Peppa Pig instead of Gegard Mousasi? Heading into Bellator 206, there were big changes afoot for Bellator MMA. The promotion was making its debut on streaming service DAZN, the first time in ages a Bellator show had aired anywhere but on Spike TV/Paramount Network in the U.S. and Canada. Fans waited with bated breath, especially those in Canada, where DAZN had botched the launch of its exclusive NFL package in 2017 so badly that the NFL handed the broadcasting rights back to cable and satellite providers.

In short, DAZN was going to be a gamble. But on Saturday night, with Bellator 206 providing an exciting night of action in San Jose, it wasn’t DAZN who had issues. Instead, it was Bellator’s U.K. broadcaster Channel 5, airing a Bellator show live in a rare move (Bellator normally airs via tape delay for fans across the pond). When fans tuned in to the main event super-fight between welterweight champ Rory MacDonald and middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi, instead, they got Peppa Pig.

Oops. At the Bellator 206 post-fight press conference, Bellator Senior VP of Marketing and Communications Dave Schwartz said that “It’s government regulation that at 6 a.m. that content was not suitable so they had to switch to children’s programming.” Which meant fans got Peppa Pig instead on the main event. Though which content will melt your brain quicker remains debatable. It might just be the pig.

Bellator CEO Scott Coker later promised that they’d avoid running long in future. Bellator 206 featured six main card fights. That’s opposed to the normal four or five that Bellator generally schedules.

Aside from that setback, Bellator 206 turned out to be an otherwise smooth affair for the promotion. The welterweight grand prix got underway with Douglas Lima choking out Andrey Koreshkov, and Rampage Jackson evened the score with Wanderlei Silva when he knocked out ‘The Axe Murderer.’ Mousasi, meanwhile, stopped MacDonald in the second round of the main event.

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It seems to be the theme of 2018: champion vs. champion fights. Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic. Martin Nguyen vs. Bibiano Fernandes. Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg. Angela Lee vs. Xiong Jing Nan. Throw in Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor if you wish. And at Bellator 206, it was Rory MacDonald vs. Gegard Mousasi.

Mousasi never got his shot at gold in the UFC, though he deserved one, leaving the company on an impressive win streak and continuing his winning ways in Bellator. MacDonald had his, but never made it back to a second shot at gold. Still, he won Bellator’s welterweight title in a hard-fought contest against Douglas Lima, and holds a win over current UFC 170lb champ Tyron Woodley.

Thus, there was an argument to be made that Mousasi and MacDonald were the best in the world in their respective weight classes.

Facing off in the cage after the opening bell at Bellator 206, both men stood their ground. MacDonald threw an overhand, Mousasi a leg kick. MacDonald, perhaps more so than expected, looked the much smaller man in the cage. Mousasi landed a straight right, and MacDonald began focusing on his movement. He’d throw out a leg kick. Mousasi answered that with his own. MacDonald then fired off a crisp right hook that came out of nowhere. A Mousasi high kick was blocked, while MacDonald went high with his own kick. Mousasi then connected with a straight right again. MacDonald would finish the round by connecting with a push kick, but it was Mousasi who cleared had the edge.

Round two saw MacDonald attempt a rolling takedown, something he’d tried against Wonderboy Thompson in Ottawa years earlier. A key mistake, as it allowed Mousasi to get the upper hand and move into MacDonald’s guard. Mousasi battered a bloodied MacDonald with ground and pound, and with two minutes remaining, the middleweight champ passed to full mount. Elbow after elbow rained down on the ‘Red King’ whose face had come to match his nickname. Trapped, MacDonald could only cover up and take more punishment, resulting in Herb Dean calling off the affair.

Afterward, Mousasi told Big John he expected to face Rafael Lovato Jr. next. The undefeated BJJ ace should make an interesting challenger. After that, the champ said he was open to facing Lyoto Machida — with plenty of drug testing.

Gegard Mousasi def. Rory MacDonald by TKO, Round 2, 3:23

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It was a grudge match arguably ten years too late. A chance for Rampage Jackson to even the score with old foe Wanderlei Silva. It finally went down when Jackson met Silva for the fourth time at Bellator 206 in San Jose on Saturday night. Their rivalry dated back to Pride, and later, the UFC. Silva had scored one of the most violent knockouts in MMA history when he left Jackson dangling on the ring ropes at Pride 28. It was one of those “poster” moments that stay with MMA fans for years.

