Professional sports in general are a pursuit for the dreamer rather than the pragmatist.
In the main event of the evening, newly crowned light heavyweight champion, Liam McGeary, will look to defend his title against living legend Tito Ortiz.
In his mid-20s, McGeary was making a living working construction sites in his native United Kingdom.
Ortiz is at peace with himself, and that could spell trouble for McGeary. Undefeated as a pro, McGeary has won all but one bout by way of stoppage.
“I also took (McGeary) down, which wasn’t the smartest thing to do with him being really good off his back, and especially with him being hesitant to strike”. “I know a couple of the guys in the tournament”, he said. I only trained for two weeks for that fight. I was knocking people out in under a minute. “I’m contagious. Once someone watches me compete, I’m part of them forever”.
Lawal had another important point to make during our interview: Whether people like you or hate you, make sure you go out there and give them a show to remember.
The extensive work Newton (25-8-1) did on his ground game will come in to play in a big way on Saturday when he takes on UFC veteran Phil Davis (13-3, 1NC) in the first round of the Bellator light-heavyweight title contender tournament in San Jose, Calif. Wanting to be champion, Ortiz lobbied for a fight where he is an almost 5-to-1 underdog. Ortiz doesn’t have much left to prove, but he wants more anyway.
“He’s got good standup, he’s long, he’s a great athlete and has awkward submissions”, Ortiz says of McGeary. I’m excited about this fight. “I thought he retired”. McGeary feels the tournament, along with the combined co-promotion with Glory kickboxing, represents another sign that Bellator is going in the right direction as 2015 starts to wind down. “I never batted an eyelid”. That allowed Tito to turn his attention back to fighting. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt attempted triangle chokes, armbars, triangle armbars and keylocks, and while he was not able to tap the crafty Newton, he did more than enough to earn the decision and improve his Bellator record to 7-0.
Bellator and ESPN Deportes have agreed to a multi-year, multi-platform contract for six events for the rest of 2015. Over 20 fights will take place, with an MMA cage and a kickboxing ring standing side to side in the same arena.
Phil Davis will be given the chance to prove said “reigniting of love and passion” for MMA during the four-man, one-night tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1.
Gonzalez on wanting a title shot if he beats Daley in a kickboxing bout: “I think if I beat Paul at his game, at what he’s best at, there’s no doubt I deserve that title shot”.