So, it’s Bellator’s 200th event, and despite the nice milestone, the promotion has failed to make this event feel special. Don’t get me wrong, in the grand scheme of things this card is one of their better events, but it still doesn’t feel much bigger than their tent pole cards. Headlining this Bellator 200 is an interesting middleweight championship fight involving underrated champion Rafael Carvalho and former UFC contender Gegard Mousasi. This card also features other notable matchups, as unbeaten Michael Page takes on veteran David Rickels, former Bellator champ Phil Davis fights Linton Vassell, and Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers faces Ashley Griffiths.
What: Bellator 200
Where: The SSE Arena in London, England.
When: Friday, May 25. The tape-delayed five-fight main card begins at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.
Let’s hope this is an entertaining fight. It definitely has potential to be a good fight, but I think it also has potential for the alternative.
Carvalho is a dangerous striker that has quick and powerful attacks. He also has a great finishing instinct and he’s good at gauging if his opponents are hurt or not. Carvalho has a lengthy build, but he doesn’t utilize his range too well. The Brazilian fighter is also a decent grappler with good takedowns, and a good athlete.
Mousasi is a handful for anyone that competes at 185 pounds. “The Dreamcatcher” is as seasoned as they come, holding over 50 professional MMA fights under his belt. Mousasi fights smart and composed. The former UFC contender has plenty of tools in his arsenal and can win fights in a number of ways. Mousasi has excellent striking, respectable wrestling, and dangerous submissions.
It’s hard to pick against Mousasi here. Carvalho is game and will likely put on a competitive fight, but Mousasi has too many tools and experience to lose. I can see Mousasi keeping the fight on the feet and winning there. But if he were to feel in any danger, I don’t think he should have a lot of problems taking down Carvalho. The Brazilian is super tough, so I can see him going all five rounds with Mousasi.
Pick: Mousasi
David Rickels is probably not the type of opponent most people wanted Michael Page to face next. Many wanted Page to face a big name, to get tested. Well, Rickels might not be Paul Daley, but he’s still a solid fighter and one that can very well test and even beat Page.
Rickels is a pretty experienced fighter with an impressive winning record of 19-4. He’s very tough and somewhat unorthodox. “The Caveman” has a decent ground game and solid kickboxing.
On the other hand, Page is a flashy striker that can be very unpredictable. Page has good power and plenty of speed. Page’s record is not as extensive as Rickels, but he still has a good amount of experience with 12 bouts.
I favor Page here but I actually think Rickels has a decent shot. I can see Paige cracking Rickels at some point, but I can also see him fighting out a close decision with Rickels.
Pick: Page
I’d say this is the easiest fight to predict from the main card. Again, anything can happen in MMA, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how this one will go.
Linton Vassell has shown to have issues against good wrestlers. Ryan Bader was the one who most recently showed that, but we’ve also seen it before in the past. Phil Davis is a fantastic athlete and grappler. Davis has great wrestling and some strong submissions. I think Davis should be able to stand with Vassell, but I think he’ll just take the fight to the ground where he can dominant.
I see Davis dominating with his wrestling and getting a stoppage via TKO or submission.
Pick: Davis
Aaron Chalmers vs. Ashley Griffiths
This one is tough to call. Fight of all, there is not a lot of info on Ashley Griffiths, and second, from what’s out there he seems to be around the same level of Aaron Chalmers.
Researching Griffiths, I actually found several fights of him that are not listed on his record, meaning, he’s likely more experienced than we think. From what I’ve seen, Griffiths can do a little bit of all. Chalmers is very similar in that sense that he can fight anywhere it goes (he doesn’t have a particular style that defines him).
But there is a difference between the two. I think Chalmers has more power in his strikes and seems to be willing to engage more than Griffiths. Those two factors already leave Chalmers with a good advantage. Skills wise, I’m not sure there is a huge gap between the two.
Pick: Chalmers
If Bellator is still in the Anastasia Yankova business, then it is taking a huge gamble by matching up Yankova against Kate Jackson.
Jackson is actually pretty solid. She’s a pretty well-rounded fighter. Jackson is a good striker that pressures well and is also good with her muay thai clinch. The TUF alum can also grapple, as she has some takedowns in her game and good submission defense.
I think Jackson is better than Yankova in most areas. Yankova has more size and power than Jackson and I can see her clinching Jackson against the cage and having some success there. I just can’t see Yankova doing that for 15 minutes against an opponent like Jackson.
Pick: Jackson
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Bellator 200 is in the books and the promotion saw their middleweight title change hands, when Gegard Mousasi stopped Rafael Carvalho with ground strikes in the first round. Mousasi has become the first fighter to ever win a title in both Strikeforce and Bellator MMA. Mousasi has shown to be the top of the food chain in bellator’s middleweight division, so who will be next to challenge for Bellator’s middleweight crown? Well, on the mic after the fight, Mousasi called out the promotion’s welterweight champ, Rory MacDonald, so there’s that.
