Alessio Sakara
Bellator 230 airs TONIGHT (Oct. 12, 2019) from inside Ex Palalido in Milan, Italy, featuring Rafael Carvalho (16-3) and Vadim Nemkov (10-2) squaring off to headline one of three separate cards (Bellator Kickboxing 12 and Bellator: “Milan” are the two others).
Bellator 230’s main card will start at 9 p.m. ET on DAZN (watch it). Meanwhile, Bellator: “Milan” airs at 5 p.m. ET via the Bellator mobile app. MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and play-by-play for televised mixed martial arts (MMA) fights 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 230) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 230/MILAN QUICK RESULTS:
Rafael Carvalho vs. Vadim Nemkov — Nemkov sub (RNC) 3:56 R2.
Domingos Barros vs. Kirill Sidelnikov — Sidelnikov UD 30-27, 29-28 X2.
Hesdy Gerges vs. Dragos Zubco — Zubco UD 29-28 X3.
Andrea Fusi vs. Walter Pugliesi — Pugliesi UD 30-27 X3.
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yannick Bahati — Manhoef KO 2:29 R1.
Stefano Paterno vs. Ashley Reece — Paterno UD 30-27, 29-27 X2.
Alessio Sakara vs. Canaan Grigsby — Sakara KO 0:23 R1.
Nicolo Solli vs. Dan Cassell — Solli sub (triangle) 3:15 R1.
Kane Mousah vs. Rafael Macedo — Macedo SD.
BELLATOR KICKBOXING 12 QUICK RESULTS:
Gabriel Varga vs. Cristian Faustino — Varga UD 50-45 X3.
Chingiz Allazov vs. Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee — Allazov UD 30-27 X3.
Yuri Bessmertny vs. Giuseppe de Domenico — Bessmertny UD 29-28 X3.
Luca Cecchetti vs. Alex Avogadro — Cecchetti TKO (doctor) 2:09 R1.
Jade Jorand vs. Silvia La Notte — Jorand KO 0:12 R2.
Kevin Ross vs. Shan Cangelosi — Cangelosi UD 29-28, 30-27 X2.
Endy Bonat vs. Kebrom Neguse — MD 28-28 X2, 29-28 X1.
Taras Hnatchuk vs. Giacomo Licheri — Hnatchuk UD 30-27 X3.
Luca Memeli vs. Pawel Szymanski — Memeli UD 30-27 X3.
BELLATOR 230/MILAN PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Rafael Carvalho vs. Vadim Nemkov
Carvalho comes in 16-3 in the red gloves and black trunks for his first Bellator fight at Light Heavyweight. Nemkov comes in 10-2 in the blue gloves with black trunks and already holds a career win over “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis. Nemkov fights out of Stary Oskol, Russia and Carvalho fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida. The referee is Kerry Hatley.
Round 1: Carvalho gets hurt quickly after the opening bell with a high kick and Nemkov gets on top. Carvalho wall walks his way back to his feet and he’s taken back down with an inside trip. Carvalho gets up again and resets to the center at 1:30. Nemkov misses with another head kick attempt. Carvalho checks the next one with his arm at 2:13. Nemkov takes him down at 2:32, and before Carvalho can get up Nemkov takes him down again. Nemkov wraps an arm around his head and almost throws an illegal knee to a grounded opponent but heeds Hatley’s warning. Nemkov hurts Carvalho again and tags him with a right as he’s recovering. Carvalho checks the head kick at 3:58. Nemkov is teeing off on Carvalho. Carvalho looks gassed just trying to get away from the strikes. 10-9 Nemkov.
Round 2: Carvalho is backpedaling and shadowboxing as Nemkov chases him down around the cage, and decks Carvalho with a hard right at 47 seconds. The only thing that kept Carvalho standing was the fence he fell into. They break at 1:13. He’s tagged squarely on the nose at 1:29. Nemkov takes him down again and moves to half guard. Nemkov has done everything he wanted to thus far except go for a submission. Perhaps he’ll move to side control and go for an arm triangle. Nope. Full mount at 2:58. He can pound this fight out now if he postures up and lets the hands go. Big slashing right elbow. Carvalho gives up his back in response. Oh snap – here comes a rear naked choke attempt! Carvalho taps out.
