Bellator 182 “Koreshkov vs. Njokuani” takes place TONIGHT (Fri., Aug. 25, 2017) at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., featuring a main event that pits former Welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov against Chidi Njokuani. Njokuani is undefeated in nine straight fights dating back to 2013 and a win tonight would vault him up the ladder of contenders to face Douglas Lima.
Meanwhile, fireworks are also sure to fly in a co-main event that pairs off long-time Bellator veterans Brennan Ward (14-5) and Fernando Gonzalez (26-14). A key Featherweight fight will also see the undefeated A.J. McKee go to war with streaking Blair Tugman — winner of three straight.
Bellator 182 will start at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV with “Prelims” bouts on Spike.com at 6:30 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results and play-by-play for the entirety of the Bellator card below.
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 182) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 182 QUICK RESULTS:
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Chidi Njokuani —
Brennan Ward vs. Fernando Gonzalez —
A.J. McKee vs. Blair Tugman — McKee UD 30-27, 30-26 X2.
Bruna Ellen vs. Veta Arteaga —
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Pineda — Karakhanyan TKO (injury) 4:05 R2.
Noad Lahat vs. Henry Corrales — Corrales UD 30-27, 29-28 X2.
Chris Honeycutt vs. Kevin Casey — Honeycutt TKO 2:06 R2.
Ricky Rainey vs. Marc Stevens — Rainey UD 29-27 X3.
Matt Secor vs. T.J. Sumler — unaired before Spike.
Phillipe Lins vs. Vadim Nemkov — Nemkov KO 3:03 R1.
Sinead Kavanagh vs. Arlene Blencowe — Blencowe SD 28-29, 30-27, 29-28.
Talita Nogueira vs. Amanda Bell — Nogueira via sub (RNC) 3:44 R1.
Colleen Schneider vs. Kate Jackson — Jackson TKO (injury) 5:00 R1.
Tom Regal vs. Kastroit Xhema — unaired before Spike.
Brandon Polcare vs. Alex Potts — unaired before Spike.
Joey Davis vs. Justin Roswell — Davis TKO 1:35 R1.
Josh Ricci vs. Brandon Warne — unaired before Spike.
Kristi Lopez vs. Jessica Sotack — unaired before Spike.
BELLATOR 182 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Chidi Njokuani
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
Brennan Ward vs. Fernando Gonzalez
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
A.J. McKee vs. Blair Tugman
8-0 vs. 10-6. 22 vs. 37. 146 each from McKee to Tugman. McKee has the red gloves and Tugman has the blue. Gray trunks fight Tugman, fighting out of North Haven, Connecticut. Black trunks for McKee, fighting out of Long Beach, California. Our referee is Bryan Miner.
Round 1: Tugman and McKee charge to the center. McKee backs up a little and lets Tugman inch his way forward, then catches him with a right hook and a leg kick. Tugman is keeping his stance low. McKee whistles out a kick that misses but pops the crowd. McKee with another right hook and a sprawl to block a shoot attempt by Tugman. He has his hands around Tugman’s neck and is gradually pulling him down to the ground. Two minutes gone. McKee flattens HIMSELF out trying to apply pressure, lets Tugman up and gets off a knee as Tugman scrambles. Front kick by McKee. Tugman completely misses on a combo, misses on a shoot, and eats a left. One right from Tugman finally lands. McKee keeps his left hand up and his right down by his knee, then brings it back up as Tugman charges forward and lands a head kick before getting on top on the ground. McKee looks to pass and Tugman hands on for dear life. Tugman gets to one knee at 4:02 but just takes two knees to the body before McKee spins away. McKee taunts Tugman and encourages him to throw leather. Both hands are way down low. Tugman misses wildly with strikes. 10-9 McKee.