The question was, at Bellator 206, did either man have enough in the tank to put on an entertaining show? Jackson certainly still had his knockout power, but both had recently been stifled by Chael Sonnen. On the plus side, it was doubtful either man would be looking for a takedown as they headed into their fourth meeting, with Silva up 2-1 in the career series.

With both men finally back in the cage together for the first time in ten years, the question was, who had more left in the tank? Jackson, without question, was the larger man. More intimidating, to be sure. But Wanderlei Silva was never one to turn down a fight.

There was no glove touch to start, and then two of the most bitter rivals in the sport had at it. Silva threw a number of jabs early, while Jackson walked him down, ready to unleash that power punch. It was Silva launching an overhand right first, but it didn’t connect clean. Jackson then tagged him with a counter a moment later, and Silva clinched, buying recovery time. Jackson would push him off; facing off again, Silva would miss with a front kick. Silva would attack with a right and go high with a kick again, while Jackson would sail wide with a counter. Another overhand right by Silva connected, and Rampage answered by driving the Brazilian back to the fence. They’d exchange in a flurry then, with Jackson even launching a kick. At the end of the round, Jackson began goading his opponent a little, encouraging Silva to engage.

Round two saw Wanderlei open with a leg kick. An exchange followed with both men landing, both putting everything behind their punches! Jackson would block an overhand right a short time later, and back Silva up. Silva was showing a bit of damage, and was breathing heavy. Jackson then rocked him with a punch, with the Brazilian clinching, and Rampage trying to create some space. Jackson then worked in some dirty boxing, and stalked Silva as the Brazilian escaped. The pair exchanged again, with Jackson having a slight edge and adding a knee before another clinch. Rampage would throw in some uppercuts in the clinch, Silva would threaten to land some big shots off the break. Then came the big finish! Rampage Jackson scored a knockdown with a heavy right hand, and Wanderlei was hurt! Jackson moved in with the follow-up ground n’ pound, and as Silva covered up, the ref called it off.

RAMPAGE. JACKSON. 😤#WatchOnDAZN #Bellator206 pic.twitter.com/IrHLMcsaXd

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 30, 2018

Just like that, Quinton Jackson evened the score to two wins, and two knockouts, apiece. Say what you will about age and condition, but the pair managed to put on a more entertaining fight than most expected at this stage of their careers.

Rampage Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva by TKO, Round 2, 4:32

The post Bellator 206 Results: Rampage Jackson Stops Wanderlei Silva in Entertaining, Nostalgic Scrap appeared first on Cageside Press.

One of the more interesting bouts of the Bellator 206 main card Saturday night in San Jose was a battle of former welterweight champions. Meeting for the third time, Andrey Koreshkov and Douglas Lima each had one win apiece in their career series. Each had dropped the title to the other. Yet there was no belt on the line at Bellator 206, not for these two. In fact, welterweight champion Rory MacDonald was up competing in another weight class, for another title.

Instead, Lima and Koreshkov would clash in a rubber match to see who would move forward in Bellator’s welterweight grand prix. An impressive way to start off the tournament, frankly, with two of the promotion’s toughest home grown 170lb’ers.

Koreshkov landed a spinning back kick to the midsection of Douglas Lima early in round one, sending Lima backpedaling to the fence. Lima recovered, and the pair exchanged leg kicks before Koreshkov shot in for a takedown. Lima fought him off, but Koreshkov stayed on him, driving him back into the fence. The bulk of the round would then play out there, with the pair reverse, but not a ton of offense with the two unable to create space.

Round two saw Lima firing off a leg kick, and Koreshkov answering with a kick to the body in the first minute. A clinch in the middle saw Lima walk the Russian fighter back to the fence. He’d land a right, then nearly trip Koreshkov up with a leg kick. The leg attacks forced Koreshkov to switch stances several times during the bout. While they’d clinch slightly less, round two was a rather tepid affair as well — much to the displeasure of the crowd in San Jose, who made their feelings known as the round wore on with little in the way of action outside of Lima’s leg kicks.

