For the better part of a round, it looked like Tito Ortiz was going to turn back the clock at the SAP Center in San Jose.
The UFC Hall of Famer called on his vast wrestling experience to work over much younger Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary from top position in the main event of Bellator Dynamite on Saturday night.
But just as an Ortiz win in round one seemed all but in the books, McGeary, ever so slick off his back, caught Ortiz (18-12-1) in an inverted triangle and got Ortiz to tap. The time of the submission was 4:41 as McGeary (11-0) scored his 10th career finish and ended an odd night of mixed martial arts and kickboxing.
"Tito said he had mad respect for me," McGeary said. "He pushed me out of my comfort zone."
The latter could be said for the estimated 13,000 fans, a Bellator record, who showed up for the 20-fight card in San Jose. Featuring both a ring and cage, the Japanese-styled combat sports event dragged badly during the kickboxing portion of the main card, which lasted nearly four hours.
But the night wasn't without bright spots, particularly for Phil Davis. Making his Bellator debut, Davis scored a pair of fantastic finishes, including his first knockout since 2009, in winning the one-night light heavyweight tournament and earning a future shot at McGeary's belt.
Davis (15-3, 1 NC), though, had to take a left turn to get to his tourney win. King Mo Lawal won his first-round bout with Linton Vassell via a one-sided decision, but was pulled from the finals due to a reported rib injury. That meant Davis, who finished Emanuel Newton in the first round of their semifinal bout with a Kimura, had to meet Francis Carmont, who won an alternates bout on the undercard against Anthony Ruiz, in the finals.
Davis wasted little time with his new opponent, dropping him with a huge left hand to the jaw, following up with a nasty right hand to the jaw, then landed a couple more before the bout was waved off at the 2:15 mark.
"Man, I don't know what just happened?" Davis said. "I had the best training camp, the best coaches, the best people around me, man, I might do something wrong, I don't know what the California Athletic Commission are testing for, I've got a lot of people praying for me."
Davis was equally snappy in winning his semifinal bout Newton, the former Bellator light heavyweight champion. Davis scored a quick takedown and thoroughly outwrestled a bewildered Newton, before finishing the job at 4:39 of the opening round with a nasty Kimura.
In a lightweight bout, Josh Thomson returned to the site of some of his greatest triumphs, as the former Strikeforce lightweight champion made his Bellator debut. "The Punk" dominated veteran Mike Bronzoulis (18-9-1) on the ground before submitting him with a deep head-and-arm choke early in the third round, getting the tap at the 39-second mark.
"It feels amazing, thank you Scott Coker for making this happen," said Thomson (21-8, 1 NC), who snapped a three-fight losing streak. "Tonight I got the jitters like I never have. This could be the last time you see me in the arena, so thanks,"
In the featured bout on the kickboxing portion of the card Saulo Cavalari of Brazil scored his second victory over Zack Mwekassa to claim the vacant Glory light heavyweight title.
Cavalari (30-3), who defeated Mwekassa via knockout in July of 2014 in their first fight, got off to a slow start, and exacerbated the situation in the second round when he was deducted a point for stalling. But Mwekassa faded from the midpoint on, and Cavalari rallied and turned up the heat. That was enough for Cavalari to claim the title via majority decision, earning a pair of 48-46s and a 47-47.
The Glory title fight was noteworthy because it was the only one of the three main-card kickboxing bouts which featured competitors on the regular Glory roster.
The opening portion of the Glory main card was a gross mismatch, as Keri Melendez (3-1) pounded 36-year-old Hadley Griffith of Tacoma, Wash, in a bantamweight bout. Griffith, who is 1-4 in pro MMA and 1-6 including amateur fights, was making her pro kickboxing debut, and basically played the role of human punching bag. Melendez, the wife of former Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, took a pair of 30-27s and a 30-26 from the judges.
"I'm happy I got the W," Melendez said "I'm happy now. Kickboxing is my first love."
Bellator welterweight Paul Daley had a successful return to the kickboxing ring, as he improved to 21-3 with a unanimous decision win over Fernando Gonzales (2-2). Gonzalez, a Bellator and WEC vet on the MMA side who trains with Team Quest, kept Daley honest and likely won the third round. But by that point, Daley, competing in kickboxing for the first time in nearly a year, had found a home with his jab and his body shots, which was enough for him to win on scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.