Bellator 114: Recap and Full Results from Shlemenko vs. Ward

Alexander Shlemenko won his 50th pro MMA bout Friday night with a sudden second-round submission defeat of Brennan Ward to retain his Bellator middleweight title.
A hotly contested first round saw the two men exchange several powerful strikes. Ward lan…

Alexander Shlemenko won his 50th pro MMA bout Friday night with a sudden second-round submission defeat of Brennan Ward to retain his Bellator middleweight title.

A hotly contested first round saw the two men exchange several powerful strikes. Ward landed a couple of takedowns and even tried a few submissions of his own, though he relied more on brute force than technique in their application. Still, it is possible the hyperaggressive Ward took the first round on points in the eyes of some judges and observers.

Early in the second, Ward momentarily left his neck vulnerable, and the veteran Shlemenko capitalized with a lightning-fast guillotine choke. Ward tapped in to the hold in a matter of seconds, and the bout was over.

Shlemenko advanced to 50-7 as a pro; Ward drops to 9-2.

Though the main event was a good one, the highlight of the main card may have been Brett Cooper’s stirring victory over Kendall Grove.

In one of the season’s middleweight tournament semifinal matches, the ultra-rangy Grove put Cooper in hot water with a first-round grappling clinic. It nearly saw him submit Cooper several times before finishing with ground-and-pound that might have brought down the curtain if the bell had sounded a few seconds later.

In the second stanza, Cooper placed a right hook perfectly on Grove’s jawline. The UFC veteran fell to the canvas, and Cooper swarmed. Referee John McCarthy gave Grove every opportunity to gather himself, but Grove couldn’t do so and eventually lost consciousness to seal the comeback win for Cooper. 

 

Also on the main card, four featherweights competed in two tournament semifinal bouts. Desmond Green took a slow-paced—but convincing—decision over Will Martinez, and Daniel Weichel defeated Matt Bessette, also by decision. Green will face Weichel on May 2 for the tournament title and the right to face featherweight champ Pat Curran.

 

Full Card Results

Main Card

Alexander Shlemenko def. Brennan Ward by submission (guillotine choke), 1:22, Round 2

Daniel Weichel def. Matt Bessette by unanimous decision

Desmond Green def. Will Martinez by unanimous decision

Brett Cooper def. Kendall Grove by KO, 3:33, Round 2 

Preliminary Card

Justin Wilcox def. Jason Fisher by unanimous decision

Bubba Jenkins def. Sean Powers by unanimous decision

Linton Vassell def. Trevor Carlson by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:54, Round 2

Gavin Sterritt def. Mike Estus by submission (guillotine choke), 3:29, Round 1

Joe Rodriguez def. Eric Wahlin by submission (arm-triangle choke), 2:06, Round 2

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 114: Recap and Full Results from Shlemenko vs. Ward

Alexander Shlemenko won his 50th pro MMA bout Friday night with a sudden second-round submission defeat of Brennan Ward to retain his Bellator middleweight title.
A hotly contested first round saw the two men exchange several powerful strikes. Ward lan…

Alexander Shlemenko won his 50th pro MMA bout Friday night with a sudden second-round submission defeat of Brennan Ward to retain his Bellator middleweight title.

A hotly contested first round saw the two men exchange several powerful strikes. Ward landed a couple of takedowns and even tried a few submissions of his own, though he relied more on brute force than technique in their application. Still, it is possible the hyperaggressive Ward took the first round on points in the eyes of some judges and observers.

Early in the second, Ward momentarily left his neck vulnerable, and the veteran Shlemenko capitalized with a lightning-fast guillotine choke. Ward tapped out in a matter of seconds, and the bout was over.

Shlemenko advanced to 50-7 as a pro; Ward drops to 9-2.

Though the main event was a good one, the highlight of the main card may have been Brett Cooper’s stirring victory over Kendall Grove.

In one of the season’s middleweight tournament semifinal matches, the ultra-rangy Grove put Cooper in hot water with a first-round grappling clinic. It nearly saw him submit Cooper several times before finishing with ground-and-pound that might have brought down the curtain if the bell had sounded a few seconds later.

In the second stanza, Cooper placed a right hook perfectly on Grove’s jawline. The UFC veteran fell to the canvas, and Cooper swarmed. Referee John McCarthy gave Grove every opportunity to gather himself, but Grove couldn’t do so and eventually lost consciousness to seal the comeback win for Cooper. 