Final result: Vadim Nemkov wins via submission (RNC) at 3:56 of round two.
Domingos Barros vs. Kirill Sidelnikov
Barros is in the blue gloves and trunks tonight, bringing in a 6-0 record, hailing from Portugal but fighting out of Boston, Massachusetts. Sidelnikov sports the red gloves with black trunks and has a pro record of 11-6, fighting out of Stary Oskol, Russia. Our referee for this fight is Jerin Valel.
Round 1: Barros quickly lands a leg kick. The shorter and stockier Sidelnikov tries to push into range and winds up being tied up by Barros, who lets him go at 44 seconds. Barros shoots and is stuffed. Sidelnikov stands over the top but lets Barros get to his feet instead of trying the ground game. Barros pushes Sidelnikov into the fence but he breaks free and lands a left hand. Barros kicks the knee and paws with a right hand before shooting and being stuffed. Barros tries to circle as Sidelnikov presses forward. Barros ties him up again and tries to bring up a knee. Barros digs for a single leg but lets it go at 3:48. Barros lands a left hand. Sidelnikov pushes Barros into the cage with right hands at 4:30. Barros turns him around and throws a knee but gets tagged by a counter strike. 10-9 Sidelnikov.
Round 2: Tap of gloves opens R2. Barros is knocked down by an over-the-top right while he’s off balance but gets back up clean. Sidelnikov misses wildly with a right to the body. Barros throws a front kick. Sidelnikov hits a clean right hook and both men begin to trade. They reset and Sidelnikov wades into range but Barros clinches to throw a knee. Sidelnikov turns him around and puts him on the fence. The action stalls there until they break at 2:36. Blood streams from under Sidelnikov’s right eye. He comes forward with a hard shot and Barros tries to grab a muay thai plum and come up with the knee. Sidelnikov works body shots at range. They break at 3:38. Barros lands a clean left jab with 40 seconds to go. Sidelnikov answers with a combo. Barros does a little shimmy shake in response. Another 10-9 for Sidelnikov.
Round 3: One more glove tap to open the third round. Sidelnikov tags Barros with a left hand. Barros throws an outside leg kick. Sidelnikov clocks him with a hard clean left at 0:40. Barros seems perplexed by the left hands and can’t stop them landing. He tries to shoot at 1:40 but gets nothing. Barros lands a leg kick but Sidelnikov keeps coming into range and tagging his foe. Sidelnikov gets poked in the eye with about two minutes left and Valel calls for time. After the restart he takes a kick to the groin and we get a shorter pause. Barros continues to work the outside kicks but he’s not doing the kind of damage that could win him this fight. Barros gets stuffed again and this time Sidelnikov lands some heavy left hands from behind before he gets up. 10-9 Sidelnikov for what should be a clean sweep.
Final result: The judges score this contest 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Sidelnikov.
Hesdy Gerges vs. Dragos Zubco
Gerges is 0-1 as a pro and sports black trunks with red gloves. Zubco’s record so far is 2-0 and he sports the black trunks with blue gloves. Both men are experienced in kickboxing outside of their MMA careers. Gerges is 5” taller at 6’7” and has a 5.5” reach advantage at 78”. Zubco fights out of Alassio, Italy. Gerges fights out of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The referee in charge is Dan Miragliotta.
Round 1: Both men stand cautiously in front of each other bobbing and weaving until Zubco catches a kick and trips Gerges to the ground. He gets back up and pushes Zubco to the cage. Time stands still as they jockey for position on the cage. Miragliotta breaks them up at 1:45. Zubco tries to drop levels and take Gerges down. Once again the sand stops flowing through the hourglass. Zubco tries to push Gerges across the cage and then drop levels but that doesn’t work either. “He’s not even close to getting a takedown” quips John McCarthy. TRUTH. Finally after minutes of nothingness he gets Gerges to the ground but Gerges gets right back up with no advantage gained. 10-10. Nobody did anything.