Round three continued the theme, plenty of back and forth, not a lot of damage done. Koreshkov looked to land a takedown, but Lima was well aware of his shots. Clinching by the fence to end the round, once again, the biggest factor was Lima’s leg kicks. That said, the welterweight grand prix fight was a five round affair, and it was still anyone’s fight.

In the least surprising news of the night, Douglas Lima opened round four with a leg kick. However, action was halted thanks to a low blow about ninety seconds in. Koreshkov continued to look for a takedown, changing levels only for Lima to stuff the attempt easily. Koreshkov would then drive Lima into the cage, looking to find some way to get his opponent to the ground. Lima would add a knee in the final minute, and stun the Russian with a right with seconds remaining. He likely had the edge heading into the fifth and final frame.

Lima would be looking to build on that late flurry at the end of the fourth round as the final frame got underway. He immediately walked forward, throwing out a push kick as Koreshkov tried to create space. Lima then went upstairs, and Koreshkov needed to start thinking finish. Yet Lima was still controlling the action. Koreshkov shot in for a sprawling takedown attempt, only to be stuffed. Lima then managed to take the back of his opponent, peppering him with shots before getting his hooks in and applying a rear-naked choke! Koreshkov went out, submitted for the first time in his career!

Douglas Lima def. Andrey Koreshkov by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 5, 3:04

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Aaron Pico has certainly earned his hot prospect and prodigy labels in MMA. Now 4-1 as a pro, Pico earned his latest win on Saturday night at Bellator 206 in San Jose. There, he absolutely demolished former bantamweight title challenger Leandro Higo within a round. While Higo had some success with leg kicks and the odd punch early, it was Pico knocking him down with a thunderous left. Following up with hammer fists. In fact, the only reason the fight went as long as it did was a brutal non-stoppage by the ref, who seemed to enjoy the sight of Leandro Higo being battered senseless.

Higo managed to make it back to his feet, only to be dropped by Pico again. A few follow-up strikes, and the ref finally, mercifully, called it off. An impressive showing by Pico, again. A violent victory by Pico, again, who is quickly becoming one of the most action-packed fighters in the 145lb division, in any promotion.

The hype train is going full speed ahead. You can check out what Pico’s fellow pros thought of the action below, as the pros react to Aaron Pico’s Bellator 206 victory over Leandro Higo!

https://twitter.com/Nino_416/status/1046241339342372864

https://twitter.com/jonfitchdotnet/status/1046236553192792064

https://twitter.com/jonfitchdotnet/status/1046237700045434880

Fight should have been stopped 30 seconds earlier. Man that was rough… #Bellator206

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) September 30, 2018

Damnnnnnnn, stopped Merked @AaronPicoUSA Great ✊🏼@BellatorMMA @DAZN_USA

— Brandon Girtz (@brandongirtzmma) September 30, 2018

.@AaronPicoUSA is a bad, bad (young) man.

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) September 30, 2018

Pico just put all his limbs on Higo #bellator206

— Darrion Caldwell (@TheWolfMMA) September 30, 2018

How awesome does @DreamkillerMT vs. @AaronPicoUSA sound??!!! @BellatorMMA #bellator206

— Steven “Thunderbeast” Kozola (@stevekozolamma) September 30, 2018

.@dc_mma just turned to us and said, “He’s good.”

Yes. Yes, Pico is. #Bellator206

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 30, 2018

Reminder: This Guy Just Turned 22. 👀#Bellator206 pic.twitter.com/RUvkEKdWjh

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 30, 2018

Aaron Pico es otro nivel!!!!!! Que crack pibe https://t.co/cpzEdLL9lZ

— Ariel (@LopezArielMMA) September 30, 2018

Holy smokes Aaron Pico is for real! #Bellator206

— Bobby Nash 🔥 (@B_Nashty) September 30, 2018

What makes Aaron Pico so scary is he is actually a better wrestler then boxer. Hard to believe but it's true.

— Bobby Nash 🔥 (@B_Nashty) September 30, 2018

The post Pros React to Another Violent Victory by Aaron Pico at Bellator 206 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator 206 offered a lot on its stacked main card in San Jose, CA on Saturday night. Along with the champ vs. champ headliner, and grudge match between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, was another chance for the youth movement in Bellator MMA to shine. That opportunity came when Aaron Pico, considered a big part of Bellator’s future, took on former bantamweight title challenger Leandro Higo, part of the six-fight main card Saturday night. Higo moved up to featherweight for the bout.

