Koreshkov vs Larkin | Bellator MMA
Bellator 229: “Koreshkov vs. Larkin” airs TONIGHT (Fri., Oct. 4, 2019) from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., streaming live online via DAZN (watch it). Originally scheduled to face each other back in March, Andrey Koreshkov (22-3) and Lorenz Larkin (20-7, 1 NC) will finally meet to establish their rankings position at Welterweight.
Bellator 229’s main card will start at 9 p.m. ET on DAZN (and Paramount Network) with “Prelims” undercard bouts at 8 p.m. ET, also on DAZN (watch it). MMAmania.com will deliver results and play-by-play for the “Prelims” and Bellator MMA card.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 229) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 229 QUICK RESULTS:
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin — Larkin SD 29-28 X2, 28-29.
Saad Awad vs. Goiti Yamauchi — Yamauchi sub (armbar) 1:40 R1.
Joe Schilling vs. Tony Johnson — Johnson KO 2:07 R3.
Keri Taylor Melendez vs. Mandy Polk — Melendez UD 30-27 X3.
Anatoly Tokov vs. Hracho Darpinyan — Tokov TKO 4:38 R2.
Adel Altamimi vs. Salim Mukhidinov — Mukhidinov UD 29-27, 30-26, 30-27.
Derek Anderson vs. Guilherme Bomba — Anderson UD 30-27 X3.
Joey Davis vs. Jeffrey Peterson — Davis KO 1:00 R1.
Johnny Eblen vs. Mauricio Alonso — Eblen UD 30-26, 30-27 X2.
Vladimir Tokov vs. Brandon Hastings — Tokov UD 30-26, 30-27 X2.
Jordan Newman vs. Riley Miller — Newman TKO 4:28 R1.
Sunni Imhotep vs. Kelvin Gentapanan — Gentapanan SD 29-28 X2, 28-29.
Jay Jay Wilson vs. Jorge Juarez — Wilson sub (RNC) 1:33 R1.
BELLATOR 229 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin
Koreshkov has a pro record of 22-3 coming in to this main event, sporting the blue/white trunks with red gloves fighting out of Omsk, Russia. Larkin’s record is 20-7, 1 NC and he has the blue gloves with red trunks tonight fighting out of Riverside, California. Our referee in charge is Mike Beltran.
Round 1: Touch of gloves during final instructions and to start the fight. Koreshkov lands the first leg kick. Larkin lands one and a knee to the body as Koreshkov clinches with him. Larkin nearly gets the takedown that follows. Koreshkov turns Larkin into the fence and they trade knees. Larkin tries and fails to peel him away and Beltran wants to see more. They finally reset standing at 2:25. Koreshkov lands a clean hard right hook and works the left jab. Koreshkov rocks him with a spinning head kick but Larkin lands a strong left that causes Koreshkov to stop and think for a moment. He comes in with a flying knee and they separate at 3:24 after jockeying against the cage. Leg kick from Larkin. Koreshkov returns fire. Spinning push kick misses for Koreshkov. Larkin teases a spinning backfist and fires a right to the body. 20 seconds left in the round. Both men trade high kicks before the bell. 10-9 Koreshkov.
Round 2: Larkin’s high kick is checked early. Body kick lands. Koreshkov throws a spinning kick and Larkin tries to take his back standing. They wind up chest to chest trading places on the fence. Both men fire knees as Koreshkov looks to drop levels for a split second. Beltran calls for work at 1:33. They separate at 2:06. Larkin moves toward Koreshkov but he fires off a right hand and a leg kick. Larkin comes with a flurry, Koreshkov avoids it and lands a hard body shot. Overhand right is blocked by Larkin. Hook to the body and elbow to the head are not. Spinning backfist by Koreshkov. Larkin’s uppercut misses. High kick for Koreshkov. Larkin lands a jumping knee and Koreshkov is hurt. Larkin’s on top smashing right elbows to the head and Koreshkov is covering up. Koreshkov gets back up at 4:24 covering up and is dropped by a knee five seconds later. More rights over the top at the bell. 10-8 Larkin.
