mma / Columns

The Most MMA Moments From Bellator and UFC’s Weekend

June 30, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Lambert

Any time there are two major MMA events in a weekend, we can expect a lot of MMA Moments. If you don’t know what an “MMA Moment” is, it’s basically anything that would make Gus Johnson say, “sometimes these things happen in MMA.”

Here were the best MMA Moments from a crazy weekend:

Fedor and Mitrione Double Knockdown/KO

Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest heavyweight of all-time. But he hasn’t been great for about seven years now. So, when Matt Mitrione, who was the favorite coming into the fight, beat him; it wasn’t a big deal.

But how he beat him will never be forgotten. A double knockdown followed by a clean ground and pound knockout. We’ve seen double knockouts and double knockdowns in MMA before, but I can’t recall an instance where it happened in such a high profile fight. It was perfect.

The whole sequence of events was perfect. One of the greatest fighters ever getting dropped by and dropping a midlevel heavyweight, failing to bounce up like he used to because he’s old now, and then getting knocked unconscious.

Michael Chandler Stool Pull

Michael Chandler lost his Bellator lightweight title via ankle injury, which really sucks. But that wasn’t the worst part of his night. He’ll get a rematch for the belt, that’s not an issue. But falling on your ass after getting the stool pulled from under you? That’s a moment we’ll always have to laugh at.

Do you think the guy who pulled the stool did it on purpose? That’s the question that needs to be answered. What was his reasoning for pulling it? He knew the fight was about to be stopped and that Chandler shouldn’t be standing for long on a bum ankle. So, why did he take the stool away?

My best guess is that the stool guy was like “sit down” and then he pulled the stool. When Chandler fell he was like, “be humble.”

Best MMA Prospect Ever Loses In 24 Seconds

I had never heard of Aaron Pico prior to this week. But those much smarter than me have known about Pico for years. And they all told me that Pico is the best MMA prospect ever. Pico himself told me that he’s the best prospect ever.

None of that mattered when he was tapping out in 24 seconds to unknown Zach Freeman.

Freeman had 10 pro fights, but was 1-2 in his last three. He was handpicked for a reason. Bellator and Scott Coker are typically wise in how they handle prospects. He had experience, but that experience was just going to make Pico’s win even better.

And Freeman’s reply was, “care to try again?”

Crowd Chants At Tito Ortiz During Main Event

Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva were engaged in a rather dull affair that saw Sonnen easily plant Silva on his back and hold him there. To bring some excitement to the fight, Tito Ortiz, sitting cageside, egged on the fans. Their response was to chant “Fuck You Tito” and “Tito Sucks.”

I’d say this is on the level of wrestling fans chanting “CM Punk” in the middle of boring matches, but Punk isn’t ringside to encourage them. So, congratulations MMA fans, you’re slightly less worse than wrestling fans.

Johny Hendricks Misses Weight

Johny Hendricks is a former UFC welterweight champion. After losing the belt, he missed the 170 pound mark twice, forcing him to move up to 185. He looked good in his middleweight debut against Hector Lombard and people thought he had found a new home.

But Johny Hendricks’ weight had other plans.

Hendricks missed the middleweight mark by two pounds on Saturday and lost to Tim Boetsch on Sunday. He’ll probably fight again at middleweight. But, if he misses weight one more time, there will be consequences. He’ll have to go up to light heavyweight. Could you imagine 5’9” Johny Hendricks fighting at 205? It would be great.

Justine Kish Shits In Cage

This is the ultimate, “sometimes these things happen in MMA” moment. Name me another sport where the athletes shit in the middle of competition, right there on the court, ice, field, etc…. I can’t make fun of Kish any further. She’s suffered enough.

Screw Job Finish In Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Lee Bout

Michael Chiesa may have gone out for a split second while locked in a rear naked choke, but you rarely see a referee stop a submission the moment a fighter goes out. Typically, he makes 100 percent sure that the fighter is completely unconscious from the submission before pulling the other fighter off. Mario Yamasaki either knew Chiesa was going out or he stopped things too early, because Chiesa was completely awake when the hold was released and there was no tap.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with the stoppage. Chiesa went limp for a split second and Yamasaki, to his credit, waved off the fight. It looked odd because we’re used to seeing fighters sleep while in the hold and sleep right after the hold, but Chiesa definitely went out.

Dennis Siver Outclasses BJ Penn

I didn’t want BJ Penn fighting in 2017, but if he was going to fight, Dennis Siver made as much sense as anyone. Siver is 38-years-old and hadn’t fought for two years. It was almost a re-creation of Fedor vs. Mitrione. A legend past his prime taking on a fellow old guy who never made it past midcard status.

Penn didn’t get knocked out cold, but he got out-struck for the majority of the 15-minute fight. Aside from a well-timed uppercut, Siver had his way with Penn on the feet. Penn never mounted a consistent offense, barely put combinations together, and looked slow in every aspect.

I’d say Penn will finally retire, but chances are we’ll see him in Bellator by the end of the year.

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