Derek Anderson walked away the winner from Bellator 251 in his bout against Killys Mota but that almost was not the case. His second-round head-kick knockout could have been deemed an illegal blow were it not for the timing of when it happened and the help of having the replay show that the blow was in fact, legal.
Of course, safety in a sport where knockouts are one of the avenues to victory is a concern so the “downed opponent” rule in something that happens so fast can be easy to miss or confuse depending on where the fight is being viewed from. Regardless of that, Mota was unable to continue after receiving the blow, thus ending the match. See the kick below:
After the fight, a relieved Anderson spoke to the media and gave his point of view of what happened in that second round. “I’m real good at timing that stuff man. I’m always good with that,” Anderson said of firing off the kick in his exchange with Mota. He added that he may have been too hesitant in the first round and he probably lost the round. So, round two meant he needed to do more.
“I probably lost that round and I was just kind of, chilling too much,” Anderson said of the first round, “and I know I wanted to get back.” Get back he did and while it almost seemed like a cheap shot, Anderson clarified that was not his intention, nor has he ever been a “cheap shot”. Anderson said, “My instincts are real good. I’m not a cheap shot you know? I’ve never been.” he added that he would not have fired off the kick if he did not think it was there.
So, with his third win in a row in the books, Anderson is ready for his next fight, and soon. Anderson said he would like to fight fighters more people know and one name that came up was Michael “Venom” Page. Friday, he sent him a message on Instagram saying, “I’ll be out here again in two weeks to corner my buddy. I’d love to jump on the card. I think Michael “Venom” Page would be a good fight.”
What do you think is next for Anderson?