Round 2: McKee teases a kick to open R2 then connects with a spin kick and a head kick. McKee keeps pushing out a right jab then lands it and follows with a body kick. Leg kick for McKee. And another. McKee tries a spinning backfist and Tugman backs away. Push kick to Tugman’s knee. Tugman rushes forward and eats a combo. McKee feels out the range with his right hand then lands a kick to the body, sprawls for a takedown, and ALMOST cleans Tugman’s clock with a head kick. Shades of Muhammad Ali as McKee dances and dares Tugman to come in on him. Tugman checks a head kick. Tugman catches two rights over the top charging forward and a left kick to the head forces him to drop for a double with under a minute left. McKee widens his stands and Tugman looks for a leg trip. Tugman keeps going after it but he can’t do more than make McKee briefly put one hand down to hold himself up. Another 10-9 for McKee.
Round 3: Tugman offers a glove tap and McKee accepts. He immediately backpedals as McKee starts throwing rights and kicks. Front kick misses for McKee. Right hand lands. Body kick connects. McKee pushes Tugman into the fence as we pass the minute mark. He looks for a leg trip but Tugman avoids it. Tugman tries to turn it around but McKee pushes back, punches and knees the body, and they reset at 2 minutes. McKee shoots and Tugman sprawls. Tugman has a cut on or above his nose and it’s spraying blood everywhere. Tugman is looking for a guillotine choke and cranking for all he’s worth but McKee pops out at 3:26 and never even seemed worried about it. McKee can finish the fight on top unless Miner stands them up. He’s landing elbows to stay busy. Tugman is not doing anything to get up. He goes for a late knee bar after getting drilled with lefts but it’s not close. McKee will take the decision.
Final result: The judges score this one 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 all for A.J. McKee.
Bruna Ellen vs. Veta Arteaga
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Pineda
Karakhanyan is 26-7-1 in the red gloves, Pineda is 22-12 in the blue gloves. Pineda is 146 pounds and fighting out of Houston, Texas. Karakhanyan is 146 pounds, fighting out of Riverside, California. Our referee in charge of this fight is Bryan Miner.
Round 1: Pineda immediately comes forward throwing rights. Pineda throws Karakhanyan to the ground and lets him back up. Karakhanyan unloads with a kick. Karakhanyan presses Pineda into the fence throwing knees. Pineda tries to grab a clinch for knees of his own and turns Karakhanyan around. Pineda pulls back and tries to sting Karakhanyan as they separate. Pineda gets a takedown at 1:38. He tries to get his right leg over for full mount but Karakhanyan blocks and pushes him back to guard then stands up at 2:19. Jump kick by Pineda. Overhand right by Karakhanyan. Trip and Pineda gets back on top. Pineda is trying to posture up and land the right elbow and hand. Karakhanyan tries to trap an arm off the bottom but Pineda avoids it and unloads some ground and pound as he stacks Karakhanyan against the cage. Pineda backs out at 4:22 as Karakhanyan tries to go for the arm and drills him with a knee, then avoids a Karakhanyan attempt to pull guard for a guillotine and finishes R1 on top. 10-9 Pineda.
Round 2: A glove tap and a spinning back kick for Pineda. Karakhanyan goes for a single leg but Pineda immediately sweeps and is on top connecting with left hands to the head. Miner calls for more work at 1:09. Pineda is warned to watch the fingers as he strikes so he cracks the jaw with a right elbow instead. Miner stands them up at 2:10. Karakhanyan takes a kick to the groin and Miner calls time. Pineda wastes little time taking Karakhanyan back to the ground after a quick restart. Karakhanyan grazes Pineda with an up kick and he’s spraying blood all over Karakhanyan as he gets back on top. Miner stops the action at 4:05 to check the cut over the left eyebrow. The doctor decides the gash over the eye is too deep and calls the fight by injury TKO. Pineda is so pissed he leaves the cage screaming profanities.
Final result: Georgi Karakhanyan wins by TKO (injury) at 4:05 of the second round.
