# Bellator 153 > UFC 197



## Warning (Nov 18, 2009)

Bellator 153 was a great show top to bottom.
Was surprised there was no talk about it on a forum dedicated to MMA.

I watched Bellator 153 and UFC 197 back to back and Bellator 153 was defantly the better show.

Every fight was great.

Andrey Koreshkov vs Benson Henderson was jaw dropping exciting.

Brennan Ward vs Evangelista Santos was 5 stars :thumbsup:

Hope you all get to see the show if you all have not already.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

BellaWhat? BellaPoor... thats what.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Haven't seen it yet but it does look like it was a good card. Really happy MVP has started to win over the MMA fans. He's a hard guy to have been a fan of over the years. He went from being my number 1 google search in MMA almost daily to keep updated on his career since the tornado kick, to being someone I sometimes forget exists. Hopefully he can stay injury free and start putting them together soon.

While I'm a hipster with McGregor, I didn't actually know him before the Ivan fight which got him into UFC. MVP though I saw in his UCMMA debut and done up a highlight video in like 2012 with his first I think 3 K1/MMA fights (before he joined SFL) so I'm a big time MVP hipster :laugh:


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## Warning (Nov 18, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> Really happy MVP has started to win over the MMA fans


Got to bite my lip as to not spoil it for you. But even if you just watch that fight alone. I think you will be happy you did. 

Andrey Koreshkov vs Benson Henderson was a cant miss fight aswell.
The entire fight was a highlight reel.

I can PM you a link from my personal server if you have any trouble finding it


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Warning said:


> Got to bite my lip as to not spoil it for you. But even if you just watch that fight alone. I think you will be happy you did.
> 
> Andrey Koreshkov vs Benson Henderson was a cant miss fight aswell.
> The entire fight was a highlight reel.
> ...


You think I'm on MMA Forum and don't know the results?  I caught the highlights  Will be downloading and watching in full tomorrow, haven't seen anything from Koreshkov / Henderson outside of the play by play. Should be a fun watch.

This is why Bellator's annoying though. People are everywhere for their hyped out the ass Kimbo fights but they don't even tell people who Koreschkov is. Bet Coker was hoping for a Bendo win too.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> This is why Bellator's annoying though. People are everywhere for their hyped out the ass Kimbo fights but they don't even tell people who Koreschkov is.* Bet Coker was hoping for a Bendo win too.*


I dunno... Coker's formula seems to be, put on the freakshow/legend/casual fights, draw in the casual viewers... and even hardcore mma fans who have lapsed on there 'outside the ufc' viewing due to how much the UFC have been dominating over the past 5 or so years, and when they are in... give the fighters, like Koreshkov the exposure he would never usually get. 

To early to tell how well he is doing, But the bump in popularity Koreshkov "should" get for beating down a still prime, former UFC champion like Henderson won't be unwelcome for Coker, Benson hasn't lost his name value, he will drop to 155 and a bunch of new people know who Koreshkov is now.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Joabbuac said:


> I dunno... Coker's formula seems to be, put on the freakshow/legend/casual fights, draw in the casual viewers... and even hardcore mma fans who have lapsed on there 'outside the ufc' viewing due to how much the UFC have been dominating over the past 5 or so years, and when they are in... give the fighters, like Koreshkov the exposure he would never usually get.
> 
> To early to tell how well he is doing, But the bump in popularity Koreshkov "should" get for beating down a still prime, former UFC champion like Henderson won't be unwelcome for Coker, Benson hasn't lost his name value, he will drop to 155 and a bunch of new people know who Koreshkov is now.


If you forget this card when Ben Henderson was on it...when has Coker done this before?

*Bellator 152* - Big names if you count kickboxing. No one to bring in a single MMA casual though who doesn't already know Patricky. Patricky could have benefited from some exposure and is a great fighter.

*Bellator 151* - Another card where it's a main event between known "Bellator guys" and then no one else of note. Darrion Caldwell could have become a star with a bigger card and this fight.

*Bellator 150* - Would you call Kongo a "name" now? Even if you do, who was the next on the card with prospects? David Rickels and Kendall Grove? Rickels is probably pretty old I'd imagine now too. Now too sure if Lena was a prospect or not. Even still, hard to sell a Kongo card.

