Keith Berry and Kevin Casey discuss individual regrets from Bellator 170 draw

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Keith Berry and Kevin Casey both felt they deserved a victory at Bellator 170. Instead, they left the cage with the dissatisfaction of a majority draw.

The middleweight bout, which streamed on MMAjunkie prior to the Spike-televised main card at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., was very closely contested. Casey (9-5-2 MMA, 0-0-1 BMMA) went up big early with a 10-8 first round, but Berry (15-13-1 MMA, 2-3-1 BMMA) stormed back in the second and third rounds to tie the fight and force the draw.

Two of three judges had the fight scored evenly, overruling the final judge who had it for Casey.

“I definitely was disappointed with the decision,” Casey said after the bout. “I thought I won the first round 10-8. The second I felt like I had great control of the ring and kept him on the bottom. I stayed busy and had the dominance and landed some heavier shots. So going into the third, my corner and I, we all felt I had won the first two rounds.”

Berry was hurt at one point in the opening frame, so he has no problem conceding Round 1 (via Twitter):

He doesn’t think Casey’s advantage was significant enough for a 10-8 score, though, and he said his work in Rounds 2 and 3 should have tipped the result in his favor.

“It’s kind of a (expletive) feeling,” Berry said. “You get a majority draw, and it’s like no one wins. I’ve got to go back to the drawing board and work a little harder. A majority draw, I wish there was another round because I kind of – I don’t feel winded. I feel great. He must have got me with a good one in the first round because I thought it was the second round. It is what it is.”

Casey admitted he used much of his gas tank trying to stop Berry early, and that’s likely what came back to haunt him in the end. He said he thought he was up big going into the final round, so he essentially took it off.

“I used a little bit too much gas, and I tried to coast through the third,” Casey said. “I just don’t see how they came up with giving him the second, and it’s very disappointing. He’s a very tough fighter, but I had hurt real bad, dropped him twice, and I never felt like he was in a position to possibly be winning the fight.”

The result was one both fighters said they’re disappointed to have on their records. Berry’s winless streak is extended to five after a 2-0 start in Bellator, while the strangeness of Casey’s career in recent years continued.

Casey battled to a draw for the second time in his past three fights, which included one against Elvis Mutapcic at UFC 199 in June, an event that also took place at The Forum. “King” became the first fighter in MMA history to fight to a draw under the Bellator and UFC banners, but that’s not a feat he takes pride in.

“This isn’t the first time that I’ve got a bad call,” Casey said. “Last time I fought here at The Forum I felt like I got a bad call. It was a draw, as well. So I don’t know if I’m getting bad luck at The Forum or what the situation is.”

For complete coverage of Bellator 170, check out the MMA Events section of the site.