Bellator 153 results and highlights: Andrey Koreshkov wipes out Benson Henderson

Check out the full results and highlights of tonight’s Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Bellator 153 marked the debut of former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, competing for the Bellator welterweight title against Andrey Koreshkov. Would Henderson become the first ever fighter to win titles in UFC, WEC, and Bellator, or would Koreshkov have a successful first defense of his title? Here’s how the main event and the rest of the card unfolded at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Andrey Koreshkov def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (50-45 x3)

Koreshkov had his way with the much smaller Henderson in the opening round. Strong kicks, powerful body shots, and easily evading much of Henderson’s offense. A big flying knee dropped Henderson in the closing seconds and forced him to hold onto a leg, and Bendo survived to see round 2. Koreshkov continued to back Henderson up against the fence and work him over with his striking arsenal, particularly his kicking game. Henderson was forced into bad takedown attempts from too far out, and Koreshkov stuffed them all. Bendo fought back and performed better in the center of the cage, especially with his inside leg kicks. Koreshkov drilled Henderson with another knee as the 2nd ended, right after a cardio-sapping body kick.

Round 3 was another clear Koreshkov round. Henderson was felled by a big left hand and again reactively went for a takedown. Koreskhov sprawled and countered with brutal knees to the body as he let Henderson get back up. The 4th round was more of the same. Henderson had very little in the way of effective offense and he never came close to getting Koreshkov on the bottom. A wicked looping right by Koreshkov sent Henderson to the canvas, again looking for a single leg. Pure domination by the Russian, who was clearly just light years ahead of Henderson as a striker. Round 5 was a formality and Henderson got drilled again with another brutal punch. Koreshkov couldn’t land the kill shot on the notoriously tough Henderson, but he did go for a choke to end the fight. He didn’t get it, but he didn’t need it, because the 25-year-old just systematically destroyed Benson Henderson from start to finish.

This wasn’t competitive. Not even a little. I actually at thought at the end of round 4 that the corner should’ve looked at stopping the fight. Koreshkov was phenomenal and Henderson looked out of his depth. Bendo’s Bellator debut ends in defeat, while Koreshkov improves to 18-1 and successfully defends his welterweight title in his first defense.

That knee, that win! @SpartanKoresh #AndStill #Bellator153 pic.twitter.com/HcFpNRJk6T

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2016

Patricio Freire def. Henry Corrales via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:09 of round 2 – Featherweights

The former featherweight champion didn’t have a thrilling fight with short-notice replacement Henry Corrales, but he did have a superb finish. Pitbull went for an arm-triangle choke in full mount midway through the 1st, but had difficulty pulling it off so close to the fence. Round 2 was mostly tepid, with Corrales content to counterstrike and Freire only leading exchanges occasionally. Pitbull did score a takedown into guard, but when Corrales stood back up, Pitbull jumped for the guillotine choke, trapped Corrales’ left arm, and pulled him down and squeezed for the tap. A great submission win for Patricio, who says he was promised a 4th fight with champion Daniel Straus.

Another strong finish by @PatricioPitbull!! #GuillotineWin #Bellator153 pic.twitter.com/od57DdCKtT

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2016

Evangelista Santos def. Brennan Ward via submission (heel hook) at :30 of round 1 – Welterweights

Ward caught a Santos kick, then sought to get control of Santos’ waist. Cyborg dropped for a leg, rolled to get the heel hook, and forced Ward to verbally submit and tapout. He submitted every which way possible. A huge upset win for Cyborg in front of Ward’s fans, as Ward suffers his first loss at 170 lbs. He’s now lost 3 times within 30 seconds, and this dents his title shot hopes. Cyborg improves to 21-16 and picks up his first submission win in 8 years.

And the very slick heel hook by #CyborgSantos for the win #Bellator153https://t.co/MHzGzY5xUC

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2016

Brent Primus def. Gleristone Santos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) – Lightweights

I don’t understand how Primus got the decision win. Toninho Furia exhibited excellent takedown defense against Primus, who was even swept by the Brazilian when he did get him to the ground early in the fight. Santos moved better, connected with the left hook frequently, and showed superior combination striking and effective movement. To Primus’ credit, after being rocked with a combination capped off with a head kick, he finished the 3rd round strongly with a takedown + ground-and-pound, and apparently it was enough to get Primus the victory to remain undefeated. Bellator analyst Jimmy Smith had it 30-27 for Santos. Giving round 2 to Primus is indefinsible, but Dave Tirelli saw it so.

Brent Primus-Gleristone Santos #Bellator153 scorecard. pic.twitter.com/XWu5fGwQqx

— C.J. Tuʇʇle (@kidceej) April 23, 2016

Michael Page def. Jeremie Holloway via submission (toehold) at 2:15 of round 1 – Welterweights

Yeah, I didn’t expect to be typing that, either. Page dropped Holloway literally with the first punch of the fight, as Holloway came charging forward and straight into Page’s right hand. Holloway recovered and then tied Page up against the fence, before a low blow forced a separation. Page hurt Holloway with another right hand, but Holloway dropped for a heel hook. Amazingly, “MVP” countered with a toehold and forced the tap. It’s the 3rd submission win of Page’s career, as he improves to 10-0, and is now set to fight Fernando Gonzalez on the London show on July 16th.

