Opposite Ruth on Friday, a fellow wrestler in Taylor Johnson. But one who had a wee bit of experience in the jiu-jitsu realm as well. That experience paid dividends on Friday.

If you thought Ruth was going to having a dominant performance falling back on his bread and butter, his wrestling, you were wrong. Early on, Johnson gripped on to a leg, and began hunting a submission. Ruth, try as he might, could not break free of the hold. Johnson latched on with a heel hook — an inverted heel hook to be exact — and before long, Ruth was forced to tap.

Taylor Johnson was not on the radar prior to Friday, but after submitting Ed Ruth win an inverted heel hook, he most certainly is now. A big win for Johnson, and a rude welcome back to the middleweight division for Ed Ruth.

Official Result: Taylor Johnson def. Ed Ruth by submission (inverted heel hook), Round 1, 0:59

The post Bellator 245 Results: Taylor Johnson Shocks Ed Ruth with Inverted Heel Hook appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Penn State wrestler, once again sharing a card with fellow alumni Phil Davis this Friday at Bellator 245, suffered a one-sided defeat against Yaroslav Amosov back in February. It was just the second loss of Ruth’s career, but despite so much time having passed since — due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control — he’s not at all irritated by the wait to get back.

“It wasn’t frustrating at all. If anything I was happy with the time that I got, just to look over my thoughts, to reflect on the match,” Ruth said during the Bellator 245/246 media day this week. “I just had so much time to take everything into the gym and just work on myself.”

The pandemic doesn’t have him all that frustrated either. Perhaps “Easy” Ed Ruth comes from his easygoing nature.

“If anything I think it [the coronavirus pandemic] helped it a lot more. I got more one-on-one time with my coaches,” he explained. “The gym’s always open. I feel like we’ve always had a problem of too many people in the gym. When you’re sparring, you’re always tripping, falling over somebody. If you’re doing jiu-jitsu, you’re always invading someone else’s space and the next thing you know, you’re on top of another two guys.”

“Now, it’s focused more on the people you want in the gym, and you’re just getting everything that you need,” he added.

Admitting that lockdown has been “isolating,” however, Ruth later added that “all I’ve been doing is trying to keep my mind busy.”

One interesting twist: “I took up the guitar.”

After spending so much time sitting around, not really building a skill, “I heard somebody playing a guitar one day, and I just picked it up and started doing it,” revealed Ruth. “It made me realize ‘wow I’m more of a creative person that I thought.’ I started looking at my life in more creative ways.”

Just don’t expect any live performances just yet. “I just started, so I’m about two months deep.”

Bellator 245 takes place this Friday, September 11 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The event airs live on Paramount Network.

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None more so than Fortune, the previously undefeated heavyweight who is a big part of the division’s future. Fortunes went south for the wrestler early, as opponent Tim Johnson pressed the attack and connected with a knockout right hook in the first round. It will likely be a few fights for Fortune to work his way back to getting that next step up, while Johnson, a UFC veteran, finally gets his first win in the Bellator cage.

That knockout was unquestionably the star of the show on Friday. The main event, meanwhile, was a much closer affair. The undefeated Yaroslav Amosov improved to 23-0 in the end, with a unanimous decision win over Ed Ruth. Yet overall, it was a close, measured affair, one that shouldn’t set Ruth too far back in the welterweight division.

For Amosov, the win likely won’t be enough for a title shot — especially given champ Douglas Lima will be moving up to vie for the vacant middleweight title against Gegard Mousasi.

Full results from the event, and photo highlights, can be found below!

