On The Prelims is a column that focuses on standout performances from the undercard of a top MMA event every week.
Most episodes of “On The Prelims” focus on the UFC event that is on that weekend. Matter of fact, the next seven weeks will be doing that, as a UFC event is consistently scheduled every Saturday for that long.
But we won’t be doing that today since there was no UFC card to cover. Instead, we’ll be looking at the Bellator event that went down on Saturday night.
For these articles, I always try to find a trend in the story. This week, the trend is undefeated fighters who showed their skills in their fights. Here are three fighters with flawless records that stood out to me on the prelims.
Brennan Doesn’t Waste Time
Lucas Brennan isn’t one to take forever with things. At just 21 years of age, he has already fought six times in MMA as a pro. This came after a brief amateur run that started when he was 17 years old. It’s safe to say he has quickly become adjusted to the sport – likely in part due to his father, Chris Brennan, who fought in the UFC and Pride FC in his heyday.
That style of not wasting much time isn’t just something that can be said about Brennan’s career, but also his fighting style.
Brennan picked up his fifth stoppage win on Friday night, adding onto an undefeated record of six victories in total. This recent win came against Ben Lugo, who he submitted in the third minute via arm triangle.
Not only was the fight short, but the submission was crafty and unique. While it was ruled as an arm triangle choke, it certainly didn’t look like it at first glance.
At just 21, Brennan has no reason to speed into his next bout. He can take a year off if he really wanted to. But that’s beside the point. My main point is that it’s safe to say that Brennan has a bright future and many years of fighting to come.
Cauley Breaks Hearts With Quick Win
Light heavyweight prospect Sullivan Cauley had to upset some feelings in the first fight of the evening, as he scored a first-round finish victory over Ben Parrish.
Parrish made himself into a fan favorite with a small cult following last year, earning a massive upset victory over Christian Edwards. After handing one prospect his first loss, Bellator tasked him with doing that same thing again.
But Cauley wasn’t going to let that happen. Cauley had a quick but strong performance, taking Parrish down and using ground and pound to end the fight.
That marks his third win as a pro. This fight was a big step up in competition, as previous opponents had only fought once as a pro before he met them. Cauley has yet to escape the first round, so it would be interesting if he can be given an opponent in the future that could take him there.
Rosta Puts Together Another Strong Win
Dalton Rosta was originally scheduled to fight in a real clash between two prospects. His first booking was set to have him meet Romero Cotton, who also has a flawless record of five wins and has been in Bellator in recent years. It was the promotion putting two of their rising contenders up against each other.
But that fight didn’t happen. However, Rosta still got to compete, as short-notice opponent Duane Johnson stepped in. As expected, Rosta pitched a shutout through three rounds.
The best part about Rosta’s fighting was how he showed different types of skills. The first round was striking. In the second, he went to grappling. In the final round he did striking again, cause why not? A real good showcase, and proved that he’s ready for a real challenge. Like, you know, someone like Romero Cotton.
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