Bellator

Rory MacDonald beat Neiman Gracie by unanimous decision to retain the Bellator welterweight title at Bellator 222 from Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday.    

The judges scored the fight 49-46, 48-47, 48-47:

The victory ended a two-fight winless streak for MacDonald and allowed him to improve his record to 21-5-1. Meanwhile, Gracie suffered his first professional loss and now sits at 9-1.

MacDonald controlled much of the bout and was often working from an advantageous position after taking Gracie down to the mat:

Gracie is a submission specialist who seemingly came close to catching MacDonald on a few occasions, but he was never able to put the champion in true peril.

Friday's fight was not only for the Bellator welterweight title, but it was also a semifinal bout in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. With the win, MacDonald advanced to the finals to face Douglas Lima.

When MacDonald and Lima meet, it will be a rematch of their Bellator welterweight title clash from Bellator 192 in January 2018. In just his second fight under the Bellator umbrella, MacDonald beat Lima by unanimous decision to win the championship.

That allowed MacDonald to move to 2-0 since leaving the UFC to sign with Bellator, but he fell short in his attempt to become a double champion at Bellator 206 last September, when he lost to Gegard Mousasi by TKO in a middleweight title match.

MacDonald followed that up with a majority draw against Jon Fitch at Bellator 220 in April before beating Gracie in a quick turnaround.

While MacDonald initially made a name for himself in the UFC, Gracie has essentially been a homegrown talent for Bellator aside from his first two professional fights with the World Series of Fighting.

Gracie, who is part of the famous Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu family, entered Friday's contest with eight wins by submission among his nine career victories.

That included five submission wins in a row, with a triumph over Ed Ruth in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix among them.

MacDonald finally placed a blemish on Gracie's resume and set the stage for a fitting end to the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, as he will defend the Bellator welterweight title against the fighter he originally won it from.

Lyoto Machida defeated Chael Sonnen by second-round TKO in a light heavyweight bout at Bellator 222 from Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday.

Machida caught Sonnen with a flying knee in the second round after hitting him with one in the first and finished off his aggressive opponent with a series of punches:

Per Josh Gross of The Athletic, Machida's impressive win means a title match could be in his immediate future:

In defeat, the 42-year-old Sonnen appeared to announce his retirement from MMA, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani:

The win marked Machida's fourth in a row and improved his career professional record to 26-8, while Sonnen is now 31-17-1 after dropping his second consecutive fight and fourth in his past six outings.

Machida, 41, is a former UFC light heavyweight champion who has enjoyed a career renaissance since signing with Bellator.

From 2015-2017, Machida lost three consecutive fights in UFC, and it looked as though his career might be winding down. Machida beat Eryk Anders and Vitor Belfort in his final two UFC fights, however, before defeating Rafael Carvalho in his Bellator debut last year and then getting past Sonnen on Friday.

Friday marked Sonnen's fifth fight in Bellator, and the results have been mixed thus far. On the heels of losing three of his final four UFC bouts, Sonnen joined Bellator in 2017 for Bellator 170.

Sonnen lost to Tito Ortiz on that card but followed it up with consecutive victories over Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson. Fedor Emelianenko beat Sonnen by first-round TKO at Bellator 208 last year, though, and Sonnen now finds himself on a two-match losing streak.

Friday's contest represented a departure for Sonnen, who fought at heavyweight in his previous two outings. Sonnen spent most of his career in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, however.

While Machida and Sonnen did not main event Friday's MSG card, their name recognition and drawing power played a big role in drumming up interest. Their bout was also significant since the winner stood to potentially enter the title picture in the light heavyweight or middleweight division.

Middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi could be Machida's next opponent, which would represent a significant step up in competition for The Dragon his next time out.

The history of former WWE stars transitioning to MMA is mixed. Brock Lesnar became one of the most must-see stars the sport has ever seen. CM Punk? Not so much.

Jack Swagger's MMA career is off to a much different kind of start.

Swagger, whose real name is Jake Hager, submitted T.J. Jones in the first round of their matchup at Bellator 221 on Sunday. Hager is 2-0 since signing with the promotion, with both of his victories coming via first-round submission.

