Top 5 Best Moments Of Bellator 47

Bellator 47 was a solid event through and through, with several entertaining finishes and a few hard-fought wars of attrition. The finals of the Bellator “Summer Series” Featherweight tournament were decided at Bellator 47, and several other fighters shined in non-tournament bouts. 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 47.

5. Pat Curran and Ronnie Mann testing each other’s abilities.

Unfortunately, I honestly considered this fight the weakest of the entire event, which is a real shame when you consider that it was definitely the fight I was looking forward to the most. Still, this wasn’t a bad fight and it did have its fair share of highlights. Even though it didn’t live up to all the hype, it was still a competitive fight between two very good fighters. So it deserves a spot on this list.

4. Marlon Sandro beating a very tough Nazareno Malegarie.

Marlon Sandro may have beaten Nazareno Malegarie, but the Brazilian submission wizard certainly didn’t make it easy for the world-traveled Sengoku veteran. Sandro scored some very good, quite clean shots on Malegarie for the duration of their three-round fight, but Nazareno just kept pressing forward. Towards the end of the fight, you simply had to respect Malegarie’s toughness and his very formidable chin. It was a good display of both men’s skills, so it too deserves a spot on this list.

3. The Bellator debut of Chris Horodecki.

Chris Horodecki had a lot to prove coming into Bellator, knowing that he was one of the few name-value WEC stars that wasn’t folded into the UFC when the WEC and UFC merged. And that motivation really showed in his performance at Bellator 47. Horodecki nailed constant, brisk takedowns and tried his best to finish his opponent. It ended up being a very technical ground game, but one that Horodecki clearly controlled for the majority of the bout. Horodecki seems to have found new life in Bellator, so I can’t wait to see what’s next for him in the promotion.

2. Alexandre Bezerra choking out Jesse Gross

As I’ve said before, I really can’t explain how rare it is for someone to get choked unconscious from a Rear Naked Choke that is not under the chin. Usually, when a RNC is not under the chin, the opponent is likely just holding the position or trying to inflict as much pain on his opponent as possible before the round ends. But Bezerra legitimately sent Jesse Gross into the land of dreams, and that’s a very rare feat that made for a pretty awesome moment.

And my personal pick for the best moment of Bellator 47 is…

1. Neil Grove TKO’ing Zak Jensen.

I’d like to consider myself an MMA connoisseur of sorts. I can appreciate just about any type of fight, even though I have my preferences. And while I recognize that sloppy brawls appeal to the lowest common denominator, I also recognize that a fun brawl, no matter how sloppy it is, is quite entertaining to watch. So let’s give respect where respect is due. There was nothing technical about Grove vs. Jensen, it was just two guys punching each other in the face until someone’s chin finally broke. And it was the best fight of the night.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from Bellator 47.