Top-to-bottom coverage of tonight’s Bellator “Dynamite event” starring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Olympic gold-medalist Satoshi Ishii.
Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live updates, streaming video of the preliminary card and detailed play-by-play as Bellator: Dynamite 2 takes place from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO.
In his return to the Bellator cage, veteran light-heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson takes on Olympic Judoka gold-medalist Satoshi Ishii. In the co-main event, former titlist Michael Chandler takes on heavy-handed Brazilian Patricky “Pitbull” Freire for the vacant lightweight championship. Joining Ishii in his promotional debut, heavyweight Matt Mitrione draws Carl Seumanutafa and, in the Spike TV curtain-jerker, women’s flyweight Ilima MacFarlane faces Rebecca Ruth.
Live play-by-play will commence with the Spike TV broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for predictions, analysis and betting odds on each match up. The full lineup and schedule follows.
Spike Card
(Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)
Quinton Jackson vs. Satoshi Ishii
R1: Ishii opens with a left round kick to the body. Jackson pauses in his stalking to give the backpedaling Ishii the thousand-yard stare. Jackson turns his back and raises his arms in disgust after a few more uneventful moments. Ishii knifes into the clinch and hits a silky smooth trip to put Jackson on his back with nearly two minutes expired. Left cross-face elbow for Ishii after stabilizing position in half guard.
Smothering top control from Ishii, who passes to side mount with Jackson’s body pinned along the fence. Jackson stands up and Ishii counters with a kimura, then he bails on it to lock horns in the clinch. Another easy trip for Ishii with a minute left. Ishii postures up and passes to side mount, then traps Jackson’s left arm between his legs. Jackson explodes out with his hips and gets back to his feet. 10-9 Ishii.
R2: Ishii glances with a left hand to the body and dodges Jackson’s counter. “Rampage” comes forward aggressively and, uncharacteristically, changes levels for a takedown. Ishii stuffs it and puts Jackson back down with another technically perfect trip. Ishii passes to side mount and Jackson goes for a counter single leg, using it to stand back up. Ishii keeps him on the fence but absorbs a heavy knee to the body.
Jackson lands a short uppercut after lowering his level to thwart another trip attempt. Ishii lets go of the clinch and throws a spinning back fist but he’s way too close for it to land. Ishii re-clinches and goes for a single, then lets it go. Short uppercut lands for Jackson. Ishii keeps him on the fence but gets denied on a double-leg attempt. Another short right uppercut from “Rampage.” No dice on Ishii’s inside trip attempt. Jackson goes to the Thai plum, landing a knee to the body. Two more uppercuts from Jackson to close the round. 10-9 Jackson.
R3: Ishii maintains a safe bubble of space to the chagrin of Jackson and the crowd. He forces a clinch but digests two heavy knees to the midsection and a glancing uppercut to the face. Ishii drops for a single leg cut can’t run the pipe. Short knee to the thigh from Ishii; a strike, at least. Jackson thwarts another medley of takedown and trip attempts before circling off the fence and separating.
Jackson cradles a leg when defending an outside trip and hits a counter takedown, landing in Ishii’s closed guard. A right to the ribs and a forearm to the sternum from Jackson on top. Jackson plays it smart, capitalizing on Ishii’s static hips by chipping away with ground-and-pound in final minutes of the fight. Ishii battles back to his feet and puts Jackson on the cage but he’s out of both gas and time. 10-9 Jackson. I have it 29-28 his way.
- Quinton Jackson defeats Satoshi Ishii by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Michael Chandler vs. Patricky Freire (for vacant LW championship)
R1: Chandler comes out in a crouched stance with a busy jab. Freire backs him off with an uppercut/hook combo. Chandler follows a jab into a double-leg takedown and Freire easily denies it. Short jab lands for Chandler. Freire glances with a counter right, then another. Chandler sits down on a right cross and it detonates square on the jaw of Freire, nearly knocking off his new mustache, and “Pitbull” goes down and out.