While he's one of the more notable faces in Bellator, Hager rankled some fans for his late release of the arm triangle he won with. The crowd booed Hager after the fight, but he did not seem particularly bothered.

“I meant no disrespect, but you’re going to have to make me stop. I thought the referee was him," Hager said, per Matt Erickson of MMA Junkie. "You all can boo me all you want, but you’re not in here right now. … I knew once I got on top, he’s not getting up.”

Hager was released by WWE in March 2017 after spending more than a decade with the company. He won the World Heavyweight Championship, United States Championship and ECW Championship during his tenure.

At age 37, Hager isn't likely to have a lengthy career in MMA. But it's clear his amateur wrestling background is paying massive dividends through two fights.  

Bellator's Raymond Daniels may be a kickboxer by trade, but he proved capable of delivering a spectacular MMA moment Saturday to knock out Wilker Barros. 

As the first round of their fight on the main card at Bellator Birmingham was winding down, Daniels launched himself into the air, spinning a full 360 degrees before landing, pausing and dropping Barros with a clean knockout punch. 

Daniels' kickboxing background likely had Barros watching Daniels' feet during his aerial acrobatics, and the misdirection proved to be devastatingly effective. 

The 39-year-old Californian has an impressive kickboxing resume, but this was only his second-ever professional MMA fight and his first in more than a decade. The incredible result will hopefully encourage him to get back in the cage before too long. 

While Daniels' knockout was the highlight of the night, there were a couple of other impressive moments in Birmingham. Fabian Edwards landed three kicks to Falco Neto's head while on his back before springing to his feat and finishing the fight. 

Finally, in the main event, Brent Primus showed off his ground game with a first-round gogoplata to submit Tim Wilde. 

Add it all up, and it was an entertaining main card from start to finish. 

Ryan Bader added the heavyweight championship to his Bellator resume Saturday with a first-round knockout of legend Fedor Emelianenko in the Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, California. 

It only took one punch for Bader to show he's the baddest man in Bellator's heavyweight division. After a brief feeling-out period, the light heavyweight champion landed a flush left hand for the win. 

While knocking out Fedor at this point in his career isn't as impressive as it used to be, the fact that Bader did in so few strikes is what is really impressive. It's something Bader has shown a knack for lately knocking out Muhammed Lawal in similar fashion.

In fact, it was really a fitting end to a nearly flawless run for Bader through the heavyweight tournament. Matt Mitrione took Bader the distance, but was merely surviving rather than competing. 

Although it was a big win for Bader, he did take the time to acknowledge the great career of Fedor in a classy move:

The victory makes Bader the first dual-division champion in Bellator. Darth earned the light heavyweight title with a split-decision win over Phil Davis in June 2017 but moved up to heavyweight after he defended that belt in November 2017 for the Grand Prix. 

Bader's victory over Davis was his Bellator debut, and his time in the promotion has been a success since. Now, the question is what's next. As the champion of two different divisions, his options are wide-ranging, but he's already mentioned a shot at redemption against Lyoto Machida. 

Bader lost to Machida via knockout in 2012 under the UFC banner, but facing him again as the Bellator champ would be different, as he told Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting:

"He's one of those not-good highlights for me when they're showing him and I'm rushing in and getting knocked out. I had no idea what the hell I was doing back then striking-wise in — I can't even remember how many years that was, but I definitely would like to get that back and it's a big fight. I'm looking to get into these big fights."

Machida is the latest former UFC star to make the leap to Bellator, winning a split decision over Rafael Carvalho in his promotional debut in December. 

With Bader fresh off this win, it wouldn't be surprising for him to get his wish and return to light heavyweight for a chance at redemption.

Former WWE superstar Jake "Jack Swagger" Hager was victorious in his MMA debut with a first-round submission win over J.W. Kiser on the main card of Bellator 214 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Hager wasted no time in resorting to his wrestling to get the fight where he was comfortable. He backed Kiser up to the fence in the opening moments of the bout and scored the early takedown.

From there, he simply imposed his will and worked himself to an arm-triangle that eventually drew the tap.