Noad Lahat vs. Henry Corrales
Corrales is 13-3 with the blue gloves and trunks, fighting out of La Mirada, California. Lahat 11-2 with the red gloves and black trunks, fighting out of Alfei Menashe, Israel. Our referee in charge is David Bruce.
Round 1: Corrales pushes forward at the start, throws a leg kick, but Lahat picks him up and throws him to the ground, taking the back and throwing him down when he tries to get up against the fence. Lahat drives knees into him from behind then spins around to try and take a mount, but Corrales gets up at 1:03. They clinch and trade shots with each other at close quarters for a little bit. Another leg kick for Corrales, another takedown attempt for Lahat, Bruce waves off an injury and tells both men to keep fighting because he didn’t see it. Lahat falls down and gets back up. It looks like he was trying to suck Corrales into jumping into his guard. Corrales clips him with a left hand as he comes forward. Two leg kicks from Lahat. Lahat eats a left hook over the top and some hard shots to the body. Lahat wings out a right head kick that’s checked. Leg kick and left hook by Corrales as he pushes Lahat toward the cage. Lahat with a left elbow high. Lahat had the round early but Corrales did better late for the 10-9 advantage.
Round 2: Bruce has a hard time making both men back up to signal the start of R2. Once he does Corrales rushes forward. Lahat clinches and circles behind but can’t take him down this time as Corrales spins him around. They break at 42 seconds. Leg kick from Corrales to Lahat’s lead left leg – it clearly hurt him as he briefly shifted his stance. Lahat with a hard right hand. Corrales continues to attack the leg, smelling it’s a problem for Lahat, and a kick spins Lahat around. Lahat is blinking and wiping his eyes after eating a shot. Lahat flops to his back and Bruce makes him stand at 2:42. Lahat tries to jab to keep Corrales at range and throws a body shot. Corrales is clearly setting up to pivot on his left leg and slam the right leg home on Lahat, and he does it again. Lahat lands a right but Corrales counters and hits the kick. Lahat whiffs on a combo and eats a right hand, briefly tries to get the fight to the ground but can’t keep Corrales down. Corrales swings hard at the clapper and walks/stalks Lahat down to the bell. 10-9 Corrales.
Round 3: Both guys walk around ignoring the referee so he finally just says “Are you ready to go?” They are. Corrales gets a takedown at 17 seconds and gets body to body on top. He might be thinking he can ride out the decision at this point but Bruce isn’t going to let that happen as he forces a stand-up at 55 seconds. Lahat gets up very slowly. Corrales lands a right hook. Lahat tries a front kick to the face and a head kick. Neither are flush or have much power behind them. Over the top left for Corrales. Lahat teases a shot but Corrales easily avoids a potential takedown. Lahat ducks into a left hook and backs away from another. Lahat is bloodied up and keeps wiping it away with his hands. Corrales takes a head kick but is unfazed, then ducks under a punch and takes Lahat down, where his blood starts to paint the canvas as he tries to get into a submission position. Bruce wants more work from both men. Another warning at 3:48. He stands them up 20 seconds later. Lahat sits on his knees for five seconds which doesn’t please the crowd. He’s so tired that I might give Corrales a 10-8 just for being the fresher man. It’s that evident of a disparity between the two. Corrales clinches and lands some nasty uppercuts as time ticks away. He should easily take a unanimous decision.
Final result: The judges score this fight 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all for Henry Corrales.
Chris Honeycutt vs. Kevin Casey
9-1 185.5 for Honeycutt in the red gloves and black trunks, fighting out of Fresno, California. 9-5 and 186 pounds for Casey in the blue gloves and white trunks, fighting out of Los Angeles, California. Our referee in charge is David Bruce.
