Usman
Nurmagomedov could not have been more imposing in starting his
run in the Bellator
MMA lightweight grand prix.
The undefeated
American Kickboxing Academy standout retained his undisputed
lightweight championship and did so in spectacular fashion, as he
submitted Benson
Henderson with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
Bellator 292 headliner on Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose,
California. Henderson (30-12, 7-7 Bellator) raised the white flag
of surrender 2:37 into Round 1, as he was submitted for the first
time since 2013. Afterward, the 39-year-old
MMA Lab cornerstone announced his retirement from mixed martial
arts.
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Nurmagomedov (17-0, 6-0 Bellator) decked the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder with an exquisite
question mark kick inside the first minute. He then pounced with
punches, attached himself to the dazed Henderson’s back and
continued to apply his ground-and-pound while hunting a finish.
Nurmagomedov eventually snaked his arms in place for the choke,
tightened his squeeze and prompted the tapout.
The 24-year-old Nurmagomedov will collide with the Brent
Primus–Mansour
Barnaoui winner in the tournament semifinals.
In the co-main event, American Top Team’s Alexandr
Shabliy cut down Tofiq
Musayev with a controversial third-round body kick to advance
to the Bellator lightweight grand prix semifinals. Shabliy (23-3,
4-0 Bellator) brought it to a close 29 seconds into Round 3.
Both men were hesitant to pull the trigger at the outset. Shabliy
countered effectively, ducked out of danger and appeared to turn
the corner in the second round, where he denied an attempted
takedown, connected with an inside leg kick and found a home for
his right hand. Musayev (20-5, 1-1 Bellator) ate a front kick to
the solar plexus less than a minute into Round 3, the Russian’s
foot grazing his cup on the recoil. Referee Jason Herzog paused the
action and then deemed the blow legal before informing the Kill
Cliff Fight Club representative that he would not be afforded time
to recover. When Musayev did not respond in a satisfactory manner,
Herzog called for the stoppage. The result seems certain to be
debated in the days ahead
Shabliy—who will meet the A.J.
McKee–Patricky
Freire winner in the tournament semifinals—has won eight fights
in a row.
Meanwhile, Kill Cliff Fight Club export Linton
Vassell avenged a 2019 defeat to Valentin
Moldavsky and knocked out the Russian with
a vicious grounded elbow strike in the first round of their
heavyweight attraction. Vassell (23-8, 12-5 Bellator)
closed the show 3:03 into Round 1 and cemented himself as the No. 1
contender for reigning champion Ryan
Bader.
Moldavsky (11-3, 6-2 Bellator) secured of pair of takedowns but
failed to corral the Englishman. Once Vassell returned to his feet,
he caught and dropped his oncoming adversary with a counter right
hook, moved into top position and unsheathed his ground-and-pound.
One final elbow separated the badly dazed Moldavsky from his
senses.
Vassell, 39, has rattled off five consecutive victories.
Finally, London Shootfighters star Michael
Page cut down Goiti
Yamauchi with
one devastating leg kick in the first round of their welterweight
showcase. Yamauchi (28-6, 14-5 Bellator) bowed out 26
seconds into Round 1, as he was finished for the first time in his
34-fight career.
Page (21-2, 17-2 Bellator) sniped from the outside with kicks as
his counterpart circled on the perimeter. Before either man could
break a sweat, the charismatic Englishman sent his shin crashing
into Yamauchi’s knee, the impact of the blow appearing to rupture
the patella tendon. No follow-up shots were required.
The 35-year-old Page has won seven of his past eight bouts.
In other action, Enrique
Barzola (19-7-2, 3-2 Bellator) laid claim to a unanimous
decision at the expense of Erik Perez
(20-9, 1-3 Bellator) in a three-round featherweight clash, earning
29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 nods from the cageside judges; Laird
Anderson (4-0, 4-0 Bellator) put Rogelio
Luna (1-1, 1-1 Bellator) to sleep with
a rear-naked choke 2:41 into the first round of their featherweight
affair; Josh Hill
(22-5, 4-2 Bellator) eked out a split decision—28-29, 29-28,
29-28—over Cass Bell
(6-3, 6-3 Bellator) in a three-round featherweight scrap; Khalid
Murtazaliev (16-3, 3-1 Bellator) was awarded a unanimous
verdict over Tony
Johnson (8-5, 2-2 Bellator) in a three-round middleweight
encounter, sweeping the scorecards with 30-27 marks across the
board; Dovletdzhan
Yagshimuradov (20-7-1, 2-2 Bellator) took a unanimous decision
from Julius
Anglickas (10-6, 3-3 Bellator) in a three-round light
heavyweight tilt, drawing 30-27 scores from all three judges; and
Theo
Haig (2-0, 2-0 Bellator) dispatched Adam
Wamsley (2-3, 0-1 Bellator) with
a guillotine choke 3:01 into the first round of their middleweight
pairing.