Also on the main card, four featherweights competed in two tournament semifinal bouts. Desmond Green took a slow-paced—but convincing—decision over Will Martinez, and Daniel Weichel defeated Matt Bessette, also by decision. Green will face Weichel on May 2 for the tournament title and the right to face featherweight champ Pat Curran.

 

Full Card Results

Main Card

Alexander Shlemenko def. Brennan Ward by submission (guillotine choke), 1:22, Round 2

Daniel Weichel def. Matt Bessette by unanimous decision

Desmond Green def. Will Martinez by unanimous decision

Brett Cooper def. Kendall Grove by KO, 3:33, Round 2 

Preliminary Card

Justin Wilcox def. Jason Fisher by unanimous decision

Bubba Jenkins def. Sean Powers by unanimous decision

Linton Vassell def. Trevor Carlson by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:54, Round 2

Gavin Sterritt def. Mike Estus by submission (guillotine choke), 3:29, Round 1

Joe Rodriguez def. Eric Wahlin by submission (arm-triangle choke), 2:06, Round 2

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

C.B. Dollaway Draws Francis Carmont in UFC: Berlin Co-Main Event May 31

C.B. Dollaway is on a mission to break into the top 10 of the middleweight division, and he’s looking for the quickest route possible.
The Ultimate Fighter alum picked up a big wave of momentum last weekend by going down to Brazil and derailing highly …

C.B. Dollaway is on a mission to break into the top 10 of the middleweight division, and he’s looking for the quickest route possible.

The Ultimate Fighter alum picked up a big wave of momentum last weekend by going down to Brazil and derailing highly touted prospect Cezar Ferreira, and less than a week later, “The Doberman” already has his next opponent lined up.

On Friday afternoon, the UFC UK announced via Twitter (per the MMA Fighting Newswire) that the Power MMA fighter will face surging contender Francis Carmont in the co-main event of Fight Night 41 in Berlin on May 31.

The bout will feature a matchup between two of the fastest rising fighters in the 185-pound ranks, with the winner moving in to face the bigger names in the division, while the loser will ultimately be reshuffled in a deck that is becoming increasingly more competitive.

The former Arizona State University wrestling standout has found success in three of his last four showings, with his most recent outing resulting in a stunning upset victory over “Mutante” last Sunday in Natal, Brazil.

His win over the Team Blackzilians fighter marked the second time in 14 months that Dollaway had taken the trip down to South America and knocked off a talented prospect inside the Octagon as he defeated Daniel Sarafian back in January 2013.

His only setback on this stretch came when he was edged out by Tim Boetsch via split decision at UFC 166. While he ultimately took the loss, Dollaway’s performance against “The Barbarian” was still impressive, as he showed marked improvements in his stand-up skills.

The Arizona-based fighter got things back on track in Brazil, and Carmont will be looking to do the same when the Octagon touches down in Berlin this summer. The Tristar fighter recently had an 11-fight winning streak brought to an end when he was defeated by former Strikeforce middleweight champion and current UFC contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza back in February.

Prior to his bout with “The Alligator,” Carmont had been successful in all six of his showings under the UFC banner. That level of success put him on the cusp of breaking through into the next tier of the middleweight division.

However, his setback in Jaragua do Sul ultimately cooled off the momentum he had built. But with things heating up at 185 pounds, both Carmont and Dollaway will have an opportunity to remain active in the hunt for bigger things when they step into the cage on May 31.

 

Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

C.B. Dollaway Draws Francis Carmont in UFC: Berlin Co-Main Event May 31

C.B. Dollaway is on a mission to break into the Top 10 of the middleweight division, and he’s looking for the quickest route possible.
The Ultimate Fighter alum picked up a big wave of momentum last weekend by going down to Brazil and derailing highly …

C.B. Dollaway is on a mission to break into the Top 10 of the middleweight division, and he’s looking for the quickest route possible.

The Ultimate Fighter alum picked up a big wave of momentum last weekend by going down to Brazil and derailing highly touted prospect Cezar Ferreira, and less than a week later, “The Doberman” already has his next opponent lined up.

On Friday afternoon, the UFC UK announced via Twitter (per the MMA Fighting newswire) that the Power MMA fighter will face surging contender Francis Carmont in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin on May 31.

The bout will feature a matchup between two of the fastest-rising fighters in the 185-pound ranks. The winner will move on to face the bigger names in the division, while the loser will be reshuffled into a deck that is becoming increasingly more competitive.

