out veteran and former UFC fighter Oil Thompson under the KSW banner in November. Delija won every exchange in the stand-up department, lunging forward with heavy strikes. Despite hurting Thomson on the feet at times, Delija wanted the fight more on the mat. He timed low shots perfectly and landed a few emphatic takedowns. On top, he landed big strikes until the ref finally stepped in for a second round finish.
Grade: A+
Strawweight, Luana Pinheiro (7-1)
TUF 23 competitor Helen Harper made her return in November after a two-year layoff. With that said, it didn’t go her way as Luana Pinheiro spoiled her comeback. Pinheiro took control cutting off the footwork of Harper. Helen didn’t want any part of the Brazilian on the feet so she went into the clinch but was open to a judo throw by Pinheiro. Brazil’s Pinheiro landed a huge ground punch and threatened with an RNC. As they broke to the feet, Pinheiro landed a big right hook shutting the lights out.
Grade: A
Featherweight, Ilia Topuria (8-0)
Ilia Topuria fought through some adversity on the feet as he was dropped by a head kick. Goncalves, his opponent was getting the best of him on the feet but his takedown defense didn’t hold up. Topuria scored three well-timed and executed takedowns. On top, he threatened with an arm-in guillotine and a d’arce choke. When they took it back to the feet, Goncalves was gassed. Holding his hands low, Topuria capitalized with a brutal right hook for the clean knockout.
Grade: C+
Light-heavyweight, Modestas Bukauskas (10-2)
Another big test for Modestas Bukauskas, who stopped Italian Riccardo Nosiglia in the first round. Nosiglia went right after a grapple-heavy gameplan. He did get a takedown early but Bukauskas popped right back up. Nosiglia didn’t give up on the takedown against the cage but held that position too long. He kept his head on the outside and Bukauskas landed elbows to the side of the head for the knockout win. It’s hard to doubt Bukauskas again.
Grade: C+