Round 1: Casey takes the center and Honeycutt willingly steps to the outside, then cautiously presses his way back into range and throws a right head kick. Bruce has already warned them to watch the fingers and with good reason as an eye poke forces a stoppage of the action. Casey is swinging for the fences, Honeycutt shoots for the takedown, Casey tries to grab a guillotine but doesn’t have it and lets it go. Honeycutt tries to step over but Casey is keeping his legs up high. Casey tries to grab the right arm but Honeycutt pulls free and punches him in the leg. Casey’s high guard is preventing Honeycutt from doing much of anything. He keeps trying to posture up and Casey keeps sucking him in. Bruce calls for more work at 3:24. Honeycutt gets off a right hook and tries to pass but lets Casey back to his feet in the process. Another right head kick thrown by Honeycutt. Honeycutt kicks to the body and Casey lands a simultaneous right hand. Casey comes forward with short time but gets doubled to the ground to end the round, with the ref pulling apart an arm in guillotine attempt that ALMOST finished Honeycutt.
Round 2: Casey backs Honeycutt up toward the fence and lands a powerful left. Honeycutt slips behind Casey pulls him to the ground and looks to get the hooks in. He winds up on top as Casey goes to his back to defend. Honeycutt tries to lock up an armbar but doesn’t have it. He takes full mount at 1:44 and is starting to wail on Casey with lefts and rights until Bruce finally steps between them at approximately 2:06. Casey had his hands up but wasn’t doing anything else. Honeycutt does a backflip to celebrate.
Final result: Chris Honeycutt wins by TKO at 2:06 of the second round.
Ricky Rainey vs. Marc Stevens
Stevens is 22-10, 170.5 in the red gloves. Rainey is 12-4, 170.5 in the blue gloves. Rainey has a 9″ reach advantage, 79″ to 70″ between the two of them. Rainey has on dark navy blue trunks and fights out of Gastonia, North Carolina. Stevens has on red trunks and fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida. Our referee in charge is Rob Hinds.
Round 1: Rainey walks calmly forward as Stevens bounces on his feet and switches stances, backing away and throwing a leg kick. Rainey shifts sideways following Stevens and throws a front kick and a leg kick. Stevens is acquitting himself well so far despite the length disparity. Two minutes gone. Rainey catches him with a head kick and a left hook. He throws a knee to the head but Stevens is not out of there yet. Another head kick lands flush. Hard inside leg kick from Rainey. Stevens lands a right hook and a leg kick and Rainey gives chase. He just misses with a head kick. Stevens catches a kick and dumps Rainey on the ground, taking side control with under a minute to go. Stevens is unable to do anything dramatic so I’d still give Rainey a 10-9 overall.
Round 2: Stevens tries to get a takedown in the first half minute of R2 but Rainey pops up in a split second. Stevens presses him and tries to land a big elbow over the top on the break. Rainey flicks out the head kick after they reset. Stevens grabs the leg and makes Rainey hop around for a bit, landing a left hand. Rainey presses him into the cage, Stevens turns him around, Rainey turns him back and breaks at 1:51. Rainey with the right high head kick. Stevens with a leg kick. Rainey misses a spin kick. 2:30. Stevens checks a head kick. They keep touching each other’s gloves with jabs. Rainey tries to tune him up with a few left hooks and a knee but Stevens catches the leg and drops levels. Stevens drops levels at 3:56 again trying to get it but Rainey breaks free and lands the head kicks and more lefts. Stevens grabs the leg but Rainey steps behind him and gets both hooks in. Stevens escapes with 13 seconds left but he lost this round 10-9 too.
Round 3: Both men tap double gloves to open our third and final round and Rainey swarms with lefts and rights and knees to the body. Stevens weathers the storm and resets at 20 seconds. Knee to the body at 39 seconds but Stevens gets close and turns him into the cage. Rainey turns him around at 0:58. The fight is buffering but Rainey cut him open and took him down to the ground while the feed is cutting in and out. He’s got both hooks in at 2:09 and is punishing Stevens with lefts and rights. Stevens briefly gives up full mount and then gives up his back again. Hinds would have reason enough to stop the fight if Rainey doesn’t get his rear naked choke attempt because Stevens is barely doing anything and eating a lot of shots. He escapes the attempt but Rainey still has the hooks in. Blood is trickling to the mat from around Stevens’ left eye. One minute left. Rainey drills him from behind with one unchecked right hand after another. This is a clear 10-8. Uppercuts from behind. Rainey treats him like a punching bag and looks for one last rear naked choke attempt before the bell.
