Sherdog.com’s 2014 Event of the Year

3. Bellator 131
Nov. 15 | San Diego

Bellator MMA closed out its 2014 campaign with a bang, as the organization’s year-end event was punctuated by a battle between two Ultimate Fighting Championship hall of famers, a showdown for the vacant lightweight championship and one of the best knockouts of the past 12 months.

In the three-round feature at the Valley View Casino Center, Tito Ortiz did as many expected, neutralizing Stephan Bonner with his wrestling, patented top game and ground-and-pound in capturing a split decision. Judge Derek Cleary inexplicably scored the bout 29-28 for Bonnar, while judges Mark Smith and Michael Bell saw it 30-27 for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” Ortiz leaned on his strengths, cut Bonnar on the left side of the head with a standing elbow and also sliced him open beneath his right eye.

“The American Psycho” tried to rally in the second round, but Ortiz refused to be drawn into a firefight. He plodded forward and landed punches ahead of a late takedown, riding a lead into the final frame. There, Ortiz again proved himself the superior fighter, as he connected with stronger shots and executed a takedown to cement his second straight victory.

In the co-headliner, Will Brooks dropped the “interim” tag after he put away former champion Michael Chandler in the fourth round of their 155-pound title clash.

The end came after Brooks delivered a clubbing right hand to Chandler’s temple as the two scrambled to their feet. The Alliance MMA rep backed up towards the cage in a dazed-and-confused state and looked to referee Jason Herzog for some relief. Herzog correctly let the fight continue, and Brooks capitalized. The American Top Team product blasted Chandler with a crushing right, followed up with more punches and then delivered a clean knee. Chandler spun towards the cage, his back to his opponent. Noting the former titleholder was no longer intelligently defending himself, Herzog intervened, giving Brooks a full share of Bellator lightweight gold.

The loss was the third in a row for Chandler, who dropped a split decision to Brooks in their first matchup in May, six months after his defeat to Eddie Alvarez.

Elsewhere, Joe Schilling fired up the highlight reel against Melvin Manhoef, scoring a stunning knockout on the Dutch kickboxer in the second round of their middleweight showcase.

Manhoef, the more decorated of the two kickboxers and the far more experienced mixed martial artist, had his way with the American through the first five minutes. He battered Schilling with low kicks and punches, ultimately dropping him late in the opening round. However, Manhoef was unable to finish on the ground. That proved costly.

Schilling entered round two with renewed vigor, as the two middleweights swung at one another wildly and with ill intent. A little more than 20 seconds into the round, Schilling stunned Manheof with a short left. He swarmed with punches and knees, only to be met with an overhand left from the still-dangerous Dutchman. Manhoef then grew overzealous, and he paid a steep price. He absorbed a quick right hook, followed by a precision left, and fell to the canvas unconscious 32 seconds into the second round.

The thrills of Bellator 131 extended beyond the top three matchups, as Mike Richman short-circuited Nam Phan with punches in 46 seconds, and onetime Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal abused and then stopped Joe Vedepo 39 seconds into the third round of their light heavyweight scrap.

Bellator 131 went head-to-head with UFC 180, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship ventured into Mexico for the first time with its next-to-last pay-per-view of 2014. Bellator’s event was by all accounts a success and represented something of a coming-out party for new Bellator MMA President Scott Coker. It averaged 1.2 million viewers, a record audience for a Bellator show on Spike TV, and peaked at two million for the Ortiz-Bonnar main event. As Sherdog.com News Editor Tristen Critchfield wrote, “From the stage and ramp setup, to the video vignettes, to the fighter introductions, Bellator 131 felt like a big deal.”

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