Bellator 126 went down last night at the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, and the Middleweight title changed hands as Brandon Halsey humiliated Alexander Shlemenko with a rear naked choke finish executed in less than a minute. Though Halsey had just 7 fights going in, the line was nearly even as many thought he could exploit Shlemenko’s weaknesses on the ground. And that he did.
For Shlemenko, who had multiple successful defenses of the Middleweight title and was starting to talk about his legacy, it is the second loss in a row where the finish of the fight has to be explained to him, because he was unconscious for it. This is a bad sign for him, and he is going to need some time off to refresh himself. As good as he is on his feet and as thrilling as he can be to watch, he has long hidden a gaping hole in his game, and he has been exposed. He is going to need to change some fundamental things in his game or his days at the top of the Middleweight heap in Bellator are over.
For Halsey, he becomes the Bellator version of Chris Weidman, as he will be learning on the job as champion after defeating a dominating champion. Halsey looks well suited to the job, but he will be tested by another hyper-experienced striker in Manhoef. For Bellator’s sake, hopefully Manhoef tests Halsey.
In the Lightweight co-feature, 22 year old Polish ground fighting phenom Marcin Held systematically controlled and beat up Patricky Pitbull. Held was able to use his high risk ground game to threaten with submissions and control throughout. What is more, he did more than pull guard while remaining aggressive throughout. At the end of the fight, Pitbull’s face showed the marks of battle, while Held emerged with the same baby face as he walked in with.
Held earns a shot at the winner of the upcoming Lightweight title bout between Michael Chandler and Will Brooks scheduled for November. It will be interesting to see if Held can add facets to his game as he fills out over the next couple of years. Though he is exciting to watch, he runs a similar risk to Shlemenko, and that is that there are holes in his striking and in his defenses that will be exploited by fighters at the next level. But until then, Held is a unique asset for Bellator and he is fun to watch, which is more than can be said for some of the other fighters who claim ‘highlight’ reels.
