Top 5 Moments Of Bellator 45

Although it only featured three fights, Bellator 45 had a little something for everybody. We saw not one but two three-round hard-fought wars, and in the main event, Christian M’Pumbu became the first French fighter to win a major championship in a major Mixed Martial Arts promotion. But which stars shined brightest, and what moments will fans be talking about in the following weeks? Here’s my take on the matter: my top 5 best moments of Bellator 45.

5. Seeing the highlights of Season Four and realizing what a good season it’s been.

Season Four was not perfect, I can admit that even as a growing Bellator fan. But what it was, was something special: a series of live, weekly, usually-good, sometimes-great, rarely-bad MMA shows on an unproven network featuring an upstart promotion. Season Four gave us stellar knockouts, an Inverted Triangle, and so much more. All of that was perfectly captured in the Season Four montage that played during Bellator 45, and reliving those moments in all their glory was definitely one of my favorite moments of the Bellator 45 broadcast.

4. Karl Amoussou and Sam Alvey waging a close, competitive three-round war.

Amoussou and Alvey took each other to the limit, and because of it we got a solid fight to start out the show. Amoussou really asserted himself in the first round, and busted up Alvey very badly. But the sight of his own blood must have brought out the best in Alvey, because he rebounded in Round 2 and then fully asserted himself in round three. It was close, it was competitive, and it made me interested in seeing both men fight again.

3. Christian M’Pumbu knocking out Richard Hale.

For three straight rounds, it looked like Richard Hale had figured out the intricacies of Christian M’Pumbu’s style. Hale did absorb some pretty hard shots, but nothing fight-ending. I can’t say for certain that Hale was winning the fight up to that point, but I do think he was doing a good job of holding his own. But when M’Pumbu finally landed a good, clean shot, I was up out of my chair in an instant. M’Pumbu’s breathtaking final salvo in which he blasted apart a defending Richard Hale was definitely one of the most dramatic moments of the night.

2. Patricio Freire taking Daniel Straus to the limit and beating him.

Even though only one Freire brother won a Season Four Tournament, I think both Patricio Freire and Patricky Freire were two of the biggest breakout stars of Bellator’s fourth season. Daniel Straus rode an incredible wave of momentum heading into this showdown, and I predicted that Straus would be able to figure out Freire’s gameplan and use it against him. Instead, the absolute opposite ended up happening: Freire figured out Straus and used that knowledge to beat a very formidable opponent. For the first time in Bellator, Straus was pushed to his limits and found wanting. As a Straus fan, it was a sad moment. As a Bellator fan, it was a pretty good fight.

And my personal pick for the best moment of Bellator 45 is…

1. Christian M’Pumbu’s post-fight reaction/interview.

There’s only one thing I liked more than Christian M’Pumbu TKO’ing Richard Hale to become the first Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion: what M’Pumbu did immediately afterwards. Overcome with emotion, he openly wept for several seconds. In his post-fight interview, he would go on to compliment pretty much everyone while promising to defend his championship with honor and integrity. M’Pumbu is a deserving champion, he’s a new breed of fighter, and he’s an incredibly humble man with tremendous respect for everyone in MMA. That’s the kind of champion any organization would be proud to have, and that was definitely the best moment of Bellator 45.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from Bellator 45. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?