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Jason Jackson played the smart game plan to smother Douglas Lima over five rounds in the headliner of Bellator 283.
Jackson picked up his sixth straight win by playing it safe, taking away Lima’s standup weapons with a wrestling attack that led to a unanimous decision by scores of 50-45 across the board. A good chunk of the audience did not hear the scorecards, because they had already streamed out of the arena by the time they were read.
Bellator 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Wash. The event’s main card aired live on Showtime.
Afterward, Jackson pleaded to a booing crowd, “Lima is a legend. I take nothing from him. I came out here and did what I had to do to get to the next level.” He called for a title shot and said a fight with interim title challenger Michael “Venom” Page sounded apt.
Jackson, a product of Kill Cliff Fight Club (formerly Sanford MMA), found his path to victory in the first, taking a few sharp kicks to the leg for his efforts. By the second, he powered through Lima’s kick and put his opponent on the mat, who was only marginally more difficult to take down. An upkick stunned Jackson briefly, but he managed to stay on top and keep control. In the third, Lima’s whizzer kept him upright only momentarily as Jackson righted himself and resumed control.
In the championship rounds, it took less than 30 seconds for Jackson to put Lima on the mat and keep him there. It was a smart plan for an ex-champ who’d missed weight a day earlier by 1.8 pounds, and it was not must-see TV. But it was effective, and as Jackson said, it moved him up the ladder. Lima, meanwhile, suffered his fourth straight loss and faces an uncertain future.
Musayev steamrolls Outlaw
If you want to know how to carpe diem, take a cue from Tofiq Musayev.
The former RIZIN champion may have stamped his ticket for a lightweight title shot in starching Sidney Outlaw on short notice in the co-main event on Friday.
Musayev robbed Outlaw of his balance with a pair of hooks and then finished the job with a right hand that had referee Keith Peterson in quickly to save the downed fighter from more punishment. It was all over just 25 seconds into the first round.
With his first Bellator win, Musayev, whose promotional debut was delayed by a pair of cancellations, steps to the front of the line to vie with Usman Nurmagomedov for the next opportunity to face champ Patricky Freire.
Nurmagomedov taps Gonzalez quick
Usman Nurmagomedov is now 15-0 after showing off another wrinkle to his game. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin baited opponent Chris Gonzalez into overextending on a chase and then quickly swept him to the mat. When the American wrestler tried to get back up, Nurmagomedov snuck in a choke, securing a tap at the 2:54 mark of the opening frame.
Afterward, the active undefeated Nurmagomedov – translated by the retired, former UFC champ – called for a title fight against champ Patricky Pitbull.
Lorenz Larkin elbow brings no-contest vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov
Lorenz Larkin figured a lateral elbow would deter Mukhamed Berkhamov from smothering him on the canvas, where he found himself early. But that elbow unfortunately landed right in the sweet spot for a foul, connecting the point directly to the back of the Russian’s head. As Berkhamov reeled from the blow, unable to stand after the referee stopped the action, Larkin seemed to acknowledge his mistake. Seconds later, when Berkhamov couldn’t stand or walk, Larkin’s expression changed to one of disgust and disappointment as a no-contest was called at the 2:52 mark of the opening frame.
Golm survives slams, taps Franklin
Lifting a heavyweight is hard work, as Davion Franklin found out. After twice hoisting Marcelo Golm in the air and slamming him to the mat, Franklin looked up at the clock, spent. Golm may have had a massive gash on his right brow, courtesy of a Franklin shot. But he kept coming, and when the cageside doc let it go into the second, he exacted his revenge, chasing Franklin around the cage and landing body shots. It took him a few minutes to recover, but Franklin’s determination – and some sloppily effective grappling – put him on top to close out the second frame. Cheered on by the crowd, he ran on fumes in the third, swinging to land something, anything, against his more technical opponent.
Eventually, technique won the day, and Golm slammed his man to the ground and took the back, prompting a hard tapout from Franklin with 24 seconds left on the clock.
Full Bellator 283 results:
Jason Jackson def. Douglas Lima via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Tofiq Musayev def. Sidney Outlaw via KO (punches) – Round 1, 0:27
Usman Nurmagomedov def. Chris Gonzalez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:54
Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Lorenz Larkin declared no-contest (unintentional illegal elbow) – R1, 2:52
Marcelo Golm def. Davion Franklin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:36
Dalton Rosta def. Romero Cotton via TKO (left hook) – Round 3, 0:38
Veta Arteaga def. Vanessa Porto via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:47
Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Bobby King via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Akhmed Magomedov def. Kevin Boehm via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 1:16
Roman Faraldo def. Luis Iniguez via KO (punch) – Round 1, 3:42
Jaylon Bates def. Mark Coates via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Archie Colgan def. Bryan Nuro via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:15