Started like this and ended with the counter toe hold @Michaelpage247 #Bellator153 pic.twitter.com/wjqnFVoKXY

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 23, 2016

(VIDEO) @Michaelpage247 finishes Jeremie Holloway by submission (toehold) in the 1st round & then brings the swagger pic.twitter.com/gh5UF3j9al

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 23, 2016

Preliminary Card results

Mike Zichelle defeats Joe Cronin by submission (rear-naked choke) R1 1:25
Chris Honeycutt defeats Matt Secor by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27 x2)
Djamil Chan defeats Richard Patishnock by TKO (punch) R1 3:09

Check out the full results and highlights of tonight’s Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Bellator 153 marked the debut of former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, competing for the Bellator welterweight title against Andrey Koreshkov. Would Henderson become the first ever fighter to win titles in UFC, WEC, and Bellator, or would Koreshkov have a successful first defense of his title? Here’s how the main event and the rest of the card unfolded at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Andrey Koreshkov def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (50-45 x3)

Koreshkov had his way with the much smaller Henderson in the opening round. Strong kicks, powerful body shots, and easily evading much of Henderson’s offense. A big flying knee dropped Henderson in the closing seconds and forced him to hold onto a leg, and Bendo survived to see round 2. Koreshkov continued to back Henderson up against the fence and work him over with his striking arsenal, particularly his kicking game. Henderson was forced into bad takedown attempts from too far out, and Koreshkov stuffed them all. Bendo fought back and performed better in the center of the cage, especially with his inside leg kicks. Koreshkov drilled Henderson with another knee as the 2nd ended, right after a cardio-sapping body kick.

Round 3 was another clear Koreshkov round. Henderson was felled by a big left hand and again reactively went for a takedown. Koreskhov sprawled and countered with brutal knees to the body as he let Henderson get back up. The 4th round was more of the same. Henderson had very little in the way of effective offense and he never came close to getting Koreshkov on the bottom. A wicked looping right by Koreshkov sent Henderson to the canvas, again looking for a single leg. Pure domination by the Russian, who was clearly just light years ahead of Henderson as a striker. Round 5 was a formality and Henderson got drilled again with another brutal punch. Koreshkov couldn’t land the kill shot on the notoriously tough Henderson, but he did go for a choke to end the fight. He didn’t get it, but he didn’t need it, because the 25-year-old just systematically destroyed Benson Henderson from start to finish.

This wasn’t competitive. Not even a little. I actually at thought at the end of round 4 that the corner should’ve looked at stopping the fight. Koreshkov was phenomenal and Henderson looked out of his depth. Bendo’s Bellator debut ends in defeat, while Koreshkov improves to 18-1 and successfully defends his welterweight title in his first defense.

Patricio Freire def. Henry Corrales via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:09 of round 2 – Featherweights

The former featherweight champion didn’t have a thrilling fight with short-notice replacement Henry Corrales, but he did have a superb finish. Pitbull went for an arm-triangle choke in full mount midway through the 1st, but had difficulty pulling it off so close to the fence. Round 2 was mostly tepid, with Corrales content to counterstrike and Freire only leading exchanges occasionally. Pitbull did score a takedown into guard, but when Corrales stood back up, Pitbull jumped for the guillotine choke, trapped Corrales’ left arm, and pulled him down and squeezed for the tap. A great submission win for Patricio, who says he was promised a 4th fight with champion Daniel Straus.

Evangelista Santos def. Brennan Ward via submission (heel hook) at :30 of round 1 – Welterweights

Ward caught a Santos kick, then sought to get control of Santos’ waist. Cyborg dropped for a leg, rolled to get the heel hook, and forced Ward to verbally submit and tapout. He submitted every which way possible. A huge upset win for Cyborg in front of Ward’s fans, as Ward suffers his first loss at 170 lbs. He’s now lost 3 times within 30 seconds, and this dents his title shot hopes. Cyborg improves to 21-16 and picks up his first submission win in 8 years.

Brent Primus def. Gleristone Santos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) – Lightweights

I don’t understand how Primus got the decision win. Toninho Furia exhibited excellent takedown defense against Primus, who was even swept by the Brazilian when he did get him to the ground early in the fight. Santos moved better, connected with the left hook frequently, and showed superior combination striking and effective movement. To Primus’ credit, after being rocked with a combination capped off with a head kick, he finished the 3rd round strongly with a takedown + ground-and-pound, and apparently it was enough to get Primus the victory to remain undefeated. Bellator analyst Jimmy Smith had it 30-27 for Santos. Giving round 2 to Primus is indefinsible, but Dave Tirelli saw it so.

Michael Page def. Jeremie Holloway via submission (toehold) at 2:15 of round 1 – Welterweights

Yeah, I didn’t expect to be typing that, either. Page dropped Holloway literally with the first punch of the fight, as Holloway came charging forward and straight into Page’s right hand. Holloway recovered and then tied Page up against the fence, before a low blow forced a separation. Page hurt Holloway with another right hand, but Holloway dropped for a heel hook. Amazingly, “MVP” countered with a toehold and forced the tap. It’s the 3rd submission win of Page’s career, as he improves to 10-0, and is now set to fight Fernando Gonzalez on the London show on July 16th.

Preliminary Card results

Mike Zichelle defeats Joe Cronin by submission (rear-naked choke) R1 1:25
Chris Honeycutt defeats Matt Secor by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27 x2)
Djamil Chan defeats Richard Patishnock by TKO (punch) R1 3:09