In what was a bit of an anti-climatic ending, Michael Page remained undefeated when David Rickels verbally submitted while standing, after being cut around the eye in the second round. We’ve seen MVP pull out a Poke’ Ball after a victory before, but this time it was the Infinity Gauntlet from the movie Avengers: Infinity War. Now sitting at 13-0, who will be next for the London fighter? Geordie Shore reality TV star Aaron Chalmers just won his Bellator debut by club and subbing Ash Griffiths in just under two minutes. Chalmers now resides at 4-0, all of which have been finished in the first round.
We also got an electrifying display of violence on the main card when Mike Shipman stormed the castle of his opponent, dropping Carl Noon and then knocking him out with hammerfists in just 11 seconds. England’s own Kate Jackson dished out the first loss of Anastasia Yankova’s young career, picking up a solid unanimous decision win with two scorecards showing marks of 30-26 in her favor. Opening up the main card, Bellator’s former light heavyweight champion, Phil Davis, picked up a highlight reel knockout when he kicked Linton Vassell in the face, just over a minute into the third round.
Main Card:
Gegard Mousasi def. Rafael Carvalho by TKO at 3:35 of round 1: Middleweight Title
It didn’t take very long for Mousasi to shoot in and take Carvalho to the mat. Carvalho did quickly get back to his feet, but got quickly taken back down. Mousasi was all over his opponent, transitioning to full mount and then to the back, as Carvalho struggled with the top pressure. A heavy barrage of ground strikes started scoring for Mousasi, and the referee stepped in to rescue Carvalho. And new!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Rafael Carvalho vs Gegard Mousasi #Bellator200 pic.twitter.com/E969Wm4JoK — Fancy Combat (@FancyCombat) May 25, 2018
Michael Page def. David Rickels by submission (Verbal) at :43 of round 2: Welterweight
After a rather intense pre-fight stare-down, Page took the center of the cage and began his typical MVP shuffle. Page leaped in several times with laser-like quickness, tagging Rickels before he knew what hit him. The pressure of Rickels started to increase as Page started to fight going backwards, but then out of nowhere, Page caught his opponent with a jousting punch that sat him down. Rickels recovered and got back to his feet, but wasn’t able to do anything to take the round before time ran out.
To open the second frame, Page caught his foe with a punch that cut Rickels on his eyelid. In an unexpected turn of events, Rickels elected to quit the match in open space, awarding MVP the TKO victory. It’s a solid win for Page but definitely one with a weird ending.
SPOILER ALERT
This is how the David Rickels-Michael Page fight ended... #Bellator200 pic.twitter.com/aYq0E4mvT6 — Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) May 25, 2018
Aaron Chalmers def. Ash Griffiths by technical submission (Guillotine) at 1:54 of round 1 : Catchweight of 163 pounds
Griffiths closed the distance right away, forcing Chalmers to fend off the takedown. Chalmers got taken down, but did get back to his feet, not without getting kneed in the face first. So how does Chalmers respond? With a heavy right hand that dropped Griffiths, of course. Chalmers quickly cinched up a standing guillotine choke, causing Griffiths to go limp and the fight to be stopped.
Mike Shipman def. Carl Noon by KO at :11 of round 1: Middleweight
A right hand from Shipman immediately dropped Noon right out of the gate. Shipman followed up with some savage hammerfists that put his opponent out cold, not even given Noon a chance to recover. Well then!
Kate Jackson def. Anastasia Yankova by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 29-27): (W) Flyweight
Yankova found herself with on the bottom of Jackson within the first minute of the opening round. Jackson moved from position to position, controlling Yankova on the ground and dumping off a big barrage of short shots. yankova did not return to her feet for the rest of the round.
Jackson quickly closed the distance in the second round, forcing her foe up against the fence before getting the takedown. Yankova would find her moment to return to her feet, but immediately found herself with her back to the fence again. Yankova did land some ground strikes as Jackson went for a leg lock, but nothing of any substance.
Yankova came out launching her kicks to open the final frame, but it wasn’t long before Jackson was controlling her up against the cage again. Just when Jackson seemed to be in complete control, she botched a takedown and Yankova was able to land on top. As Yankova attempted to take back control, Jackson was able to spin around on top of her to finish the fight with heavy ground strikes as time ran out.
Phil Davis def. Linton Vassell by KO at 1:05 into round 3: Light Heavyweight
Both athletes were content to stand and trade for the bulk of the opening round. Vassell did a pretty sound job of staying on his feet, not allowing the credentialed wrestler to get the takedown. Davis started pouring on the offense in the final 30 seconds of the opening round, landing an assortment of punches and knees before time expired.