- Michael Chandler defeats Patricky Freire by KO (punch) R1
Justin Houghton vs. Kevin Ross (kickboxing)
R1: Ross whittles him down with a pair of outside low kicks to set up a right hand. Off-balance flying knee from Houghton is no good. Ross sticks with a flurry of outside low kicks that flow into another clean right hand upstairs. Double jab from Houghton, then a switch left hand down the middle.
Now Ross gets into boxing range and starts prodding with left hooks but Houghton does well in backing him off by sitting down on a pair of one-twos. Ross scores with an outside low kick, then a round kick to the body. Another quick round kick to the ribs from Ross, who goes high with the next kick but it’s blocked. Ross dings him with a right hand. 10-9 Ross.
R2: Houghton stings Ross with a counter one-two, then sneaks another right through amid a hail of heavy leather. Flicking inside low kicks from Ross. Double left round kicks to the body from Ross. Effective jabbing from Houghton, who isn’t backing down an inch. Ross slams a right hand to the head of Houghton.
The right hand is there for Ross again, who’s gradually letting his technical superiority shine. After establishing the right hand, Ross switches to a left hook and drubs Houghton with both attempts. Double left round kicks to the body from Ross and he closes with a left hook. 10-9 Ross.
R3: Houghton closes the gap, wading through three crisp body kicks, and Ross casually puts him on the canvas with a smooth foot sweep. Inside low kick from Ross, then he drills Houghton in the face with a rear-leg teep. Now a right round kick to the body and a front kick to the body from Ross. Ross, looking to be fully in rhythm, swats Houghton with a left hook and a double jab.
Glancing right cross from Ross, then a clean right kick to the head. Ross marches forward and bombs a step-in knee to the body of Houghton, and he hunches over upon impact. When the ref doesn’t intervene, Ross flurries with a left hook. Now the ref steps in but Houghton seems surprised when they’re restarted. Ross clubs him with a right hand upstairs, then drops him with a right cross to the body. Houghton survives the standing eight count. 10-8 Ross. I have it 30-26 Ross.
- Kevin Ross defeats Justin Houghton by unanimous decision (29-27 x2, 30-26)
Ilima MacFarlane vs. Rebecca Ruth
R1: Ruth wings a one-two and stuffs in an under-hook to defend MacFarlane’s counter level change. MacFarlane stays in the clinch and briefly hits an outside trip, then get in the rear waist cinch when Ruth stands back up. Ruth spins to face MacFarlane, putting her back on the cage, then securing a whizzer that allows her to circle off the fence and separate. MacFarlane again changes levels to counter Ruth’s double jab to right cross, but this time Ruth lands a volley of spiked elbows to the upper back while being pressed against the cage.
MacFarlane adheres to a single leg that’s not there, then she switches to a body lock and hits an outside trip, landing in Ruth’s open guard. One butterfly hook for Ruth with good posture control. Ruth scoots her back onto the cage and, despite eating a clean right hand, gets back to her feet. MacFarlane switches to a guillotine but Ruth pulls her head free. MacFarlane now clinging to a double leg with Ruth’s back on the cage. 10-9 MacFarlane.
R2: MacFarlane, somewhat predictably now, changes levels on a Ruth combo but still hits the outside trip with relative ease. Ruth tries to scramble and MacFarlane takes her back in the transition, then puts both hooks in and starts fishing for a rear-naked choke. It’s deep but Ruth fights valiantly to avoid tapping, then goes two-on-one to break the choke. MacFarlane switches to a body triangle and maintains position, then cinches on the choke again when Ruth leaves her neck exposed.
The forearm is once again under the chin but Ruth once again hand-fights her way out of the choke. Ruth turtles, now eating right hands to the head, then stands up with MacFarlane on board. This time Ruth pays the price for leaving her neck largely exposed, tapping to the standing mata leao.