Final result: The judges score this one 29-27 X3 all for Ricky Rainey.
Matt Secor vs. TJ Sumler
Round 1: Unaired before Spike.
Final result: To be determined.
Phillipe Lins vs. Vadim Nemkov
Philipe Lins is 10-2, 205 pounds, Nemkov is 7-2, 204 pounds. Nemkov fights out of Story Oskol, Russia and has on the blue gloves. Lins fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida and has on the red gloves. Our referee is John McCarthy.
Round 1: Both men touch gloves and we’re underway. Nemkov lands a right hook, a kick to the body, and a leg kick. Lins backs up toward the outer circle as Nemkov pushes his way into range and throws a short right. Lins finally backs him up a little at the one minute mark. Nice left hook and body kick by Nemkov. Lins is reacting instead of acting. He’s letting Nemkov get off first each time they find the range. Left jab by Nemkov. Leg kicks. Lins checks a left head kick but eats a heavy right hand to the temple and then gets knocked down by a right and pounded out very quickly on the ground with a couple more rights to the chin as McCarthy rushes to stop it. Lins gets up slowly and is checked over on the stool as Nemkov stands victorious at center cage.
Final result: Vadim Nemkov wins by knockout at 3:03 of the first round.
Sinead Kavanagh vs. Arlene Blencowe
Blue gloves and gray trunks for Sinead Kavanagh of the Straight Blast Gym team, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland. Black trunks and red gloves for Arlene Blencowe, fighting out of Sydney, Australia. 4-1 vs. 9-6, 145 vs. 145.75 in weight. Our referee in charge is Kevin MacDonald.
Round 1: A tap of the gloves and we are underway. Both women are willing to stand and trade for the first minute of the fight. Blencowe throws a leg kick. Kavanagh keeps loading up the right hand. Blencowe is starting to back up but lands a good counter hand. Kavanagh circles on the outside and throws a right hand. Blencowe is becoming increasingly confident in her jab. She’s pushing Kavanagh toward the fence. Another leg kick for Blencowe. Kavanagh wears every shot that lands immediately. Solid left hook for Kavanagh. Right hand over the top for Blencowe. Another right connects. Blencowe lands the final flurry and Kavanagh’s nose is bloody. Slight 10-9 edge to Blencowe.
Round 2: Blencowe takes the center and the two immediately start striking. Kavanagh blinks and moves to wipe her nose and right eye with her hand. She does it several times so she’s clearly feeling Blencowe’s sting. Kavanagh tags Blencowe with a left hook. Blencowe hits the counter right. Blencowe backs Kavanagh up with a solid shot. Kavanagh goes to the body and gets popped in the head, then throws an inside leg kick. Kavanagh keeps pressing the action and lands a leg kick but eats a counter 1-2 from Blencowe. Blencowe checks an overhand right and fires back. Left jab by Blencowe, right hook by Kavanagh, over the top right by Blencowe. Neither woman has done anything even close to a takedown. Blencowe with two stiff combos at 3:50. Kavanagh shakes her head trying to no shell a vicious shot from Blencowe. Hard right from Blencowe. Kavanagh’s face is a mess. These are very close rounds.
Round 3: Kavanagh is pressuring and going to the body and the head to open R3. Leg kick from Kavanagh. Even though Kavanagh has the boxing experience she tends to let her hands hang down low, while Blencowe keeps her hands up high and tight. Two minutes gone in our final round. Kavanagh with a stiff right at 2:14. Nice left for Blencowe who ducks under a big right but eats the follow up. Leg kick by Kavanagh. Left hook by Kavanagh. Blencowe keeps going backward. Kavanagh keeps wading in to throw hands, taking one to land two. Blencowe is stung at 4:07 by a left hand, but then Kavanagh gets wobbled by a right. 30 seconds. A 29-28 either way won’t surprise me.