The first half of the second stanza saw more kickboxing from the light heavyweights, with neither man really stressing the takedown. Davis did punch his way into a bodylock takedown, but Vassell did a superb job of getting right back to his feet, even briefly picking up a takedown of his own. Both athletes got in a few good licks within the final 30 seconds of what was a pretty close round.
Just when it appeared as if the back and forth kickboxing would continue, the third round saw Phil Davis land a spectacular head kick that dropped Vassell like a bad habit. One follow up ground strike later, and the referee was pulling Davis off of his victim. Kickboxing Phil Davis got a KO!
Prelims:
Anatoly Tokov def. Vladimir Filipovic by submission at :56 of round 1
That pressure tho!#Bellator200 prelims LIVE from London on the Bellator app -> https://t.co/5PjnoM6FMG pic.twitter.com/rFg2tizkZx — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2018
Charlie Ward def. Martin Hudson by TKO at 2:23 of round 1
Costello Van Steenis def. Kevin Fryer by TKO at 1:27 in round 1
#Bellator200 prelims comin' in hot!
Live now on the Bellator app! pic.twitter.com/xL9Bg7TTT6 — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2018
Pedro Carvalho def. Daniel Crawford by split decision
Charlie Leary def. Tom Green by TKO at 4:58 of round 2
Ground and pound !#Bellator200 prelims are LIVE around the world now! https://t.co/Y4hYPLLQVd pic.twitter.com/o2KFZXtmkC — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2018
Mike Ekundayo def. Tom Mearns by submission (injury) at 1:02 of round 2
OUCH!#Bellator200 prelims LIVE now on the Bellator app! pic.twitter.com/lgetmX5lBr — Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 25, 2018
Amir Albazi vs. Iurie Bejenari by submission at 3:21 of round 1
Walter Gahadza def. Kent Kauppinen by submission (RNC) at 2:04 of round 2
Jahreau Shephard def. Marcin Zywica by TKO at 5:00 of round 1
Gallery Gegard Mousasi def. Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 200: Best photos view 17 images
Gegard Mousasi’s quest back to a championship in a major promotion came to a conclusion on Friday when he claimed the middleweight title from Rafael Carvalho in the Bellator 200 headliner.
Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) was viewed by many as the obvious next champ at 185 pounds upon signing with Bellator. He lived up to that expectation with a quick first-round TKO victory over Carvalho (15-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the Paramount-televised bout at The SSE Arena in London.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Mousasi’s victory over Carvalho at Bellator 200.
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It's time for the #Bellator200 main event and middleweight gold is on the line! Champ @RafaCarvalhoMMA looks to defend his title against Gegard @Mousasi_MMA. https://t.co/VL7CkW7WmK pic.twitter.com/LU7C0YxQNO — MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) May 26, 2018
Gegard looking like a mix of Maia and khabib tonight. Brilliant ground work. — Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) May 26, 2018
THE MOUSEEEE!!!
What a finish! Not even close! #Bellator200 — Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) May 25, 2018
Very happy for Mousasi and it's nice to finally see some legitimacy in Bellator's middleweight division. — Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 26, 2018
@mousasi_mma congratulations on you dominant victory, @ScottCoker @rich_chou i know you wanted a title defense from me before challenging at middle weight. but myself vs @mousasi_mma is the fight to make right now, so lets make this happen!? — Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) May 25, 2018
Gegard Mousasi becomes the fifth Bellator middleweight champion with a first-round TKO of Rafael Carvalho. Let's get this Rory MacDonald fight going, please. #Bellator200 — Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) May 26, 2018
Mousasi! The belt collector! Proud to see my Dutch colleague having such a legendary career. Congrats my friend. @mousasi_mma #mousasi — Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) May 25, 2018
To my fans, we did it. I will continue to work hard to be your Champion. Thank you to Mr. @RafaCarvalhoMMA . He is a great fighter. pic.twitter.com/b5RTxB6LW1 — Gegard Mousasi (@mousasi_mma) May 25, 2018
I dedicate this belt to the Armenian people. 🇦🇲❤️🏆 pic.twitter.com/t4ywR6M4S7 — Gegard Mousasi (@mousasi_mma) May 26, 2018
Bellator 200 results: Gegard Mousasi runs through Rafael Carvalho to claim middleweight belt https://t.co/p2J1ODY8tF — MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) May 26, 2018
#AndNew! Gegard @Mousasi_MMA mauled Rafael Carvalho for a first-round TKO to win the Bellator middleweight title in tonight's headliner #Bellator200 📸 Steven Flynn – @usatsimg Full fight recap: https://t.co/a51sCMN9QR pic.twitter.com/PpLk5Ditda — MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) May 26, 2018
For complete coverage of Bellator 200, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