Bellator 239: Ruth vs. Amosov Results:

Main Card

Yaroslav Amosov def. Ed Ruth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Myles Jury def. Brandon Girtz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tim Johnson def. Tyrell Fortune by KO (punches), Round 1, 2:35
Valentin Moldavsky def. Javy Ayala by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-24)

Preliminary Card

Davion Franklin def. J.W. Kiser by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:30
Chris Gonzalez def. Aaron McKenzie by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Kevin Croom def. Adil Benjilany by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cris Lencioni def. Salim Mukhidinov by split decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Kyle Crutchmer def. Scott Futrell by submission (anaconda choke), Round 1, 2:58
Grant Neal def. Claude Wilcox by TKO (punches), Round 3, 3:37
Josh Hill def. Vinicius Zani by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Solo Hatley Jr. def. Gaston Bolanos by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Denise Kielholtz def. Kristina Williams by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:15
TeeJay Britton def. Gabriel Varga by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Keith Lee def. Shawn Bunch by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
Christian Edwards def. Marco Hutch by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

The post Bellator 239: Ruth vs. Amosov Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main event of Bellator 239 represented a trial by fire for Ed Ruth. The talented wrestler had long carried the label of “top prospect” in Bellator’s welterweight division. His only misstep had come against Neiman Gracie in the promotion’s welterweight grand prix. After bouncing back from that loss with a couple of wins, he was in the first main event of his career.

Opposite Ruth in the headliner in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Friday was Yaroslav Amosov. The undefeated ‘Dynamo’ entered the night with an imposing record of 22-0, with wins over Gerald Harris, Erick Silva, and David ‘Caveman’ Rickels inside the Bellator cage.

Surprisingly, Amosov opted to try his hand at wrestling early as the main event got underway. The undefeated fighter went for a single-leg, which Ruth easily fought off. Ruth then went after a takedown of his own, but Amosov used a throw to put Ruth on the ground. That didn’t last; Ruth was soon back up, and briefly powered through a takedown of his own, only for Amosov to immediately escape.

Amosov changed tactics with some kicks, to the leg and body. Ruth answered back with a couple of his own. Amosov’s kicks, however, mainly the leg kicks, seemed to have a little more on them. Ruth got his hands going, and both men landed a couple clean strikes before Ruth again dropped for a takedown. Amosov, however, was right back up. A close battle with a lot of wrestling through the opening frame.

In the second, Amosov got his hands going early, connecting several times while on the attack, backing Ruth up to the fence. Amosov would also connect with a knee in the clinch, while Ruth was thinking takedown. Through to the midway point, Amosov arguably had a slight edge, both in the striking and wrestling department. He’d once again change levels, getting Ruth down, but in a rare misstep, he gave up his back, allowing Ruth to get in control.

What a transition from@EdRuth67! Every round is a war between these two men.

The #Bellator239 main event is LIVE now on @ParamountNet! pic.twitter.com/TuD4IkkTzX

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 22, 2020

The third round looked to be key to winning the fight for either man. Amosov landed a right hand early. Ruth answered back. Amosov worked in a leg kick. Ruth landed a counter-punch. An active enough opening minute, with a lot on the line. Ruth would find success with his right hand, while Amosov would look for a way in. Just as Ruth seemed to be turning up the heat, Amosov briefly landed a takedown. Then went for another, looking to take the back. Ruth reversed, but Amosov escaped. Amosov would later put Ruth on his backside with a kick, but it was more of a slip. Ultimately they’d go the distance in a close fight. Amosov took the win in the end, 29-28 on all three scorecards.

If Bellator 239 was a test to see where Ed Ruth was at, the results weren’t entirely clear. It was a loss, not a blowout, against an undefeated fighter. Amosov, who moved to 23-0, might have had a case for a title shot with a definitive win, but the end result wasn’t exactly a statement. Besides which, welterweight champion Douglas Lima is already set to move up to middleweight against Gegard Mousasi later this year. Which means Amosov may have to take another fight first.

Official Result: Yaroslav Amosov def. Ed Ruth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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At Bellator 239 this weekend, Ed Ruth makes something of a star turn. Taking on the vastly more experienced Yaroslav Amosov, Ruth is headlining a Bellator card for the first time. It’s a significant milestone for a welterweight prospect on the radar for years now. At 8-1, Ruth’s only loss came to Neiman Gracie as part of the promotion’s welterweight grand prix. Should he pass this particular test, he may very well leave the prospect label behind.

Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune is in a similar spot. He’s facing his second straight UFC alum in Tim Johnson, after dispatching of Azunna Anyanwu last time out. Fortune (8-0) is considered by many to be the future of the division, despite not even qualifying for a Wikipedia entry (though that is mostly due to the site’s broken notability rules for mixed martial artists). In any case, a win over Johnson, and you can expect to see Fortune begin to clash with some of the bigger names in the division.

Now it’s on to our Weekly MMA Pospect Report!

ACA 104 | Friday | Russia

Heavyweight: Evgeny Goncharov (14-2)

Evgeny Goncharov is another solid heavyweight prospect out of Russia. On the feet, he does have some power, but on the mat is where he wants to be. Goncharov is an excellent wrestler who will get the body lock and get huge power takedowns, showing how strong he is. On top, he has some slick grappling for a big guy, but his ground-and-pound is his best aspect where he throws at a high rate and can do that all fight. He fights Mukhamad Vakhaev (7-4-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePfayuXMvg&t=29s

Lightweight: Ali Bagov (28-10)

In his 28 wins, Ali Bagov has beat opponents like Bubba Jenkins, Eduard Vartanyan, Leandro Silva, Herdeson Batista, Khusein Khaliev, and current UFC fighter Ramazan Emeev. Bagov is totally a grappler/wrestler. He doesn’t have much on the feet, but his ability to close the distance and level-change to get the fight to the mat is quite smooth. His nickname is “The Hulk” and it suits him well as he is very strong and tough to get away from when he gets a hold of his opponents. Bagov’s jiu-jitsu is slick as displayed by his 22 wins by submission. His submission threats are complemented by heavy ground-and-pound. He fights Adam Townsend (19-7).

Bellator 239 | Friday | US

Welterweight: Ed Ruth (8-1)

Ed Ruth is a very accomplished wrestler. His accolades include 2012, 2013, 2014 NCAA D1 Wrestling Champion, a 4x All-American, and a 4x Big Ten Champion. With his wrestling background and training with top camp Jackson-Wink MMA, Ruth has really developed into a promising prospect. He’s been getting easy takedowns and the mount along with controlling back position, showing off his BJJ background. Ruth has also shown finishing ability with heavy ground and the wrestler has even scored a knockout by a punch by a knee, showing that he has been improving on the feet. He fights Yaroslav Amosov (22-0).

Welterweight: Yaroslav Amosov (22-0)

In Yaroslav Amosov’s stand-up, he combines his kicks and punches extremely well. He moves in and out fluidly with his punches and uses his reach well too. Yaroslav doesn’t have a lot of knockout power, but he is a finisher, finishing all but four of his wins. Amosov also has very good submission skills with nine submission wins, using his long arms mostly for chokes. He also has excellent takedown defense. He does need to work on his cardio though. Amosov fights Ed Ruth (8-1).

Heavyweight: Tyrell Fortune (8-0)

Tyrell Fortune has an accomplished background in wrestling, as an NCAA Division II champion, and a multi-time high school state champion. His stand-up is improving; he has some power and is pretty good in the clinch, but is still pretty green. When Fortune does get the takedown, he’s shown he’s knowledgeable in the top position and possesses some very effective ground and pound, which is one of his best assets. He fights former UFC fighter Tim Johnson (12-6). We spoke to Johnson ahead of the fight, who is of the opinion that Fortune is already bucking the prospect label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHfFbaiVjDQ

Light Heavyweight: Valentin Moldavsky (8-1)

Valentin Moldavsky is mainly a wrestler. He knows how to effectively position himself for the takedown, whether that is in the clinch, where he is at his strongest, being able to control the position. Or if he just grabs a single leg for the takedown. On top, Moldavsky is as heavy as you can be as he is strong on top due to his background in Sambo. On the feet, he doesn’t go right for the knockout as he is more of a counter striker with a lot of power coupled with solid defense. Just a few adjustments would make him a complete fighter. He fights Javy Ayala (11-7).

