Världen

Bellator 292 recap: ”MVP” destroys opponent’s kneecap, Benson Henderson retires following loss

Publicerat

11 mars 2023

Photo credit: Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA

Friday’s Bellator 292 event in San Jose, California featured quite the stacked fight card.

Did you miss out on the action? Frontkick has got you covered with all the official results as well as the biggest (and most brutal) highlights of the night right here!

Usman Nurmagomedov defends, Benson Henderson calls it a career

In the main event, undefeated lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator MMA championship strap for the first time against former UFC champ Benson Henderson. It took Nurmagomedov just about half a round to manage to sink in a rear-naked choke that left Henderson with no choice but to tap.

USMAN NURMAGOMEDOV! 🔥
The lightweight world champion remains #AndStill with an incredible submission!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/i55msZgfu3
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023

Afterwards, Henderson announced his retirement from the sport of MMA and left his gloves on the mat. The 39-year-old veteran has been competing as a professional since november of 2o06 and leaves with a 30-12 pro record.

Thank you, @BensonHenderson! 👏
What an amazing career. #Bellator292 pic.twitter.com/H0alBrtpiE
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023

Normagomedov vs. Henderson wasn’t just a regular title fight, but also the second of two quarterfinal matchups as Bellator just kicked off its lightweight world grand prix where the winner will earn a whooping $1 million dollar payday.

This means that Nurmagomedov now moves on to the semi final, where he’ll defend his belt against the winner of the next quarterfinal between Mansour Barnaoui and Brent Primus.

Alexander Shabliy moves on to semi-final with a groin kick?

In the evening’s co-headliner, the lightweight tournament officially kicked off with the very first quarterfinal as Alexander Shabliy and Tofiq Musayev squared off in a fight that was initially quite dull.

After two close rounds of some pressure, feints and occasional exchanges, Shabliy landed a front kick that resulted in a somewhat controversial third-round TKO win. While the kick connected to the chest, it did also hit Musayev in the groin on the way down – but referee Jason Herzog deemed it to be legal.

Check out the slow motion replay and judge for yourself!

Alexander Shabliy is heading into the semi-finals of the #BellatorLWGP!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/udxcGzZtkx
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023

Anyway, Shabliy now moves on the semi-final where he’ll take on the winner between former Bellator champions AJ McKee and Patricky Freire.

Michael ”Venom” Page destroys opponent’s knee in 26 seconds, Linton Vassell scores big finish

One of the biggest stars in Bellator MMA was also on fighting on the card and as usual, he produced probably the most viral moment of the night. It took thew flashy Englishman Michael ”Venom” Page just 26 seconds to completely destroy his opponent Goiti Yamauchi’s kneecap with a devastating kick.

Viewer discretion advised …

Ok this angle is insane. Looks like Yamauchi’s kneecap exploded?! pic.twitter.com/GmCIBKCKzb
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 11, 2023

Also on the main card was a heavyweight matchup between Linton Vassell and Valentin Moldavsky, where Vassell scored a brutal knockout three minutes into the first round as he dropped Moldavsky with a right hook and put him to sleep with ground-and-pound and nasty elbows.

ELBOW!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/kRmQZJ57Zm
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023

Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson – official results

With that said, let’s take a look at the complete official results from Friday night’s action-packed Bellator 292 event down below!

Usman Nurmagomedov def. Benson Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:37
Alexander Shabliy def. Tofiq Musayev via TKO – Round 3, 0:29
Linton Vassell def. Valentin Moldavsky via KO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:03
Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi via KO (leg kick) – Round 1, 0:26.
Enrique Barzola def. Erik Perez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Josh Hill def. Cass Bell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Khalid Murtazaliev def. Tony Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Julius Anglickas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Laird Anderson def. Rogelio Luna via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2;41.
Theo Haig def. Adam Wamsley via submission (guillotine choke) Round 1, 3:01.