Bellator Champions Series Dublin: 3Arena; Dublin, Ireland
Sometimes it’s better to fly under the radar. In an absolutely massive step up in talent, the Dagestani who trains at ATT, Ramazan Kuramagomedov has flipped the script at welterweight in Bellator. In the massive upset he has taken the strap off of Jason Jackson. It was his first true title defense since handing Yaroslav Amosov his first loss. The 27-year old southpaw is now perfect at 13-0. He’s gone from the DWCS to champion, and was emotional post-fight.
He gave credit to “The Ass Kicking Machine” saying:
“My opponent didn’t deserve the loss… he’s dangerous… but today is my day”.
Kuramagomedov chopped away at both sides of Jackson’s lead leg early, before moving on to a great mixture of strikes. It weakened Jackson so much so that he became increasingly hesitant. It can be debated whether the Dagestani decided to cruise through the championship rounds, especially the fourth. Or if Jackson found his next gear deep down. But the result would still be the same; a 48-47 unanimous decision win.
However, in the final round, Jackson fought to win the round, instead of trying to win the fight. His scrambling and ground control was fine. But with the belt slipping away it would have been more productive to be on the feet throwing leather.
On the ground both hunted for submissions, but neither was is serious trouble that would have tapped. And in the third, between the great footwork, short elbows, and combos Kuramagomedov was in cruise control, opening a bad cut over Jackson’s right eye. He also wound up outstriking Jackson 77-53.
From DWCS To Champion… What’s Next
After a split decision victory on the show in 2019, he wasn’t offered a contract. So this title proves he actually belongs despite his record. It would be fantastic if the now PFL run organization would come together with Amosov on a contract, to see if he could get that strap back. Which would be tough, because he doesn’t have the striking game that Kuramagomedov has.
It was teased though, that the winner of Lorenz Larkin and Alan Dominguez next week could be next. Larkin has the firepower in the gloves and the wrestling that could keep him competitive. Dominguez is a decent fighter, but can be taken down, and also isn’t great in the clinch. A spot where Kuramagomedov loves to throw elbows.
So it will be interesting to see how the PFL execs handle this flip. Then again Jackson could get an immediate rematch as well. Some things are certain yet again. You can’t tell when and if Dagestani’s are hurt, they’re all on another level on the ground thanks to their ability to vine their opponents legs. Oh, and ATT continues to roll on with belt holders.
Sports news can be found at: Belly Up Sports. And to see the world of CYCLONE, click on: facebook.
