Bellator 292: SAP Center; San Jose, California
There’s a time for all seasons. And in Bellator it’s safe to say legacies begin and end on this night. With UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his corner, Usman Nurmagomedov picked up his first title defense win. And he did so in a quick dominating way over Benson Henderson.
They say you’re not truly a champion until you pick up that first victory. Well with the Dagestani being now 17-0, and only 24-years old he is cemented as champion. And while Bellator’s 155-pound division may not have the name recognition or firepower of the UFC’s, it’s still pretty darn good.
After both connecting and slipping to the mat from a question mark kick Nurmagomedov got up and jumped on the fallen Henderson. Scrambling from position to position he was landing ground-and-pound while also hunting for submissions.
The former WEC and UFC lightweight champion although in trouble was calm. Until Nurmagomedov cinched in both hooks along the fence, where he tapped to a rear-naked-choke at 2:37 of the opening round. The 11th-first round finish was also his 14th career.
It doesn’t matter to him who’s next between Mansour Barnaoui and now Brent Primus, but, Nurmagomedov may not have a difficult time with either. The youngest Bellator champion ever has speed, the wrestling and submission games of an old schooled veteran. And he can crack too. There’s a solid case that he may be the best young talent in MMA right now.
And speaking of veterans, the loss officially ended Henderson’s career. As he decided in-cage to forgo the last three-fights remaining on his contract. It also ends his win streak at two, and put his Bellator career record at 7-7. After dropping his third try at Bellator gold he thanked everyone for their support.
Legacies Begin And End… But Where Will They Finish
On the other-side of the Grand Prix bracket sits the fight between AJ McKee and Patricky Freire. And that one looms as the elephant in the room for Nurmagomedov. He won the strap from “Pitbull” but in a rematch anything can happen. And McKee is if not THEEE then is ONE of the faces for the organization.
In the top-15 those are the only fighters on the present roster that could give Nurmagomedov trouble. So with Bellator having Yaroslav Amosov sit at 27-0 and under 30, it’s likely they will have another fighter run a long undefeated streak. And by the time it’s done, he could fly past the Ukrainian and also Khabib.
It’s also a safe bet to say one day soon “Smooth” will join other fighting lifers in the UFC Hall Of Fame. If not him personally, then absolutely for one of his handful of classic battles.
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