Light heavyweight: Christian Edwards (2-0)

Christian Edwards is only 2-0 as a professional but went 3-0 as an ammy as well. Edwards is one of the hottest prospects today coming out of Jackson-Wink MMA and is a sparring partner of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He’s 2-0 in the Bellator cage with a highlight-reel head kick knockout win in his latest fight. A young kid but he has the attributes to go really far in this sport. He fights Marco Hutch (3-2).

Lightweight: Shamil Nikaev (9-0)

Shamil Nikaev is mainly an aggressive wrestler, often shooting for double-leg takedowns to set up powerful slams. On top, Nikaev is as heavy and as skilled as they come. He passes guard very easily and is able to get dominant positions in every fight. His stand-up isn’t bad since he can kick, has good hands, and has shown some good power. He does get wild at times as shown in his war against current UFC fighter, Christos Giagos. He fights a good test in Bobby Lee (11-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esn0e0XeUJA

Welterweight: Kyle Crutchmer (5-0)

Kyle Crutchmer has a background in wrestling with a very successful Division I career at Oklahoma State University. He was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big 12 champion. There isn’t much MMA footage on Kyle, but he has finished three of his five fights. Based on what’s out there on Kyle, he obviously has excellent wrestling. He’s also shown good and active ground-and-pound. He fights Scott Futrell (11-9).

Bantamweight: Josh Hill (18-3)

Josh Hill is more so a veteran who only has losses to Marlon Moraestwice and Taylor Lapilus. Hill is a solid wrestler with good ground and pound and solid top control. On the feet, his leg kicks are arguably his best weapon. He’s gone the distance at times which has proven that his cardio is one of his stronger abilities. Hill fights Vinicius Zani (1-5).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR1AFSP6gychttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKzxf-e1AKk

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The Bellator 239 main event is set, and will see the promotion head to Thackerville, Oklahoma for the first time in 2020. In a press release Monday, Bellator officials announced that Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov would headline the February card. Also announced, a lightweight co-main event between Brandon Girtz and Myles Jury.

Welterweight Ruth (8-1) will enter his first main event with the company coming off a pair of wins over Jason Jackson and former UFC athlete Kiichi Kunimoto. A decorated wrestler who has spent his entire professional career with Bellator MMA, Ruth’s only setback to date was a welterweight grand prix loss to Neiman Gracie last year at Bellator 213.

Amosov (22-0), meanwhile, is somewhere beyond prospect status at this point. The undefeated Ukrainian has defeated Gerald Harris, Erick Silva, and Caveman Rickels since joining Bellator in 2018. He also holds a notable win outside Bellator over future KSW champ Roberto Soldić.

Bellator 229’s co-main event, as noted, will feature former UFC lightweight Myles Jury (17-5) taking on Bellator mainstay Bradon Girtz (16-8). Jury will enter the fight off a loss to Benson Henderson in his promotional debut, while Girtz is coming off a win against fellow Bellator veteran Saad Awad.

Bellator 239 takes place Friday, February 29 at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The card is expected to air live on the Paramount Network.

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‘The Ass-Kicking Machine’ was set to return to Bellator on Friday, taking on standout wrestler Ed Ruth. Jason Jackson, with perhaps the most straight-to-the-point nickname in MMA, entered the main card bout in Uncasville, CT on a three-fight win streak, split between Bellator and LFA.

Ed Ruth, meanwhile, was looking to capture his second win since exiting the promotion’s welterweight grand prix late last year.

