Let it be known from this point forward that I’m trademarking the phrase “That’s so Bellator!”
Sample sentence: “And Tito Ortiz vs. Rampage Jackson was supposed to follow this? That’s so Bellator!”
If you caught Saturday night’s non-PPV, that sample sentence doesn’t need any further explanation. You’ve read it, you know what it means, and right now you’re shaking your head thinking, “You know – this guy has a point. That is so Bellator!”
You now owe me $2; I’m entrepreneurial, but I’m not greedy.
If you passed on this weekend’s event – which was originally scheduled to be Bellator’s maiden voyage into the pay-per-view marketplace until Tito Ortiz came down with a fractured neck a week before his main event pairing with Quinton (Rampage) Jackson (That’s so Tito!) – then you missed out on the best fight of the year, and a bunch of other very Bellator happenings.
With Ortiz and Jackson scrubbed from the card, lightweight champion Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez got the main event billing they deserved all along, and picked up right where they left off almost two years ago.
Their first fight – won by Chandler – was overshadowed by Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua engaging in an epic battle at UFC 139 that very same evening, but Saturday, they stood alone, and Rounds 6 through 10 of this terrific rivalry were just as frenetic, exciting, griping, and bloody as the first five.
In the end, Alvarez earned a split decision victory to regain the lightweight title he lost to Chandler in their first encounter, setting up a third fight that immediately becomes the most anticipated bout on the fight calendar, regardless of organization.
These two are perfect rivals, and if they fought 100 times, there is a very good chance they split them 50/50, and the majority of the fight-loving public would be completely on board with seeing them fight that many times.
This is the most Bellator thing imaginable.
For starters, this fight – this instant classic that has my vote as the best fight of the year so far and arguably one of the best two-fight series of all-time – was supposed to set the table for a showdown between Tito Ortiz and Quinton (Rampage) Jackson… in 2013… on pay-per-view.
Secondly, as great as this fight was – and it was so great – it came anywhere from 12-18 months too late. Everyone wanted to see Chandler and Alvarez face off for a second time immediately following their terrific first fight, but that was back when Bellator was holding firm to the philosophies the company was founded on, leading to Alvarez getting pissed, Chandler starching a bunch of unworthy opponents, and the sport nearly being robbed of Saturday night’s tremendous encore.
Now Alvarez, who went to court with Bellator earlier this year in hopes of leaving the company for greener pastures in the UFC, is once again the lightweight champion, and his third meeting with Chandler is poised to be the biggest fight in the company’s history.
Only in Bellator could the best fight the company has ever produced be one they fought against making for far too long, and end up with the guy they planned on building around long-term getting upset by the guy they had fighting in court rooms instead of the cage.
The Bellator-ness doesn’t stop there though.
In the co-main event of the evening, high-priced, free-agent acquisition Muhammed (King Mo) Lawal faced off with Emanuel Newton for an interim light heavyweight title that was created – in my opinion – for the express purpose of being wrapped around Lawal’s waist. Much like the main event, this too was a rematch, only rather than being booked because the first fight was outstanding, this one was put together because Newton dropped Lawal in the semifinal round of his first Bellator tournament last February, and this was the charismatic Lawal’s chance to gain his revenge, and validate his heavy push and big salary by claiming championship gold in the process.
While it didn’t end nearly as dramatically as their first encounter, the results remained the same, as Newton earned his second straight win over Lawal, once again spoiling Bellator’s plans to build around the former Strikeforce champion.
In and of itself, this was a rough blow for the company – they’ve invested a great deal of time and money into Lawal, and so far, the returns have been minimal – but when it’s sandwiched between the two other championship fights on this card, each of which featured fighters you could consider “homegrown Bellator talents,” that’s when this really takes on an oh so Bellator feel.
Not only did Alvarez and Chandler once again pair up to put on a show for the ages, but before Lawal and Newton hit the cage, Pat Curran and Daniel Straus went head-to-head for the featherweight title, with the underdog Straus coming away as the new champion.
It was an entertaining fight between a pair of Bellator stalwarts. Curran has as many appearances with the company (11) as Lawal and Newton combined, and Saturday’s victory was Straus’ ninth fight inside the Bellator cage. Once again, the fighters that are emblematic of what Bellator used to be all about delivered in spades, while the big name, flashy signings came up short.
If you can imagine, it gets worse.
Not only did this entire event air on tape delay on the West Coast, meaning guys like me had to either (a) avoid Twitter all night until I could watch the fights or (b) watch it knowing what was about to transpire. I went with the latter because I’m addicted to Twitter. (* follow me: @spencerkyte)
I also forgot to mention that if you went with Option 3 – DVR the show and watch it later, hopefully without spoilers – you would have missed the final two rounds of the main event… even if you gave yourself an extra 30 minutes of recording time like you always should with live sporting events.
That’s so Bellator!
And so is having one of the fighters that was supposed to headline this show when it was destined for pay-per-view (Rampage) fighting in the co-main event of an upcoming Spike TV card. How can you position Jackson and Ortiz atop a pay-per-view loaded with champions, but have his fight with Joey Beltran serves as the appetizer for Alexander Shlemenko and Doug Marshall?
As much as I like that the “homegrown champion” is getting top billing, you have to admit that’s a very Bellator thing to do with Jackson at this point in time.
Can Rebney and company view Saturday night’s event as a success? Sure – the main event was spectacular and sets the stage for a trilogy fight between the two lightweights that should only further this rivalries legend, but it all came after they avoided what was sure to be a colossal failure on PPV, so I’d hold off on the high fives for right now.
Just as the collapse of their pay-per-view dreams should have been a wake-up call, the way Saturday’s card played out should be as well.
The fighters that helped the company develop and emerge from its humble beginnings put forth the most impressive performances, and the big name talents brought in to supplant those in-house stars either failed to produce or didn’t even make it into the cage.
Bellator has been trying to do too much and working too hard to break from what made them a really enjoyable, highly entertaining alternative to the UFC. They need to get back to their roots, and stop trying to repackage fighters that have been rejected by the company they’re chasing as must-see attractions.
If they don’t, I’m going to make a fortune with my “That’s so Bellator!” trademark.