Sherdog’s Top 10: Bellator MMA Moments

5. Imada’s Inverted Triangle

Current UFC lightweight and action fighter extraordinaire Jorge Masvidal was a strong signing for Bellator’s initial 155-pound tournament back in 2009, with experience in Japanese promotions like Sengoku and wins over Ryan Healy and Yves Edwards. At Bellator 5 on May 1, 2009, he was matched up with Toby Imada, a talented if inconsistent fighter who had lost to the high-level competition he had faced to that point.

Imada looked to be outmatched on paper, and the oddsmakers agreed, pegging him as a 3-to-1 underdog. Most of the action in the first two rounds confirmed that impression, with Masvidal landing hard punching combinations, a flying knee and brutal ground-and-pound from top position. Imada entered the third frame wearing the evidence of Masvidal’s striking prowess all over his face, including a left eye that was nearly swollen shut after eating crisp jab after crisp jab. Three minutes into the final frame, however, things got weird. The Cuban-American shot for a takedown, Imada sprawled in response and Masvidal attempted to work a fireman’s carry to duck under and complete the takedown. As Masvidal stood up, however, Imada locked up a standing reverse triangle choke and squeezed.

Shortly thereafter, Masvidal crumpled to the canvas unconscious, and Bellator had put itself on the map with an awesome, crazy, ridiculous finish.

Number 4 » While there had been whispers about the litigiousness of Bellator founder Bjorn Rebney and his business practices before a certain onetime lightweight champion attempted to test the free-agent waters, the long, drawn-out and vicious happenings that accompanied that process from November 2012 until August 2013 opened the eyes of fans, media, managers and fighters themselves to the promotion’s dark underbelly.