Jason Jackson played the smart game plan to smother Douglas Lima in five rounds in the Bellator 283 headliner.
Jackson picked up his sixth straight victory playing it safe, taking down Lima’s standing arms with a wrestling attack that led to a unanimous decision by scores of 50-45 across the board. Much of the audience did not hear the scorecards, as they were already out of the arena by the time they were played.
Bellator 283 took place Friday at the Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Washington. The main event card was broadcast live on Showtime.
Afterward, Jackson pleaded to a booed crowd, “Lima is a legend. I take nothing from him. I came here and did what I had to do to get to the next level. He called for a title shot and said a fight with interim titleholder Michael “Venom” Page seemed appropriate.
Jackson, a product of Kill Cliff Fight Club (formerly Sanford MMA), found his way to victory in the first, taking a few sharp leg kicks for his efforts. On the second, he went through Lima’s kick and put his opponent on the mat, who was only slightly harder to defeat. An upkick briefly knocked Jackson out, but he managed to stay on top and stay in control. In the third, Lima’s whizzer only held him up momentarily as Jackson straightened up and regained control.
In the championship rounds, it took less than 30 seconds for Jackson to get Lima to the mat and keep him there. It was a smart plan for an ex-champ who had lost 1.8 pounds a day earlier, and it wasn’t must-see TV. But it was effective and, as Jackson said, it moved him up the ranks.
Musayev rides under Outlaw pressure
If you want to know how Carpe Diems’inspirer de Tofig Musayev.
Former champion RIZIN may have stamped his ticket to a lightweight title by starching Sidney Outlaw on short notice in the co-main event on Friday.
Musayev robbed Outlaw of his balance with a pair of hooks, then finished the job with a right hand that quickly brought in referee Keith Peterson to save the dejected fighter from further punishment. It was all over just 25 seconds into the first lap.
With his first Bellator victory, Musayev, whose promotional debut has been delayed by a pair of cancellations, puts himself front and center to compete with Usman Nurmagomedov for the next opportunity to face champion Patricky Freire.
Nurmagomedov slaps Gonzalez fast
Usman Nurmagomedov is now 15-0 following showing another wrinkle to his game. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin induced opponent Chris Gonzalez to go overtime on a chase then quickly swept him to the mat. When the American wrestler tried to get up, Nurmagomedov slipped into a chokehold, getting a tap at 2:54 from the opening frame.
Afterwards, undefeated asset Nurmagomedov – translated as the retired former UFC champion – called for a title fight once morest champ Patricky Pitbull.
Laurent Larkin elbow brings no-contest vs. Moukhamed Berkhamov
Lorenz Larkin thought a side elbow would deter Mukhamed Berkhamov from choking him to the canvas, where he found himself early. But that elbow unfortunately landed in just the right place for a foul, connecting the point directly to the back of the Russian’s head. As Berkhamov was in shock, unable to stand following the referee stopped the action, Larkin seemed to recognize his mistake. Seconds later, with Berkhamov unable to stand or walk, Larkin’s expression changed to one of disgust and disappointment when a no-contest was called at 2:52 of the first frame .
Golm survives slams, type Franklin
Lifting a heavy weight is hard work, as Davion Franklin discovered. After hoisting Marcelo Golm twice into the air and slamming him to the mat, Franklin looked up at the clock, exhausted. Golm may have had a huge gash on his right forehead, thanks to a shot from Franklin. But he kept coming, and when the cage doc let him in on the second, he demanded his revenge, chasing Franklin around the cage and landing body shots. It took him a few minutes to recover, but Franklin’s determination – and a few sloppy catches – put him ahead to close out the second period. Cheered by the crowd, he ran over the fumes in the third, swinging to land something, anything, once morest his more technical opponent.
Eventually, technique won the day, and Golm slammed his man to the ground and took his back, prompting a hard tapout from Franklin with 24 seconds left.
Full Bellator 283 results:
Jason Jackson beats. Douglas Lima by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Tofiq Musayev bat. Sidney Outlaw via KO (coups de poing) – Round 1, 0:27
Usman Nurmagomedov defeated. Chris Gonzalez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:54
Mukhamed Berkhamov v Lorenz Larkin declared a no contest (unintentional illegal elbow) – R1, 2:52
Marcelo Golm defeats. Davion Franklin via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 4:36
Dalton Rosta bat. Romero Cotton via TKO (crochet gauche) – Round 3, 0:38
Veta Arteaga defeats. Vanessa Porto by submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:47
Gadzhi Rabadanov bat. Bobby King by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Akhmed Magomedov defeated. Kevin Boehm via submission (rear naked choke) – R1, 1:16
Roman Faraldo bats. Luis Iniguez via KO (Punch) – Round 1, 3:4
Jaylon Bates defeated. Mark Coates via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Archie Colgan defeats. Bryan Nuro via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:15