Well, the time has finally come. The Bellator 192 heavyweight war main event is now going down.
Bellator 192 is going down tonight, Jan. 20, inside The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. tonight. Headlining the night’s card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is facing off against fellow former UFC competitor Chael Sonnen.
The heavyweight war will be the first fight within Bellator’s new heavyweight tournament grand prix, which is set to decide the next Bellator heavyweight champion.
The night’s main event opened up at a brutal pace, as Sonnen immediately walked down his opponent and began peppering Jackson with jabs. However Jackson retaliated with a strong left hook.
With just under three minutes left in the round, Jackson entered the clinch with Sonnen and pulled the fighter to the canvas. But, Sonnen quickly shot back to his feet.
Returning to the center of the cage, the two mixed martial arts warriors entered a short exchange. Sonnen managed to land a powerful knee to Jackson’s midsection.
In the final minute of the round, Jackson began to increase the frequency of his strikes. Sonnen retaliated by shooting for a takedown, successfully getting Jackson to the mat. This will be a tough one for the judges to call.
Sonnen kicked off the second round with another takedown attempt. However, the attempt was stuffed by Jackson. Sonnen forced the fighter in the fence and entered the clinch, before fighting the former UFC champion to the canvas.
From Jackson’s full guard, Sonnen began landing some ground and pound. Slipping into half-guard, The fighter began working Jackson’s midsection with his strikes.
Jackson was unable to escape the difficult ground position before the sound of the round ending bell. This was seemingly a dominant round for Sonnen.
The two mixed martial arts warriors entered a short exchange in the opening moments of the third round, before Sonnen managed to force Jackson into the fence once again. Jackson began to deal some serious damage to Sonnen with body shots from the position, as the fighter reversed the position and pressed Sonnen into the fence.
The referee elected to separate the two fighters after a moment of inactivity. Back in the center of the cage, Sonnen and Jackson went to war in a brutal brawl.
The fighters entered a clinch in the final minute of the round, with Sonnen ultimately getting Jackson to the mat. From Jackson’s full guard, Sonnen began to pummel the fighter with ground and pound. The fighters were brought to their feet in the closing moments of the round, but Jackson was unable to get a finish before the sound of the bell.
Bellator Results: Chael Sonnen def. Quinton Jackson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Here’s a highlight:
