The anticipated debut of A.J. Agazarm did not go according to plan tonight at Bellator 214.

Agazarm signed with Bellator this past year as one of numerous fighters the promotion has inked with standout amateur wrestling credentials. An additional layer of hype was placed around him, because of his success in the world of grappling and an 8-0 record as an amateur in MMA.

When he showed up in the cage for his 160-pound catchweight bout with fellow debutant Jesse Roberts (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), though, Agazarm (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) couldn’t get anything going and fell short by split decision.

Not that it was terribly surprising for a fighter making a professional debut, but Agazarm struggled to set up his strikes, transition to takedowns effectively and put his submission skills to use.

His frustration at points during the 15-minute affair were noticeable (via Twitter):

Jesse Roberts and A.J. Agazarm at Bellator 214. (Dave Mandel, imagn)

Every minute the fight went on, Roberts’ confidence grew. It was apparent as he became more aware of when takedowns were coming and found the range for his punches to land.

Agazarm took off from the cage the moment the 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 scorecards were read. He now he will return to “Parts Unknown” to regroup from the disappointing debut.

For complete coverage of Bellator 214, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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