It wasn't the most technical performance. Kiser didn't offer much in the way of resistance, but Hager's ground-and-pound didn't go unnoticed:

Bellator President Scott Coker was impressed with the performance from his newest heavyweight prospect:

After the bout, Hager made it clear he planned on continuing his business arrangement with Coker:

The win was no doubt a success for the organization and the former WWE superstar. Hager joins the likes of Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar as former professional wrestlers who have found success in a transition to mixed martial arts.

Just like Lashley and Lesnar, Hager has an extensive amateur wrestling background to rely on. The 36-year-old was once an All-American at the University of Oklahoma before becoming an entertainer for the WWE where he was an ECW champion, World Heavyweight champion and United States champion.

That kind of exposure is something that can turn Swagger into a valuable commodity for Bellator fast. Especially if he keeps on winning and is aware of the opportunities that creates.

"One of the best pieces of advice I ever got in professional wrestling was use the exposure from cable's No. 1-rated television show to transition and move on to what you want to go into next," Hager said, per Paul Guzzo of the Tampa Bay Times. "... I didn't realize how much I missed the competition until I started training again. It has reignited a lot of passion in me. I'm loving it."

What Bellator decides to do with Swagger from here is going to be intriguing. On one hand, he's already one of the most recognizable names in the organization. On the other, a win over Kiser isn't exactly a coronation. After all, this is an opponent who at 41 years old entered the fight at 0-1 in his professional career.

Swagger's MMA debut went as well as could be expected, but there's a lot of rungs left on the ladder before he's considered an actual contender in his new sport.

Jake Hager, formerly known as WWE Superstar Jack Swagger, will enter the Bellator cage on Saturday for his mixed martial arts debut. But don’t expect this to go down like his former rostermate CM Punk’s UFC debut. Hager is a legitimate athlete.

Hager moved into professional wrestling after a successful collegiate career on the mat. He was a 2006 All-American at the University of Oklahoma who transitioned into the entertainment field. But those skills don’t evaporate.

If there is any comparison to Punk, it’s that both he and Hager made their announcements long before stepping into the cage. They each took the task seriously. But that’s where the comparisons should end because the inherent talent discrepancy lets everyone know that Hager is not just another entertainer coming to make a quick buck in the sport. He is an athlete. He is a fighter.

Hager is a 6’5”, 250-pound All-American stud. And Bellator is setting him up to succeed.

Are they throwing him to the wolves with a top-tier prospect? No, they are accurately testing the waters with 41-year-old J.W. Kiser who is 0-1 in his professional career. It should be a favorable introduction into the sport, and a showcase for how Hager has developed in his year of training.

At the Bellator 214 open workouts, Hager was able to show off some of his developing boxing skills. The display should have been enough to allow fans to be bullish on his prospects in Bellator. His stand-up was not top-tier or even above average for the sport, but his movement and athleticism was evident. Being a pure athlete will take you far in MMA’s heavyweight ranks, and when coupled with his high-level wrestling background, Hager's growth becomes something to watch.

While not an instant title threat, a good performance from Hager will make his presence in the division intriguing for 2019. Heavyweight MMA is volatile and the Bellator division is thin. There are opportunities waiting for an exciting heavyweight figure.

Hager told ESPN.com’s Tim Fiorvanti, "Over a year-and-a-half, [from] April of 2017 [to] October of '17 when we made the announcement to January 2019, it's been incredible. It's been a true body transformation. I competed at very high levels in college, [but] I'm in the best shape of my life because of it."

He is jacked ahead of his Bellator debut.

The pieces of the puzzle are now on the table. Everyone, especially Bellator’s brass, is now waiting to see if he can put them together. If he can, Bellator will have scored a new heavyweight worth promoting and not simply a name with past cache in an adjacent industry. Where the UFC failed with CM Punk, Bellator looks to succeed with Jake Hager.

Hager is not CM Punk. He is not Dave Bautista. He is also not Brock Lesnar. He is no past entertainer making the transition into MMA. He is his own. How far he can take it will be up to him. Saturday is the litmus test to see how high of a ceiling he may have, and Bellator is setting him up to look like a star.