Round 2: Zubco tries to get off to a hot start with strikes but Gerges pushes him into the fence to throw knees to the body. Zubco turns him around. We’re stuck in the same limbo we were from the first round. John McCarthy is begging these men to “open up with offense” and his wishes are not being met. They break at the two minute mark and Zubco hurts Gerges with a left hand. Gerges stumbles and falls and Zubco gets on top in wide control. Zubco goes for the mounted crucifix and puts all his weight on Gerges, but it’s not enough as he gets back up at 3:22. Zubco shoots in for a takedown and Gerges blocks it. 10-9 Zubco.
Round 3: Tap of gloves to start R3. Gerges immediately lands two hard outside leg kicks. Zubco with hands to the head and the body. Gerges with a straight right. Zubco with an overhand right. Gerges drops Zubco with a heavy right hand and takes Zubco’s back. Gerges is trying to take the back but he finally lets Zubco up at 1:55. Zubco throws some looping haymakers and both men shrug at each other. Zubco lands a left hand. 2:30 gone 2:30 remains. Left uppercut and right by Zubco. Zubco catches a leg kick and throws more rights and uppercuts. Gerges closes the distance and clinches. That’s not going to help him win. Miragliotta calls for more work. Zubco is the one doing it, landing left hands when and where he can. 10-9 Zubco.
Final result: The judges score it 29-28 X3 all for Zubco.
Andrea Fusi vs. Walter Pugliesi
Fusi is 8-4 in the red gloves and trunks out of Como, Italy, Pugliesi is 6-2 in the blue gloves and black trunks fighting out of Arcore, Italy. Our referee is Jerin Valel.
Round 1: No tap of gloves to start. Fusi wastes little time pushing his opponent backward and Pugliesi responds to the hands with kicks and a right hook. Fusi fires kicks back and Pugliesi lands another right over the top. Fusi pushes forward with a flurry and they’re on the fence at 1:08. Pugliesi turns him into the cage and fires knees, Fusi responds with knees of his own and pushes free at 2:04. Fusi throws a front kick and an uppercut. Pugliesi throws a high kick and Fusi throws another flurry, then gets turned into the fence by Pugliesi again. They break at 3:11. Pugliesi lands a series of good shots and throws a jumping knee before putting Fusi on the cage. Pugliesi backs up to throw strikes and Fusi is getting hurt. They clinch again. 10-9 Pugliesi.
Round 2: Fusi goes for a single leg to open R2 but it’s blocked, and once again Pugliesi has Fusi pinned against the fence eating strikes. To compound his woes Fusi is taken down at 31 seconds but he rolls through and gets to his feet. Fusi chases Pugliesi across the cage but Pugliesi has the underhooks and turns him around before letting him go. Pugliesi continues to throw wide overhand rights and connects with a nice left hook. He’s also landing short uppercuts “dirty boxing” style as they clinch against the cage. Knees go back and forth before they step apart at 2:13. Fusi throws a leg kick. Pugliesi misses with a left but not with the body shot or overhand right. Fusi lands a stiff right and finally backs Pugliesi off. Pugliesi lands multiple shots in return and puts Fusi’s back on the fence again, with blood leaking from the top of Fusi’s forehead. 90 seconds remain in R2. Multiple knees to the body followed by a series of slashing elbows and a spinning backfist. Pugliesi is owning this round far more than the first. 10-9 Pugliesi.
Round 3: Pugliesi takes Fusi down quickly and Fusi tries to grab a guillotine. Pugliesi avoids it but Fusi gets back up at 48 seconds. Pugliesi tags Fusi with a right hand and a knee but eats a couple of lefts back. Pugliesi backs Fusi into the fence, where we can see his right eye is starting to swell shut from the strikes. Pugliesi punishes him with more elbows and then resets to the center. Fusi has trouble even bringing his arms up to defend himself. Pugliesi with another over the top right and a takedown. Fusi tries to secure a kimura but Pugliesi stands at 3:16. Pugliesi puts Fusi on the fence at 3:45 and smashes home a left elbow. One minute left. Fusi tries to even it up in the last 30 seconds but Pugliesi is still the man pushing his foe into the fence at the bell. 10-9 Pugliesi.
Final result: The judges all score it 30-27 for Pugliesi by unanimous decision.
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yannick Bahati
Blue trunks and blue gloves for Bahati. Black/silver trunks and red gloves for Manhoef. Bahati is 9-4, Manhoef is 31-14-1. Bahati is 29, Manhoef 43. Manhoef is 5’8”, Bahati 6’2”. Bahati fights out of Birmingham, England. Manhoef fights out of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The referee in charge is Kerry Hatley.
