Apparently RIZIN fighters are better than Bellator fighters. At least, that’s what Bellator champ’s second loss to Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 222 tells us.
If you’ll recall, the wrestler-turned-bantamweight king journeyed to Japan for RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve show. There he faced “the Gooch”, and Horiguchi choked him out. They rematched last night, with the Bellator strap up for grabs, and once again Caldwell fell short.
To his credit, Caldwell didn’t get choked out. But he was kind of a one-trick pony with his takedowns. When he was able to get them, he didn’t get to do much with the advantage; when he didn’t get them, he seemed like he had nothing else to offer. Making matters worse was the Gooch scored takedowns himself.
This third round is ?!
The belt is on the line and neither of these two men are going down without a fight!#Bellator222 pic.twitter.com/gTFEwjPZxt
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 15, 2019
Caldwell had his moments.
Wasn’t easy, but @TheWolfMMA scores that takedown in round two.
Watch the #Bellator222 main card with @DAZN_USA in the ?? and @SkySports in the ??. pic.twitter.com/9MYvYYN0i8
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 15, 2019
But ultimately, they were few and far between, and when time ran out, it was clear who was the superior MMA fighter.
To be fair, the Gooch is a UFC vet whose only loss in eight trips to the Octagon was against then-champ Demetrious Johnson. Regardless, now we’ve got the first major cross-promotional champ. May Horiguchi reign long and with honor!
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