25 of the best Bellator fights of all-time
By Chad Porto
15. Patricky Pitbull vs. Roger Huerta – Bellator 205
Patricky Pitbull finally makes the list. The elder of the Pitbull brothers gets recognized for his chaotic affaira with Roger Huerta Huerta brought the magic, trying to out-strike Patricky all fight long, but a key cross caught Huerta on the chin, and despite Huerta surviving and even pushing Patricky off, Huerta had no idea where he was. As he looked around, Pitbull came back and finished Huerta off.
14. Patricio Pitbull vs. Daniel Straus – Bellator 178
Patricio Pitbull and Daniel Straus were another set of fighters that had three fights between them. Patricio took the first fight in 2011 at Bellator 45 to win the Season 4 Featherweight Tournament. Then in 2015, they met again, this time with Patricio as Bellator featherweight champion and Straus getting the victory. In the rubber match, Straus would have Patricio guessing for most of the fight, but after stiffing a takedown attempt, Patricio would lock in a guillotine and get the quick submission win in the second round to reclaim his title.
13. John Salter vs. Costello van Steenis – Bellator 233
Costello van Steenis needed a bonus after the work he put in against John Salter. While Salter would get the unanimous decision due to his more gritty style, van Steenis was out here doing his best Jean Claude Van Damme (or Rob Van Dam) impersonation. An assortment of flying strikes, and rapid attacks really made the fight pop. Salter got the win, but van Steenis really impressed with his dynamic striking.
12. Cris Cyborg vs. Julia Budd – Bellator 238
All due respect to Amanda Nunes, but Bellator 238 saw the two best strikers in women's featherweight history clash. The fight was long, at least for a Cris Cyborg fight, and Budd gave as good as she got for a lot of the first few rounds. Seeing two dynamic strikers going at it is always a treat, especially when they're two of the best women in their weight class to ever do it. Unfortunately for Budd, Cyborg is next level and she eventually broke Budd's guard and landed the TKO victory to take the Bellator women's featherweight title for her own.
11. Douglas Lima vs. Ben Saunders 2 – Bellator 100
Ben Saunders came into his rematch with Douglas Lima with the hope of avenging a loss from several years prior. Saunders looked good too, aside from getting his face broken open by Lima, but he was far from done. The two men swung with everything they had, and while Saunders never led the fight, he never quit. The fireworks were inspired, but at the end of it, Lima made sure Saunders knew what the 'twilight's last gleaming' really meant, as he sent him into the NetherRealm with a body blow and head-kick combo.