Bellator 251 video: Replay gives Derek Anderson KO win over Killys Mota

At first, it looked like a no-contest was on the way, but then Mike Beltran went to the videotape.

It wouldn’t be a Bellator event if there wasn’t a crazy sequence due to an apparent illegal blow, would it?

But at Bellator 251, there was a twist in things. In the main-card opener between [autotag]Derek Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Killys Mota[/autotag] on Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Anderson (76-3 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) hit Mota (12-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) with what at first appeared to be an illegal kick to a downed Mota.

And when Mota was unable to respond after the kick, which landed flush on the jaw, that made it appear the fight would be yet another in a preponderance of no contests due to illegal strikes in recent Bellator cards.

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But the Mogehan Tribal Commission allows for the usage of instant replay in such situation. Upon viewing the replay, referee Mike Beltran ruled the strike legal. it was actually a magnificently timed kick, which landed flush a split second after Mota, who was attempting to get back to his feet, lifted his knee off that mat, making him no longer a grounded fighter.

The bout goes into the book as a head-kick KO victory for Anderson at 4:27 of the second round.

You can catch the fantastic finish in the video below: