Bellator hosted their first ever pay-per-view event at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi on Saturday night, and the card was, well, interesting.
A UFC Hall of Famer shocked the world by submitting one of Bellator’s most respected champions, while a fellow ex-UFC champ pulled off an upset of his own in the main event of the evening.
Finally, a night of questionable judging and a completely ridiculous post-fight interview in the closing moments of the show left fight fans scratching their heads after one unpredictable set of circumstances after another seemed to be the theme of the show.
Check out the biggest winners and losers from Bellator 120 this weekend.
BIGGEST WINNER
Tito Ortiz – Love him or hate him, the self-proclaimed “People’s Champion” made Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko look like an amateur.
While “Storm” has some success on his feet, he seemed like a fish out of water once Ortiz scored on a double leg and seemed completely helpless once his American counterpart locked up an arm triangle choke.
While the matchmaking was questionable at best given the 35 pound or so weight difference, it’s undeniable that some fight aficionados will now be interested to see the 39-year-old Ortiz step in the cage at least one more time.
WINNER
Quinton Jackson – While “Rampage’s” takedown defense was repeatedly exploited by Muhammed Lawal, his standup looked as good as it has in a while and managed to eke out a close split decision.
Jackson has now won three straight inside the Bellator cage after being deciding not to negotiate a new contract with the UFC in early 2013 and a showdown with Ortiz is at least somewhat intriguing on paper.
WINNER
Will Brooks – “Ill Will” kept the theme of massive underdogs coming up big in the clutch when he won a split decision over Michael Chandler.
Brooks’ superior cardio and heart was the difference maker in a matchup against the much more accredited former Bellator champion. Brooks now likely awaits a title unification bout with Eddie Alvarez.
WINNER
Michael Page – One of Bellator’s best kept secrets, the dynamic English striker improved his unbeaten streak to 6-0 when he delivered a one-punch knockout over Ricky Rainey.
It certainly seems like it’s time for “Venom” to enter a Bellator lightweight tournament and see if he can hang with the promotion’s best.
BIGGEST LOSER
Alexander Shlemenko – “Storm” definitely did not live up to his name on Saturday night, getting outclassed by a career light heavyweight in Tito Ortiz.
Shlemenko, who has eight submission wins on his resume, seemed completely helpless when the fight hit the mat and never had a chance to recover as he was quickly choked out cold.
The loss snaps a 13-fight win streak for the feared Russian striker who clearly got overzealous calling out a fighter who could be two weight classes heavier than him.
LOSER
Michael Chandler – The former Bellator lightweight champion was supposed to steamroll relatively unknown Will Brooks, a mere tune-up fight before he completed his trilogy with Eddie Alvarez.
That didn’t happen, as Chandler got bloodied and beaten up by a hungry rising star. While many felt he did enough to win a split decision, the judges felt otherwise, so it appears that Chandler picked a bad night to have “the worst performance of his career.”
LOSER
Muhammed Lawal – Despite controlling the grappling action in his grudge match with Quinton Jackson, Lawal was getting beat up on the feet and ended up losing a close decision.
While many pundits disagreed with the decision, the fact that more fans and analysts are talking about his post-fight antics – calling CEO Bjorn Rebney a “Rampage **** rider – then his performance can’t be a good thing for the long haul.
LOSER
Shahbulat Shamhalaev – After starting his professional fight career 12-1-1, coming up short for the Bellator featherweight title last April, the heavy-handed Russian striker has now suffered consecutive first round submission losses.
Shamhalaev has some of the best hands in the division, but clearly his jiu-jitsu skills are lagging far behind and still need a lot of improvement before he’s a serious all-around threat in the cage.