All eyes were on Aaron Pico in San Jose, but it would be dangerous to write Leandro Higo off. And for a while, it seemed Higo had a chance. Off the opening bell, Pico backed his opponent up, flashing a few kicks, before coming in with the first combination of the battle. Higo slipped away, but Pico walked him down and went to the body. Soon enough they were trading, with Higo hammering Pico’s lead leg and landing a few punches of his own. Pico would soon rock Leandro Higo, and move in for the kill, landing bomb after bomb! But Higo kept his composure, covered up and survived. Not for long, however.

Pico would drop Higo moments later, a right hand that snapped Higo’s jaw to the side. Pico then dropped hammer fist after hammer fist, and Higo was helpless. The ref however, decided to let things go. For far, far too long. Higo made it up, on instinct, eating more damage, unable to fire back. Pico connected again and again, with multiple chances for the ref to end it. Finally, dropping Higo again, the ref decided to wave it off. Late stoppage, but a great win by Aaron Pico.

If there was any question remaining about whether Pico was a legit threat to anyone at 145lbs in Bellator, it was answered in San Jose. Pico has certainly earned his prodigy label, and the scary thing is, at just 22, he has years left to develop.

Aaron Pico def. Leandro Higo by TKO, Round 1, 3:19

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Women’s strawweight Keri Melendez was back in action at Bellator 206 in San Jose, taking on newcomer Dakota Zimmerman. Melendez, wife of former Strikeforce lightweight champ and UFC star Gilbert Melendez, was looking to improve to 3-0 with a win. Having won her first two fights under the Bellator banner, Melendez was still green, but had a ton of potential in a 115lb division that was underdeveloped in Bellator.

The action took place live at the SAP Center in San Jose, streaming on DAZN, Bellator’s first event as part of a multi-year agreement with the streaming service.

Melendez had her kicks going early, attacking the legs, then going high with a switch kick. She soon had Zimmerman, who was making her professional debut, to the ground, and moved to half-guard. Melendez hoisted her opponent up and slammed her down as Zimmerman held on, pretty much for dear life. Melendez seemed to be in full control, untll Zimmerman caught her in a triangle! Melendez couldn’t escape it, and wound up giving up her arm to break free, with Zimmerman wrenching on the limb as seconds wore down in the round.

Round two opened with Zimmerman throwing punches in order to force a clinch and possible takedown. She ate a knee from Melendez on the way in, however, and wound up stymied by the solid takedown defense of Keri Melendez. Zimmerman finally opted to pull guard, but couldn’t bring Melendez down. Melendez scored a heavy knee in the clinch, but Zimmerman was right back on her, grinding her into the fence. After a reversal, Melendez landed another big knee, but she was unable to create space, and Zimmerman then tried to pull guard once more with a minute remaining in the frame. Once again, it failed to have the desired result, and Melendez then landed eight or so standing knees in the clinch.

The third round saw Zimmerman put Keri Melendez on her back just ninety seconds or so into the round, but Melendez was able to reverse, and do some damage from the top, in a kneeling position. An elbow connected for Melendez, and soon she was back up, which forced Zimmerman up as well. Melendez got her hands going, but ultimately, most of the remainder of the round would be a clinching affair. Going to the scorecards, it was Melendez edging out the decision, just barely.

Keri Melendez def. Dakota Zimmerman by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Kicking off the Bellator 206 main card, live exclusively on DAZN in North America, was a featherweight scrap between Gaston Bolanos and Ysidro Gutierrez. Bolanos (3-1) was another of Bellator’s highly touted rookies, and while relatively inexperienced in the cage, all four of his bouts had come inside the promotion — including a highlight reel spinning back elbow knockout late last year.

The finish likely earned him a sweet opening spot at Bellator 206. And right off the opening bell, Bolanos backed Gutierrez back up to the fence, forcing him to circle away. Gutierrez opted to try his hand at a takedown, to no avail, and early on, it felt like the fight was Bolanos’ for the taking. Gutierrez was happy to counter, but soon ate a high kick that he was able to at least partially block. As game as Gutierrez was, towards the end of the first charging forward throwing punches, Bolanos continued to have the advantage on the feet — but a slow start saw the pair go to a second round after a late takedown by Bolanos.

