Former NFL football player Matt Mitrione comes from Indiana.? So the fact that he took on Joey Beltran?in the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at UFC 119 meant that he was the crowd favorite coming in.? But would the hometown?fans prove to be beneficial for him or just another stressor?
Mitrione came out aggressive early in the first, throwing lots of punches and even a head kick, which served to keep Beltran on his bicycle.? Though most of his early strikes were grazing, as time went on, he began using combinations of low kicks, high kicks, and punches very effectively.? But then during a big time exchange, Beltran followed up a nice right with several right hands in close.? That led to a takedown for the Mexican fighter.? With Beltran bleeding on him from a cut over his eye, Mitrione kept an active guard, which included a couple of failed kimura attempts.? Along the way, Beltran landed some solid ground and pound.? With about 50 seconds left in the stanza, Beltran achieved the North-South position.? Mitrione did move to a better position eventually, missed on a triangle attempt, and found himself in Beltran's side mount at the bell.
Close round.? That said, Beltran's push at the end should?net him the stanza.
The second round started with a decent exchange before Mitrione was able to shirk a Beltran takedown attempt.? Later in the stanza, the two fighters traded several shots, with Beltran edging his opponent in the exchanges.? But then Mitrione connected with a hard three punch combination that stunned his adversary.? Beltran followed that up moments later with a nice combination of his own.? Soon after, the former NFL player shirked a takedown attempt, took a knee to the gut, and fought off of the cage wall with multiple punches.??He then?landed some nice leg kicks before an exchange.? Mitrione ended the round with a couple of nice kicks, including a front kick, with a solid punch preceeding it.
Close round.? I would likely give the edge to Mitrione.
The third round wasn't nearly as close as the first two.? With Beltran clearly fatigued and slower, Mitrione controlled the far majority of the stanza with a variety of kicks, punches, and especially movement.? That said, the end of the bout saw both fighters put together an excellent exchange.
Mitrione deserved the victory, and the judges agreed.
Matt Mitrione defeats Joey Beltran by unanimous decision.
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