Round 3: Koreshkov is aggressive early and Larkin weathers the storm for the first 30 seconds without being hurt. A left hand finally breaks through at 1:05. Koreshkov keeps trying to wing it and Larkin threatens him with a kick. Koreshkov shoots and Larkin traps the head looking for a guillotine. Koreshkov pops free in full guard at 1:52. Larkin gets his back to the fence as Koreshkov tries to lace up the legs and pull him away. Larkin slowly inches his way to one knee. He’s up at 3:04 with Koreshkov on his back. Beltran wants to see more. Larkin tries to throw reverse elbows. Koreshkov drops for a single leg and Larkin blatantly grabs the cage trying to stop it, Koreshkov gets it anyway, and Larkin draws two warnings to not do it again. Larkin gets back up at 4:35. Larkin with elbows to the head but Koreshkov takes him down. 10-9 Koreshkov would mean a draw. 10-9 Larkin and we have a winner. I say 10-9 Larkin for the elbows he landed blocking takedowns.
Final result: The judges score the fight 29-28 Larkin, 29-28 Koreshkov, 29-28 for Lorenz Larkin by split decision.
Saad Awad vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Blue trunks and blue gloves for Yamauchi, record of 23-4 coming into this fight. Red trunks and gloves for Awad, record of 23-11 for tonight’s fight. Yamauchi fights out of Curitiba, Brazil. Awad fights out of San Bernardino, California. The referee is Jason Herzog.
Round 1: Awad starts out with leg kicks and a push kick. Yamauchi calmly paws at the range with his right hand. Body kick at 1:08 and a hard right hand that hurts Yamauchi a couple seconds later before Awad takes him down. Yamauchi quickly transitions to an armbar and Awad verbally taps out at 1:40.
Final result: Goiti Yamauchi via submission (armbar) at 1:40 of the first round.
Joe Schilling vs. Tony Johnson
Schilling is 4-5 in the red gloves and gray trunks with black trim, fighting out of Los Angeles, California. Johnson is 8-2 in the blue gloves and white trunks, fighting out of San Jose, California. The referee in charge is Mark Smith.
Round 1: Tap of gloves to start. Johnson comes after Schilling with a right hand and a left hook. Schilling catches a kick and momentarily has Johnson down to a knee in but lets him back up. Schilling knocks Johnson off his feet with a kick and he gets back up again. More leg kicks from Schilling. Left hook from Schilling. Johnson with a leg kick. Schilling’s clearly have more sting of the two when they land. Schilling decks Johnson and pushes him to the fence in clinch. Johnson tries to respond with dirty boxing. They break at 2:56 as the ref reminds both men to watch their fingers. Stiff jab from Schilling. Johnson swings wide on a right hook. He throws a body kick but eats a worse arm kick in return. Johnson drops Schilling with a hard shot and is on top then grabs an anaconda choke with short time left. Schilling gets out at 4:37 and back up 10 seconds later. Takedown by Johnson. 10-9 Johnson thanks to the late knockdown and near finish.
Round 2: Another glove tap to open the round. Hard kick to Johnson’s right arm. Another pair of kicks to Johnson’s left leg. Schilling faints a kick and nails a left hook instead. The leg kicks continue to land. The lefts have blood flowing from Johnson’s nose. Upkick to Johnson’s face. Johnson paws him with a right jab. Leg kick for Schilling. Johnson scores a takedown at 2:50 but Schilling is right back up. Push kick for Schilling. Leg kicks. One wonders how many more kicks Johnson can take on that leg. Schilling scores with his left hand almost at will. Spin kick by Schilling. Schilling just misses with an uppercut. Right to the face from Schilling. Another leg kick. 10-9 Schilling.