Round 1: Tap of gloves to open as Bahati is first to the center of the cage. He paws with the left, shoots for a takedown, and puts Manhoef on the cage. Manhoef shoves him away at 47 seconds. Bahati throws an outside leg kicks. Both men throw hands. Bahati is knocked down by a right hand and Manhoef jumps on top looking to pound it out. Bahati quickly ties him up. Manhoef is stuck on top in half guard. He finally postures up at 2:24 and unleashes a barrage that makes Hatley wave it off five seconds later.
Final result: Melvin Manhoef via knockout at 2:29 of round one.
Stefano Paterno vs. Ashley Reece
Reece sports blue gloves and red trunks for this fight. Paterno has red gloves and black trunks along with the raucous support of the local crowd. Reece comes in 8-1, Paterno is 12-3-1. Reece fights out of Stoke-on-Trent, England. Paterno fights out of Milan, Italy. The referee in charge is Dan Miragliotta.
Round 1: Both men tap to start before Paterno unleashes an early high kick and presses forward with leg kicks and a few rights that touch Reece. Reece tries to drop levels in response, Paterno blocks, and he pushes Reece into the fence to throw knees. Paterno throws Reece to the ground at 1:13 but he gets right back up and secures a takedown of his own to full guard. A copious amount of blood leaks from Reece’s nose on top. He couldn’t paint Paterno more red if he threw a full paint bucket at him. Reece stands up at 2:58 and Paterno tries unsuccessfully to get a triangle. Reece continues to work from guard as 90 seconds remain. Paterno scoots backward toward the cage. Reece stands again and has to avoid some upkicks, then Paterno tries to secure a heel hook as he gets back up on top. Reece escapes it. 10-9 Paterno.
Round 2: Another tap to start R2. Reece and Paterno throw leg kicks. Reece shoots at 48 seconds and once again Paterno blocks and clinches with Reece against the cage. Reece almost grabs the cage trying to block a takedown, drawing a stern look from Miragliotta. Reece turns Paterno around, Paterno elbows him in the head then pours on heavy uppercuts and right hands. Reece is wobbly on his feet from a big right at 2:09 and drops levels to save himself, but Paterno lands on top as it goes to the ground and has a d’arce choke. Reece escapes at 2:56. He pushes Paterno into the fence just trying to recover his wits and stamina. Miragliotta calls for more work as the action stalls. More elbows to the head from Paterno as Reece drops levels, and his takedown backfires as Paterno lands on top in full mount. 10-8 Paterno.
Round 3: Paterno is slowly and methodically walking Reece down for the first minute of the round. Paterno and Reece trade leg kicks. Paterno throws a spinning head kick but whiffs. It still forces Reece to bring his hands up defensively. Paterno opens the nose again with a left hook. Reece is breathing through his mouth just to get any oxygen he can. Overhand right wobbles Reece at 2:36. The crowd chants Paterno’s name in response. Reece lands a couple of left hooks. Reece checks a head kick. Reece shoots at 4:30 but Paterno gets underhooks and turns him into the cage. He takes Reece down, Reece scrambles to his feet, and they trade haymakers at the bell. 10-9 Paterno.
Final result: The judges score the fight 30-27, 29-27 and 29-27 for Stefano Paterno.
Alessio Sakara vs. Canaan Grigsby
Red trunks with black trim and blue gloves for the 8-7 Grigsby out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Red gloves and red trunks for the 20-13 (2 NC) Sakara out of Rome, Italy. The referee in charge is Bryan Miner.
Round 1: Glove tap to open. Sakara lands a couple of low leg kicks and pours on the damage against the fence. Grigsby tries to get back to his feet but the head and body shots cause him to wither and cover up. One clean right hand to the midsection appeared to be the finishing blow. Miner waves it off at 23 seconds.
Final result: Alessio Sakara via knockout at 0:23 of round one.
Nicolo Solli vs. Dan Cassell
Final result: Nicolo Solli via submission (triangle choke) 3:15 of round one.
Kane Mousah vs. Rafael Macedo
Final result: Rafael Macedo wins via split decision.