Opening what was a promising 170lb match-up, the pair traded some heavy leg kicks. Jackson was the more mobile of the two, and while they were both firing, it was Jason Jackson landing a crisp right hand that did the most damage early. Ruth would then fire a body kick, only to eat a leg kick in return. And moments later, Jackson landed hard, putting Ruth on his heels! Through half the round, the fight had remained standing, where Jackson had an edge. Ruth, however, was showing no signs of taking the fight to the ground. Near the final minute of the opening frame, he’d finally come to his senses and take his opponent down. Jackson, however, didn’t stay there long. And before the buzzer sounded, Ruth wound up clipped by an uppercut.

In the second, Ruth would land a glancing head kick early, mostly blocked. Jackson began mixing up his shots, hitting the body and head. Ruth would then shoot for an uncharacteristically sloppy takedown, and nearly miss being nailed by a kick on the way up — a kick that might have been illegal had it landed. Ruth would begin walking Jackson down, trapping him with his back against the cage. However Jackson was still dangerous, and Ruth would look for a takedown again later, only to have his opponent pull free. Ruth, however, was having a much better round than in the opening stanza.

Possibly tied at a round a piece heading into the third it was Ruth coming out, looking to impose his will. But Jackson connected with a right hand, dropping Ed Ruth! He swarmed with ground n’ pound, but Ruth somehow survived! Ruth then pressed forward, but whether he was fully recovered as a big question mark. Incredibly, he’d made it back up almost instantly. Ruth would connect with a right to the side of the head that had Jackson in retreat. Jackson would rip the body with an uppercut. Ruth continued to push forward; Jackson fired off a combo, with one or two punches slipping through. With two minutes remaining, Ruth would shoot for a takedown. He took the back, but Jackson was already upright again. He then put Jackson on the floor a second time. Muscled him down a third. Time was slipping away however, and they’d end up going to the scorecards.

A very close, and fully entertaining fight, it was ‘Easy’ Ed Ruth getting the nod from the judges. This one, though, could have gone either way.

Official Result: Ed Ruth def. Jason Jackson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Ed Ruth entered the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix as a trendy dark horse to win the tournament but didn’t live up to expectations. He ended up being eliminated in the opening round of the competition — losing to Neiman Gracie via fourth-round submission. The loss was the first of the three-time NCAA wrestling champion’s professional MMA career.

“I don’t think it was too early in my career,” Ruth told Cageside Press ahead of his return Friday. “To be honest, if the opportunity came around again, I would take it. I just believe that putting myself in that position and putting myself in that tournament, even if I didn’t win, I still learned a lot from that experience. A lot of guys don’t get that opportunity to be in that sort of a high stakes situation that early in their career… Now I can expect that more often and I can be more comfortable in that situation.”

Ruth credited the loss as a learning experience and believes he will grow the most by the adversity. He returned this July at Bellator 224 with a second-round TKO victory of veteran fighter Kiichi Kunimoto.

“I wanted everyone to know that I am not here to just fight,” Ruth said. “I’m here to be the best fighter that the MMA scene has ever seen. I constantly say that because I want to believe in that. It doesn’t matter if I lose because I will come back. I felt that way about my wrestling career and feel the same about my MMA career. Nothing shakes me. I can come back from the dead.”

The former Nittany Lion returns this Friday at Bellator 231, when he takes on LFA welterweight champion Jason Jackson on the main card. Jackson is a veteran of the Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series, who is well known for his well-rounded fight game. Ruth knows how dangerous the Hard Knocks 365 team member is and wants to use his wrestling prowess to gain the victory.

“First and foremost, I always want to go out there and protect myself. If he wants it to go on the feet, then I am going to take him down. I’ve seen his fights and he doesn’t want to wrestle a lot and I’m an avid wrestler… I want to go in there and be smart and take the least amount of damage.”

Ruth has acknowledged that if he focusing strictly on his wrestling, he won’t reach his lofty goals of being the very best.

“I pride myself a lot on being able to fight both southpaws and orthodox fighters. I pride myself on being a complete fighter. I definitely want people to say ‘wow, his striking has come a long way.’

Ruth and Jackson face off this Friday at Bellator 231, going down from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connectcut. The main card airs on Paramount Network starting at 9PM ET.

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Ed Ruth. Steve Mowry. Mandel Nallo. Patrick Mix. These kids are alright. Well, maybe it’s a stretch to call some of them “kids.” Still, Bellator has plenty of prospects in action between Bellator 231 and Bellator 232 this weekend. With ONE Championship’s Dawn of Valor this Friday, a CES show, and more, there are lots of fresh names to look over.

And so once again, here’s our Weekly MMA Prospect Report.

One Championship | Friday | Indonesia

Bantamweight, Muin Gafurov (16-2)

Gafurov, born out of  Tajikistan, is a solid prospect at only 24-years-old. Gafurov is a 2014 Pankration and Grappling Champion and a 2013-2017 Combat Sambo World Champion. He’s well-rounded, and on the feet he has a flashy style, but he is quick and mainly relies on his athleticism. He’s better with his wrestling and on top, he has good jiu-jitsu. Most impressively, he has a 100% finish rate. He fights former UFC standout John Lineker (31-9). Gafurov is a huge underdog in this fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc-2XVl6jiE

Welterweight, Tony Caruso (7-0)

We’re not too sold on Caruso but he has the well-roundedness to improve to a better fighter. He has a boxing background as a pro who is currently 4-1-1 and some experience in BJJ. Despite glimpses of his striking, Caruso has really got it done with his wrestling in his MMA career. He executes single-leg takedowns very well and on top he is heavy. He fights Pieter Buist (15-4) who does have a problem with his TDD.

CES 59 | Friday | Rhode Island

Light-heavyweight, William Knight (5-0)

Knight lacks technique but is super athletic and has a lot of power. He also lacks takedown defense, but is that guy who lands on top and becomes a nightmare with his ground and pound. He won his last fight on the Contender Series and earned a development deal so all eyes are on him. He did have a lot of issues, so it will be interesting to see how much he has improved. He fights Marvin Skipper (4-2) who he should beat.

Bellator 231 | Friday | Connecticut

Light Heavyweight, Karl Albrektsson (9-2)

Karl Albrektsson has only two losses in his career, both to stellar prospects Valentin Moldavsky and Jiri Prochazka. He has also beaten good competition such as former UFC fighter Josh Stansbury and top Bellator contender Vadim Nemkov. “King” has a background in BJJ and in Sanshou, in which he was the 2014 European champion. He isn’t too good on the feet, often fighting too stiff. He excels on the mat though, looking better in each fight. He fights the former champ Phil Davis (20-5) who is a big favorite to win this fight.

Welterweight, Jason Jackson (10-3)

Jackson’s three losses are to former UFC fighter Hayder Hassan and current UFC fighters Kyle Stewart and Colby Covington. He has a win over current UFC fighter Dhiego Lima. Jackson is a good striker who is technical with an excellent jab and a crushing right hand. This product out of the former Blackzilians gym is a very good wrestler as well being very well-rounded. He’s super athletic and at only 28, he’s got a high ceiling. He fights Ed Ruth (7-1).

Welterweight, Ed Ruth (7-1)

Ruth is a very accomplished wrestler. His accolades include 2012, 2013, 2014 NCAA D1 Wrestling Champion, a 4x All-American, and a 4x Big Ten Champion. With his wrestling background and training with top camp Jackson-Wink MMA, Ruth has really developed into a promising prospect. He has dominated in all of his wins as well, getting the easy takedown and the mount along with controlling the back position, showing off his BJJ skills. Ruth has also shown finishing ability with heavy ground n’ pound, and the wrestler has even scored a knockout by a punch and by a knee while he has been improving on the feet. He fights Jason Jackson (10-3).