Round 3: Johnson is trying to close the distance and force Schilling up against the fence. Johnson takes a finger to the right eye at 1:09 and we get a time out. Both fighters get a reminder to be careful after the restart. Schilling lands a glancing spinning backfist. Schilling with an inside leg kick and reverse spin kick. Johnson misses with an uppercut but then lands a decisive left hook knockout blow that causes an immediate stoppage.
Final result: Tony Johnson wins via knockout at 2:07 in the third round.
Keri Taylor Melendez vs. Mandy Polk
Melendez is 3-0 in the red gloves, Skrap Pack body suit and black trunks. Polk is 6-4 in the blue gloves, black top and black trunks. This one is at a catch weight of 118 pounds. Polk fights out of Memphis, Tennessee. Melendez fights out of San Francisco, California. Our referee in charge is Frank Trigg.
Round 1: Polk shoots almost immediately but Melendez is able to dominate off her back throwing elbows as she looks to cinch up a triangle and/or go for an armbar. It’s all Polk can due to defend as we hit the midway point of the round. Melendez finally lets it go with two minutes left and Polk is on top in butterfly guard. Polk keeps trying to posture up but is eating more elbows off the bottom. Polk tries to take the back with 12 seconds left but is just hanging on until Melendez shakes her loose. 10-9 Melendez.
Round 2: Polk charges Melendez into the fence immediately to start this round. Melendez comes up with an elbow to the face and knees to the body when she turns Polk around. Left elbow to the chin for Melendez. Trigg watches as they battle for arm and wrist control. More brutal knees to the body from Melendez. Elbow to the face. Knee. Three left elbows to the face. More knees. Polk is trying to protect herself from more body shots. She shoots and has nothing as they break at 2:41. Melendez decks Polk with the right at 3:13. Polk shoots and it’s on the fence again. Another knee to the body from Melendez. Right to the chin. 1-2 combo. Right hand. Kick to the leg leg. Right to the chin. Stiff left. Knees to the body. 10-9 Melendez borderline to a 10-8.
Round 3: Melendez is on the attack. Polk eats another right at 0:44 and fires a leg kick. She shoots ten seconds later and Melendez pulls her into a triangle. Elbows from the bottom. Melendez cinches the triangle up tighter and Polk goes into survival mode. Melendez lets it go but Polk is still fighting to not get caught in something. Trigg calls for more action at 2:30. Trigg issues another warning at 3:00 as they’re in North-South. Polk tries and fails to take the back and ends up on top in guard. Polk is defending, not striking. Trigg stands them up with 30 seconds left. Melendez with a hard series of knees and a right hand at the end. 10-9 Melendez.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27 X3 all for Keri Taylor Melendez.
Anatoly Tokov vs. Hracho Darpinyan
Red gloves with navy trunks for Tokov and blue gloves with black Venum trunks for Darpinyan. Tokov is 28-2 and Darpinyan is 17-8-2. The ref is Jason Herzog.
Round 1: Tokov closes the distance with right hands, puts Darpinyan on the ground, but he gets back to his feet… and promptly gets decked with another right hand. Tokov shifts left and right as Darpinyan tries a leg kick. Darpinyan misses with a big overhand right. His next attempt partially connects. Straight right to the face and a spin kick from Tokov. Push kick to the knee from Darpinyan. Tokov knocks Darpinyan down with a straight right and is on top in half guard. Side control at 3:04. Crucifix follows. Right hands to the head at will. Left elbow to the face. Darpinyan gives up his back and Tokov throws uppercuts and knees from behind. Blowout R1 for Tokov. 10-9 or better.
Round 2: Tap of gloves starts R2. Darpinyan tries the overhand again. Tokov ducks it and presses Darpinyan to the fence. Short right hand creams Darpinyan at 35 seconds. Tokov seems to be able to land the right at will. Darpinyan’s takedown is stuffed and Tokov takes his back to continue the attack. Darpinyan keeps trying to cover up to block the right hands with limited success. Tokov jumps on top in half guard as Darpinyan fails to escape. Slashing right elbows as we pass 3:00. Tokov could have taken a full mount but moved all the way past it to side control. Crucifix again. Right hands and elbows. Darpinyan is warned to move or it will be stopped. Herzog warns him two more times and stops it at 4:38.
