It was a night of local talent for us folks in New England as Bellator rolled into Mohegan Sun and put on their Featherweight and Light Heavyweight tournaments at Bellator 110. The card had potential to be solid with the Featherweights keeping our pulse going while the 205lbers worked towards putting us to sleep.

Here’s what stood out to me.

Desmond Green: Granted, I didn’t feel he deserved the decision, yet I did feel he’d improved dramatically since he started his MMA career. Having translated his smooth wrestling footwork into something that functions for boxing, Green was able to slip in and out of range, and showed impeccable timing on his punches. It’s Green’s chain wrestling that’s his best asset of course, and he was able to corral and drop Richman numerous times, landing his opponent in compromised positions. A solid effort from Green that whets the palate for his next tournament fight. Onwards and upwards.

Mark Bassette vs Diego Nunes: A spirited bout that showed the best and worst of both men, Bassette spoiled Nunes’ warpath to the Featherweight final with a split decision win.

This was an interesting set-up for Bassette, as the commentary team pointed out he understood Nune’s two-way fighting style, yet he fought like someone who didn’t believe he could win. It’s never a good sign when a fighter starts by giving ground, and this lack of aggression allowed Nunes to load up on his best offensive weapons early, clipping Bassette in the pocket repeatedly. A crushing right straight from Bassette changed this fight in the second round though, sending Nunes skidding on his ass and leaving him badly dazed. Bassette didn’t press the issue, losing his chance at the early finish, even if his hooking power punches were clearly capable for laying the Brazilian out.

Nunes looked like the same fighter we saw in his WEC/UFC days, wheeling or pressing with strong footwork, using outstanding combinations and having a simple yet functional ground game. His old flaw, a lack of KO power, is now coupled with a new flaw however: a lack of ability to absorb a punch. With a style that doesn’t allow for finishes, I’m having a hard time seeing Nunes career going well at this point, if every strike an opponent lands seems to badly rattle his cage. Overall, the best bout of the night that sees the local fighter advance and the Brazilian catching a sad flight back home.

King Mo: Any time I see King Mo slop his way through a fight, I go back and watch his debut against Wiuff. What could have been, but never was, is the sad tale of King Mo. It’s a combination of a lack of mobility in the lower body and a lack of confidence after his KO against Newton that has reduced Mo to a plodding boxer with no drive in his formerly world-class takedown. The worst thing with his win in this tournament is….

Rampage Jackson: Another man with a history of knee and back injuries, Rampage moved like a marionette in his fight with Beltran and didn’t look improved against M’Pumbu. Lacking the fluidity in his footwork to pursue an opponent like he did against Machida, Rampage was forced to stalk and hope for a fire fight. His saving grace here was that M’Pumbu was far outgunned and isn’t able to take a hit, allowing Rampage to clip him and secure the win.  Now onto the saddest Bellator Light Heavyweight final since…the last Light Heavyweight final.

Bellator News: Prior to the Bellator 110 main event, Bjorn Rebney announced that Alvarez vs Chandler 3 will take place on May 17^th on PPV.

Complete Bellator 110 Results:

Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal Bouts:

Quinton Jackson defeated Christian M’Pumbu by 1sr rd. KO (4:34)

Muhammed Lawal defeated Mikhail Zayats by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bouts:

Matt Bessette defeated Diego Nunes by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Desmond Green defeated Mike Richman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Will Martinez defeated Goiti Yamauchi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Daniel Welchel defeated Scott Cleves by 1^st rd. Rear-Naked Choke Submission (3:46)

Non-Tournament Bouts:

Saul Almeida defeated Andrew Fisher via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Egidijus Valavicius defeated Atanas Djambazov by 1^st rd. KO (0:48)

Ryan Quinn defeated Andrew Calandrelli by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Josh Diekmann vs. Manny Lara ruled a no-contest (accidental eye poke) at Round 1, 0:18

Marvin Maldonado vs. Rico DiSciullo ruled a no-contest (illegal knee) at Round 1, 1:53