- Ilima MacFarlane defeats Rebecca Ruth by submission (rear-naked choke) R2
Gloria Peritore vs. Denise Kielholtz (kickboxing)
R1: They exchange one-two’s with Kielholtz finding the cleaner impact. She follows another into a clinch but gets tripped up when throwing a low kick on the next exchange. Kielholtz lowers her head and closes the distance behind consecutive one-twos but she’s backed off by a sharp jab. Peritore lands a clean lead-leg teep to the face.
Peritore lands a hook/cross combo, then glances with a right high kick but she can’t time a spinning back fist as Kielholtz’s coming in. Kielholtz forces a clinch and, oddly, finishes with an outside trip. Side kick lands to the body for Peritore. Two clean outside low kicks for Kielholtz with Peritore’s back on the ropes. Kielholtz steps in to jam a Peritore spinning kick and lands a right upstairs. Now a jumping push kick to the face from Kielholtz. 10-10.
R2: Kielholtz opens with an outside low kick and a right hand. Peritore answers with a clean spinning back fist to the face. Another outside low kick lands for Kielholtz to the upper thigh. Kielholtz holds her ground and sits down on a glancing right cross. Kielholtz evades a spinning kick and scores with a left hook.
Two clean rights from Kielholtz and she follows with a crushing outside low kick. Short right counter is there for Kielholtz. Peritore grazes with a right cross but lands a front kick to the body. Outside low kick is there again for Kielholtz. 10-9 Kielholtz.
R3: Kielholtz continues to walk Peritore down, looking to unload her hands. Peritore lands a front kick downstairs. Kielholtz stings her with punches off the back foot. Clean lead-leg teep lands to the face for Peritore. Kielholtz comes back swinging, forcing Peritore to circle out in wide angles to keep space.
Kielholtz again steps in to jam a spinning attack from Peritore. Hook/cross combo for Kielholtz to set up a nasty outside low kick that chops out Peritore’s footing. They trade one-twos and Kielholtz’s lands with more oomph. Another one-two that flows into an outside low kick for Kielholtz. 10-9 Kielholtz. I have it 30-28 Kielholtz.
- Gloria Peritore defeats Denise Kielholtz by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Matt Mitrione vs. Carl Seumanutafa
R1: Seumanutafa glances with an inside low kick. Mitrione pivots right, looking to sight in a straight left. Seumanutafa sits down on a hellacious right hand that careens into Mitrione’s jaw and Mitrione slumps onto the canvas, seemingly dead. However, Big John McCarthy lets the fight continue as Seumanutafa pounces on Mitrione with hammer-fists. Mitrione somehow regains his wits, starts to defend the blows intelligently and then hits a sweep.
Mitrione starts digging lefts to the body of Seumanutafa, then he postures up for more aggressive ground-and-pound. Mitrione stands up and backs out, then launches himself back into Seumanutafa’s guard behind a scorching left hand, and Seumanutafa goes stiff.
- Matt Mitrione defeats Carl Seumanutafa by KO (punch) R1 3:22
Preliminary Card
(Bloody Elbow, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Rashard Lovelace defeats Garrett Mueller by TKO (leg injury) R2 5:00
Justin Lawrence defeats Isao Kobayashi by TKO (punches) R2 2:11
Guilherme Vasconcelos defeats Jordan Dowdy by submission (rear-naked choke) R1 4:59
Joaquin Buckley defeats Chris Heatherly by KO (knee) R2 4:14
Cheljean Erwin-Davis defeats Kevin Engel by submission (rear-naked choke) R2 1:19
Lee Burns vs. Byron Stevens
Matt Murphy vs. Justin Robbins
Katy Collins vs. Michelle Pearce
Jason Christeson vs. Dewayne Diggs
Mike Estus vs. Steven Mann
Tyler Claussen vs. Brad Jones
Ashley Cummins vs. Nikki Smith
(Note: some bouts will not be aired)