Final result: Anatoly Tokov wins via technical knockout at 4:38 of round two.
Adel Altamimi vs. Salim Mukhidinov
Black trunks and blue gloves for Mukhidinov. Black trunks and red gloves for Altamimi. Mukhidinov is 6-3, Altamimi is 8-5. Our referee in charge of this fight is Michael Bell.
Round 1: Altamimi lands the first kick and catches one coming his way. He shoots for a single leg and lets it go. Mukhidinov pressures Altamimi to the outside. Mukhidinov gets a takedown but gets warned for inactivity and stood up at the 2:00 minute mark. Altamimi goes to his back throwing a kick and Mukhidinov makes him stand back up. Mukhidinov keeps pushing Altamimi toward the cage. Altamimi goes to his back again and Mukhidinov refuses to jump into his guard. Altamimi is stood up at 3:09. Mukhidinov trips him to the ground with ease and Altamimi lays there waiting for Mukhidinov to jump on top. Mukhidinov kicks his legs for a bit then the ref forces Altamimi to stand up again. Altamimi keeps circling to his left as Mukhidinov chases him down. Mukhidinov sprawls to block a takedown and gets half guard with short time. 10-9 Mukhidinov.
Round 2: Altamimi gets kicked in the groin with a left push kick just ten seconds into the round which forces the referee to call time. Altamimi seems to be struggling with recovering from the shot. After several minutes he’s finally ready to restart. He’s flopping to his back immediately any time Mukhidinov knocks him off balance. He’s constantly circling on the outside to his left. Mukhidinov is trying to time it and land big strikes. Altamimi goes to his back at 1:40 and Mukhidinov just misses him with an axe kick before letting him back up. Mukhidinov is frequently landing the left jab and right hook. Mukhidinov sprawls and easily blocks a takedown attempt, winding up on top in butterfly guard. Pass to half guard at 2:50. Mukhidinov sits on top grinding and pounding away as the time ticks by. Multiple left hands to the head as Mukhidinov briefly has the crucifix. 10-8 Mukhidinov.
Round 3: Tap of gloves opens R3. Mukhidinov hits a hard body kick right away. Altamimi ducks his head and tries to wade in throwing rights to no avail. He drops to his back again and Mukhidinov makes him stand up. Mukhidinov blasts him with a right to the chin. Mukhidinov hits a left hook at 1:15 and Altamimi immediately flops to his back. Altamimi has never been in this fight at any point. Mukhidinov sprawls to easily stuff a takedown and starts unloading on Altamimi. Mukhidinov passes to half guard as we pass two minutes gone. Right hands and hammerfists for Mukhidinov. Same from the left. I can’t think of one significant strike Altamimi landed this round let alone this fight. Mukhidinov lets him up at the end because he can. 10-9 Mukhidinov. This was completely one-sided.
Final result: The judges score it 29-27, 30-26 and 30-27 all for Mukhidinov.
Derek Anderson vs. Guilherme Bomba
Final result: Anderson 30-27 X32 UD.
Joey Davis vs. Jeffrey Peterson
Final result: Davis KO 1:00 R1.
Johnny Eblen vs. Mauricio Alonso
Final result: Eblen UD 30-26, 30-27 X2.
Vladimir Tokov vs. Brandon Hastings
Final result: Tokov UD 30-26, 30-27 X2.
Jordan Newman vs. Riley Miller
Final result: Newman TKO 4:28 R1.
Sunni Imhotep vs. Kelvin Gentapanan
Final result: Gentapanan 29-28 X2, 28-29.
Jay Jay Wilson vs. Jorge Juarez
Final result: Wilson RNC 1:33 R1.
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