Heavyweight, Steve Mowry (6-0)

Standing a 6’9″, Mowry has all the tools to be a dangerous guy at Heavyweight. Training out of Hard Knocks 365 the 27-year-old has plenty of time to develop into a more complete fighter. Though he’s only 6-0 as a pro, Mowry went 7-0 as an amateur with six wins by submission. He has some things to work on including his striking, which is improving, but overall he does a good job and stays long. Still, he is more effective in the clinch with knees. He has solid wrestling, being at his best once on the mat. And once there he has good jiu-jitsu for a big guy. He fights Gokhan Saricam (4-0) who lacks footage.

Lightweight, Mandel Nallo (7-0)

On the mat, Mandel Nallo is very slick with his grappling, allowing him to snatch up chokes easily as all four of his submission wins have come that way. Nallo’s standup isn’t bad, his striking isn’t great but his kicks are sound, he throws very hard and dangerously up through the middle or above the shoulder. It would be nice to see more of him, as he’s been very inactive. He fights Killys Mota (11-1) who is a good test.

Cage Warriors 109 | Saturday | UK

Lightweight, Jai Herbert (9-1)

Herbert has decent wrestling and good jiu-jitsu to fall back on but he is much more talented on the feet. He does a great job fighting long with an excellent tool set of kicks, punches, knees, and elbows. Herbert is dangerous in all aspects on the feet but his right hand is his money shot. Herbert really needs to work on his takedown defense as that is his biggest weakness. He fights former UFC fighter Chris Carrizosa (11-3) who has won his last five.

Welterweight, Madars Fleminas (6-0)

Only 6-0 as a pro, Fleminas went 9-1 as an amateur and won three titles. Fleminas on the feet is really good in the clinch with his knees. Still, you might expect him to be better since he has a long-range at 6’2″. He’s superb on the mat in top position with active ground and pound. Fleminas has solid cardio as well, and shows improvement in each fight. He could have a bright future if he learns how to put it all together. He fights George Hardwick (4-0) who is a solid litmus test.

Bellator 232 | Saturday | Connecticut

Lightweight, Robin van Roosmalen (2-0)

Robin van Roosmalen is a Dutch kickboxer who is a former Glory featherweight and lightweight champion. Roosmalen has a kickboxing record of 51-18. So far in his short MMA career, his takedown defense has been tested. He’s been taken down twice but in his second fight, it improved a lot. RVR is obviously dangerous on the feet showing one-punch knockout power, heavy kicks, and excellent shot selection. He fights Cris Lencioni (5-2) who is a good test at this point.

Bantamweight, Patrick Mix (11-0)

Undefeated as a pro, Mix also went 11-0 as an amateur. Mix is all about pressure and he is always moving forward, walking his opponent down. Mix has seven submissions with five rear-naked chokes showing he is more comfortable on the mat, but now, training out of Jackson-Wink MMA, he’s been improving every step of the way. He fights Isaiah Chapman (9-3).

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Wrestling standout and grand prix welterweight Ed Ruth will return to action at Bellator 231 in Connecticut.

MMA Junkie was first to report that Ruth (7-1), who suffered his first career defeat when he was bounced from Bellator’s welterweight grand prix, will meet Jason Jackson (10-3) at the October event, which is part of back-to-back shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

Prior to losing to Neiman Gracie in the welterweight tournament, Ruth had started his career on a 6-0 run. All of his fights have come under the Bellator MMA banner. After the Gracie loss, Ruth returned to the win column with a TKO finish of Kiichi Kunimoto at Bellator 224 in July.

Jason Jackson has shared the cage with some solid fighters, including an early career loss to Colby Covington. He also holds a win over TUF alum Dhiego Lima, brother of former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima. Jackson is currently on a three fight win streak, which includes a victory against Jordan Larson at Bellator 204 last year. ‘The Ass-Kicking Machine’ has been competing for LFA of late, but also made an appearance on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series (as it was called at the time) in 2017. An ankle injury left him with a TKO loss to Kyle Stewart that night.

Bellator 231 takes place Friday, October 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The card is headlined by Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson 2, and will be followed up by Bellator 232 on Saturday.

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