*Bellator 149* - Here's your card. EVERYONE is watching Kimbo Vs Dada. EVERYONE is watching Royce Vs Shamrock. Firstly, why not split them to two cards? None the less, who builds us up to it? Emmanuel Sanchez and Daniel Pineda...not exactly the top prospects. Linton Vassell and Emmanuel Newton, two older limited guys who already fought each other. Derek Campos Vs Melvin Guillard, one guy on a two fight losing streak Vs a should have retired years ago UFC guy. Where was Caldwell and the Pitbull bros here?

*Bellator 148* - Better work here. Honeycutt and Bradley was a good rivalry and you had Ryan Couture Vs Patricky as a build up name fight, headlined by Paul Daley to bring in the viewers. You also originally had Kos in there too which was meant to cause some tension for the rematch.

*Bellator 154* - Adam Piccolotti is slipping my mind but on paper, this looks like his showcase fight. Michael Chandler has a good chance to get some big props from outside sources too. Good card here for those, but waaaay too much filler previously.

*Bellator 155* - Manhoef gets a title shot off of a one win KO (one loss by dec if you count Bellator kickboxing). After that, we have some good Bellator guys like Marcin Held and Pat Curran but no big names to draw in the casuals to see them. They also bury their woman's division before it even starts which is bonkers.

*Bellator 156* - Same again. Solid Bellator guys with no "freakshow/UFC/whatever" fight to draw in the fans.

*Bellator 157* - Two "UFC guys" to draw in the fans...and not a single worth while Bellator name yet.

*Bellator 157* - Kimbo and Kos/Daley on one card to draw in the fans. Michael Page seems to be scheduled with Fernando Gonzalez on wikipedia giving him a huge opportunity. Linton Vassell Vs Francis Carmont in a fight no one will care about. Likely will pad the rest of the card with low level guys and not build up any Pitbull, Lima, Dantas etc. kind of fighters.



Bellator could split it all up. If Kimbo is apparently a draw somehow, make him main event or co main event with a really solid up and comers card or low popularity champion above. Don't double up your shit for one big pay day. Build up the next generation of Michael Chandler, Joe Warren, Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard etc. who will be the ones to bring Bellator into the next generation.


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## edlavis88 (Jul 12, 2009)

Not sure how anyone who calls themselves a MMA fan isn't excited about MVP at this point. 

People called him a flashy striker with no substance, who would get found out by any half decent striker. (Despite his kickboxing accolades rivalling Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson's.) 

Then when he was scoring ridiculous knockout after ridiculous knockout, people started saying he'd get taken down and exposed on the ground - yet his last two wins have come via wrestling and Ground and pound and most recently a toe hold that you so rarely see from even the most experienced grapplers (Off the top of my head I think only Barnett and Mir have won by Toehold in a big promotion.) 

I get people not liking him for his cocky style but I just don't see how his fights don't appeal.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> If you forget this card when Ben Henderson was on it...when has Coker done this before?
> 
> *Bellator 152* - Big names if you count kickboxing. No one to bring in a single MMA casual though who doesn't already know Patricky. Patricky could have benefited from some exposure and is a great fighter.
> 
> ...


Can't have a big draw on every card... the draws in the card before are supposed to attract people to the next event. People watch Kimbo-Dada,Shamrock-Gracie and hopefully it makes people want to watch 150. 

Though like i said, not sure if it's working... I would imagine those two fights turned a bunch of people off mma.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Joabbuac said:


> Can't have a big draw on every card... the draws in the card before are supposed to attract people to the next event. People watch Kimbo-Dada,Shamrock-Gracie and hopefully it makes people want to watch 150.
> 
> Though like i said, not sure if it's working... I would imagine those two fights turned a bunch of people off mma.


I just wouldn't mind either spreading out the "big freakshows" a little bit, so you can focus on guys like Lima, Held, Dantas etc. who will actually put on impressive performances, or better yet just focus all your promotion on the actual talent as opposed to the freaks.

The mistreatment of Will Brooks in Bellator almost worse than anything UFC has done. They are basically saying Brooks is nothing and doesn't even need a fight.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> I just wouldn't mind either spreading out the "big freakshows" a little bit, so you can focus on guys like Lima, Held, Dantas etc. who will actually put on impressive performances, or better yet just focus all your promotion on the actual talent as opposed to the freaks.
> 
> The mistreatment of Will Brooks in Bellator almost worse than anything UFC has done. They are basically saying Brooks is nothing and doesn't even need a fight.


Yeah... for all of how people say the UFC has mistreated fighters like Fitch, Okami... cutting them to early because they are not fun to watch, Bellator is worst, treating champions like Brooks and Askren as expendable.


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