Final result: The judges score this fight 29-28 Kavanagh, 30-27 Blencowe, 29-28 for Arlene Blencowe by split decision.
Talita Nogueira vs. Amanda Bell
Bell is 5-4 145 pounds in the red gloves. Nogueira is 6-0 145 pounds in the blue gloves. Nogueira has on a full bodysuit and fights from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Bell has on a black top and American flag trunks and fights from Hubbard, Oregon. Our referee is Kevin MacDonald.
Round 1: Both fighters just barely get off a glove tap before getting it on. Nogueira pushes Bell into the fence and looks for a takedown. Bell takes knees to the body as Nogueira has the head trapped. Bell pops free and spins Nogueira around. MacDonald tells the fighters to watch the knees. Nogueira gets the leg trip and gets on top at 1:30. She gets almost to a full half guard as Bell is warned about shots to the spine. Nogueira backs away for some standing ground and pound and Bell grazes her with an upkick. Nogueira goes back down and is in North-South on top. Bell tries to throw her legs around Nogueira’s head to no avail. Nogueira pounds away with body shots as she spins to take the back and get both hooks in, and quickly submits Bell with the rear naked choke once she does.
Final result: Talita Nogueira wins via rear naked choke at 3:44 of the first round.
Colleen Schneider vs. Kate Jackson
Schneider is in the orange top and trunks with red gloves. Jackson is in the black top and trunks with blue gloves. Jackson is 125.5 pounds, 8-2-1, fighting out of Cornwall, England. Schneider is 123.8 pounds, 11-7, fighting out of Los Angeles by way of Syracuse, New York. Our referee in charge is Robert Hinds.
Round 1: Schneider steps aggressively to the center. Jackson is trying to force her back with push kicks to the knee and leg kicks. Schneider throws a head kick and a spinning back kick. Schneider with an uppercut and a right hook. Jackson keeps backing up toward the fence. Nice combo by Jackson at 1:35 and Schneider just shoves her away with a kick. Jackson is warned to watch extending her fingers. Two left leg kicks by Jackson. Body kick by Jackson. Leg kick by Schneider. Schneider is smiling as she comes forward aggressively. Spinning kick by Schneider. Left high kick by Schneider. Jackson hurts her with a kick to the knee and Schneider hits the canvas but she rolls for a knee bar when Jackson jumps on. Jackson is trying to escape and take a mount as time ticks away. She ends R1 on top. Schneider is unable to stand up and it looks like this fight is going to be over by injury TKO. Schneider is screaming in pain as they work on her. Hinds calls it off.
Final result: Kate Jackson wins by TKO (injury) at 5:00 of the first round.
Tom Regal vs. Kastroit Xhema
Round 1: Unaired before Spike.
Final result: To be determined.
Brandon Polcare vs. Alex Potts
Round 1: Unaired before Spike.
Final result: To be determined.
Joey Davis vs. Justin Roswell
175 pounds, 1-1, Sacramento, CA is Justin Roswell with the blue gloves and black trunks. 172 pounds, 1-0, Compton, CA is Joey Davis in the red gloves and white trunks. Our referee is David Bruce.
Round 1: Davis gets a takedown 20 seconds into the fight and pushes Roswell toward the fence looking to posture up and throw the left hand. He starts dropping some nasty right elbows and slips to side control. Roswell is bleeding heavily from the left side of his head. More nasty elbows. Bruce gives him a warning and stops the fight 5 seconds later off the merciless ground and pound assault by Davis.
Final result: Joey Davis wins by technical knockout at 1:35 of the first round.
Josh Ricci vs. Brandon Warne
Round 1: Unaired before Spike.
Final result: To be determined.
Kristi Lopez vs. Jessica Sotack
Round 1: Unaired before Spike.
Final result: To be determined.