While Gutierrez opened the second with a high kick, it was Bolanos again walking him down, backing him up. As Gutierrez charged in throwing wild moments later, Bolanos scored a quick takedown, and added a few ground strikes before his opppent made it back up. Then came the finish: Bolanos dropped the outmatched Gutierrez with a heavy left hand behind the ear. He then landed blow after blow on Gutierrez from the back, slipping under the defenses of his opponent, who tried in vain to cover up.

In the cage with Big John post-fight, ‘The Dreamkiller’ said an in-cage interview was something he’d dreamed of for years. Make that one dream not killed, as his own was fulfilled in San Jose.

Gaston Bolanos def. Ysidro Gutierrez by knockout, Round 2, 1:37

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Bellator 206 went down Saturday night in San Jose, California. Arguably Bellator’s biggest card of the year, the event would launch the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, witness the fourth meeting between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, and see a champion vs. champion fight featuring 170lb champ Rory MacDonald facing middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi. In short, Bellator 206 was a stacked card. One of Bellator’s tentpole events.

The show also represented the promotion’s debut on DAZN, the first time in ages the company had aired on anything other than the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) in North America.

Prior to the main card, a number of fights aired online, streaming via the Bellator app, bellator.com, and right here on Cageside Press! Among them, women’s featherweights Arlene Blencowe and Amber Leibrock threw down, as did the popular Adam Piccolotti, facing James Terry in a 160lb catchweight battle.

Check out the Bellator 206 live stream below for all the preliminary card action, and check back for results throughout the evening in case you missed anything!

Bellator 206: Mousasi vs. MacDonald – Live Tonight on DAZN

Bellator 206 Preliminary Card Results:

Adam Piccolotti def. James Terry by unanimous (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Cass Bell def. Ty Costa by submission, Round 2, 3:06
Arlene Blencowe def. Amber Leibrock by TKO, Round 3, 1:23
Jeremiah Labiano def. Justin Smitley by TKO, Round 1, 3:28
Josh San Diego def. Joe Neal by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Postliminary Bouts (Dark)

Ignacio Ortiz vs. Jacob Ycaro
Abraham Vaesau vs. DeMarco Villalona
Chuck Campbell vs. Joseph Ramirez
Anthony Figueroa vs. Samuel Romero
Isaiah Batin-Gonzalez vs. Khai Wu
Ricky Abdelaziz vs. Laird Anderson
Don Mohammed vs. Salvador Becerra

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Bellator 206: MacDonald vs. Mousasi was set to go down Saturday night in San Jose, CA. One of the biggest Bellator events to date, it launched a welterweight grand prix, saw a champ vs. champ super-fight between Rory MacDonald and Gegard Mousasi, plus featured another grudge match between longtime rivals Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson.

So who did we pick to win big on the night? Check out our staff picks below!

Staff Writers	Bolanos vs. Gutierrez	Melendez vs. Zimmerman	Pico vs. Higo	Lima vs. Koreshkov	Jackson vs. Silva	Mousasi vs. MacDonald
Heath Harshman (96-49)
Dan Doherty (96-55)
Paarth Pande (91-56)
Eddie Law (81-53)
Mike Straus (89-62)
Jesse Gillette (81-60)
Josh Evanoff (42-32)
Jay Anderson (84-67)
Gabriel Gonzalez (78-63)
Mike McClory (71-67)

While the bottom half of the event’s main card was nearly unanimous, the top half was another matter. Gaston Bolanos, Keri Melendez, and Aaron Pico were the safe bets, with almost our entire staff siding with them. Things got a little more interesting, however, when it came to the most recent battle between former champions Andrey Koreshkov and Douglas Lima. The pair had fought twice before, with each man holding a win apiece. Lima was the slight favorite among our staff members, but it was no easy call.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was an easy call against Wanderlei Silva, however. Rampage was the heavy favorite with all but one writer siding with the former UFC light heavyweight champion. The main event was a little more divided, however, with Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald both having their supporters. We’ll know soon enough — Bellator 206 goes down live tonight at the SAP Center in San Jose!

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