5. Best of the rest
There were some other noteworthy happenings at Bellator’s debut event in Japan. Among them:
- [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] sent another reminder why he’s an all-time great in Bellator when he set a new mark for most finishes in company history with a first-round knockout of replacement opponent Sidney Outlaw. It’s not a performance that told us anything new about him as a fighter, but it showed he hasn’t lost a step, either, despite dropping the lightweight title to Patricio Freire in May.
- [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] will seemingly get away with one. Missing weight for a title eliminator should disqualify someone from getting a shot at the belt, but Bellator plays by different rules. Coker said post-fight Larkin’s dominant showcase against an incredibly durable Keita Nakamura should get him a title fight rematch against Bellator welterweight champ Lima.
- [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] is good on the ground, if you hadn’t noticed yet. Daron Cruickshank essentially served him a winning position on a silver platter, but Yamauchi made the most of it when he choked out the UFC and Rizin vet in the first round to add to his record for most wins in Bellator history. With 11 wins in 14 Bellator fights, Yamauchi is crafting himself a legacy in Bellator.