Bellator 283 went down at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma on Friday night. Seattle Fights was on hand to cover the event. It was the first time the major promotion has visited Washington State. The following is a recap of the five fight main card that was televised live on Showtime.
Jason Jackson Uses Wrestling to Dominate Former Three-Time Welterweight Champ Douglas Lima
It was rinse and repeat for all five rounds of the main event for Jason “the Ass-Kicking Machine” Jackson as he scored early takedowns in every round to control and beat up former champion Douglas Lima.
Early in the first round Lima scored with several hard outside low leg kicks. With about 3:20 left in the round Lima cracked Jackson with a hard leg kick and The Ass-Kicking Machine immediately responded by shooting for a double-leg takedown, scooping up Lima and dropping him to the canvas. From there Jackson was able to maintain top control for the balance of the round, patiently working ground strikes and scoring several hard elbows and punches.
Early in Round 2 Lima again scored with hard outside low leg kicks before Jackson shot and took Lima to the canvas. Lima was initially on all fours where Jackson attacked with knee strikes to the thigh. With 3:10 left in the second round, Jackson scooped up Lima and put him on his back. The only time Jackson was in danger during the fight occurred in Round 2 when Lima briefly stunned Jackson with an upkick. In the post-fight interview with commentator Big John McCarthy, Jackson admitted the upkick buzzed him pretty good. But Jackson quickly recovered and was able to maintain top control.
In Round 3 Lima was able to briefly reverse another Jackson takedown but Jackson quickly worked his way back to standing before Lima could do any damage or work a submission attempt.
The championship rounds proceeded in much the same way with Jackson controlling Lima on the ground. The crowd began to voice its displeasure with boos as some fans headed for the exits. All three judges scored the fight 50-45 for Jackson.
Tofiq Musayev Impresses with Lighting Fast TKO of Sidney Outlaw in First Round
Tofiq Musayev stated his case for a Bellator Lightweight title fight with a quick and impressive finish against No. 1 contender Sidney Outlaw. Twenty seconds into the fight Musayev connected with a big right hand over the top as Outlaw was moving forward. Outlaw then continued his forward momentum and as Musayev was backing up he cracked Outlaw with a left hook that had the No. 1 contender stumbling backward and sideways. Musayev immediately pounced and hammered Outlaw with a huge right hand that hit its mark, putting Outlaw on the canvas and ending the fight. The TKO finish came at 0:27 of Round 1.
It was quite the Bellator debut for the Rizin veteran Musayev. A potential Bellator lightweight title fight may soon be in the offing for Musayev as he has a unanimous decision victory over current Bellator Lightweight Champion Patricky Pitbull when the two met in the 2019 Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix.
Usman Nurmagomedov Remains Unbeaten with First Round Standing Guillotine Finish of Chris Gonzalez
Usman Nurmagomedov pushed his unbeaten record to 15-0 and stated his own case for a Bellator Lightweight title fight with an impressive guillotine submission of Chris Gonzalez at 2:54 of Round 1. In the opening sequences of the round, Nurmagomedov took a measured approach and flashed several nifty kicks that connected. The finishing sequence began with a slick trip takedown and as Gonzalez lunged forward to get back to his feet, the Dagestani native Nurmagomedov quickly seized on a guillotine choke with the fighters standing. With Nurmagomedov applying the squeeze he quickly secured the tap.
Unintentional Illegal Elbow Results in No Contest for Lorenz Larkin vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov
Twenty-five seconds into Round 1, Mukhamed Berkhamov ducked under a Lorenz Larkin punch and put Larkin on his back. After a couple of minutes on his back Larkin was able to work back to his feet. With his back against the cage, Berkhamov was working for a double leg takedown when Larkin landed a hard elbow on the back of Berkhamov’s head. Berkhamov was unable to recover from the blow, brining an anticlimactic finish to the bout. The illegal elbow was ruled unintentional, resulting in the no contest conclusion to the bout at 2:52 of Round 1.
Marcelo Golm Gets Third Round Tap Against Davion Franklin
Davion “All Day” Franklin provided two entertaining highlights in Round 1 as he twice, in short succession, lifted Marcelo Golm high into the air before slamming him into the canvas. After the second slam, Franklin scored with several big punches from top position and a vicious elbow opened a deep cut over Golm’s right eyebrow. Golm, however, worked his way back to standing and made a strong comeback with strikes in the latter half of the round as Franklin was clearly exhausted from the slams. Golm landed several hard combinations and a huge elbow of his own late in the round when he was controlling Franklin against the cage in the clinch.
Golm continued his strong work on the feet in the second round. A solid 1-2 Golm combination appeared to briefly stun Franklin. Later in the round Franklin landed his own 1-2 combination that appeared to briefly buzz Golm. Late in the round, Franklin ducked under a Golm punch and secured another takedown. From Golm’s half-guard, Franklin landed a few solid elbows. Golm was able to reverse position after escaping a mounted guillotine submission attempt by Franklin. However, Golm quickly lost the position as Franklin reversed when Golm attempted to secure the crucifix position.
Round 3 went back and forth as the fighters traded strikes. Late in the round the finishing sequence started when Golm secured a takedown. Four or five hard punches caused Franklin to go belly down and Golm quickly secured the tap via rear naked choke, finishing the fight at 4:36 of Round 3.