The former Arizona State University wrestling standout has found success in three of his last four showings. His most recent outing resulted in a stunning upset victory over “Mutante” last Sunday in Natal, Brazil.

His win over the Team Blackzilians fighter marked the second time in 14 months that Dollaway had taken the trip down to South America and knocked off a talented prospect inside the Octagon. He defeated Daniel Sarafian back in January 2013.

His only setback on this stretch came when he was edged out by Tim Boetsch via split decision at UFC 166. While he took the loss, Dollaway’s performance against “The Barbarian” was still impressive, as he showed marked improvements in his stand-up skills.

The Arizona-based fighter got things back on track in Brazil, and Carmont will be looking to do the same when the Octagon touches down in Berlin this summer. The Tristar fighter recently had an 11-fight winning streak brought to an end when former Strikeforce middleweight champion and current UFC contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza defeated him back in February.

Prior to his bout with “The Alligator,” Carmont had been successful in all six of his showings under the UFC banner. That level of success put him on the cusp of breaking through into the next tier of the middleweight division.

However, his setback in Jaragua do Sul cooled off the momentum he had built. But with things heating up at 185 pounds, both Carmont and Dollaway will have an opportunity to remain active in the hunt for bigger things when they step into the cage on May 31.

 

Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 173: Making the Best of a Bad Situation with Matchmaking Wizardry

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has three annual cornerstone events, all held in Las Vegas: fight cards in May, July and the end of December.
All three are centered on popular Las Vegas vacation dates. The May card is held on Memorial Day weekend. T…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has three annual cornerstone events, all held in Las Vegas: fight cards in May, July and the end of December.

All three are centered on popular Las Vegas vacation dates. The May card is held on Memorial Day weekend. The July event takes place during Fourth of July week and is coupled with the UFC’s version of WrestleMania. International Fight Week features a Fan Expo and other fan-centered events, and it is designed as the ultimate destination event for hardcore UFC fans.

The December card takes place as close to the final weekend of each year and is traditionally known as the UFC’s end-of-year event.

Publicly, the UFC will tell you it doesn’t favor any one event over another. This stance is understandable; you don’t want fans in other cities around the globe feeling slighted.

But take one glance at prior main events for these cards, and you’ll see they hold a special place in the UFC’s increasingly busy events schedule.

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (and the subsequent rematch). Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2. Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez. Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem. Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans.

All were considered big fights, and all were featured in May, July or December.

Which is why, given the circumstances, I’m impressed with the work the UFC has done in rescuing this year’s version of the Memorial Day card, UFC 173.

You know the back story, but here’s a brief primer: Vitor Belfort was supposed to fight Chris Weidman, but then the Nevada Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy. As a result, Belfort pulled out of the fight and was replaced by Lyoto Machida. But then Weidman suffered a minor injury, and the fight was moved to UFC 175 in July, which left UFC 173 with a non-appealing main event of Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic.

UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby quickly went to work. On Thursday night, the promotion announced that Renan Barao will defend his bantamweight title against T.J. Dillashaw. Fan response was lackluster, as Barao—despite being one of the best fighters in the world and an absolute joy to watch in the Octagon—isn’t exactly a big draw.

But then Friday rolled around, and the promotion announced a welterweight bout between Jake Ellenberger and Robbie Lawler, per MMA Junkie. Ellenberger was scheduled to face Tarec Saffiedine at UFC 172 in April, but the Belgian suffered an injury. Ellenberger was quickly matched with Lawler, who is coming off a career-best performance in a title-fight loss to Johny Hendricks earlier this month.

And just like that, a card that appeared to be one of the UFC’s weakest offerings in recent memory is now, at the very least, moderately interesting.

Barao vs. Dillashaw. Dos Santos vs. Miocic. Ellenberger vs. Lawler. Mizugaki vs. Rivera. Varner vs. Krause. On paper, it isn’t the best card of all time. Not by a long shot.

But given where things stood just 24 hours ago, I’d say we must give kudos to Silva, Shelby and Dana White for taking a card that appeared dead in the water and making it something worth looking forward to.

Dillashaw will have a tough time against Barao, but the Team Alpha Male product is tough and progressing quickly in all facets of the fight game. Dos Santos vs. Miocic could represent a chance for the former heavyweight champion to take a step back into title contention, or it could be the night Miocic leaps from prospect to serious heavyweight threat. And Ellenberger vs. Lawler has all the makings of a violent fight that will end with someone lying unconscious on the canvas.

Matchmaking is not simple. It is easy for us to sit at home and discuss which fights the UFC should or should not make, but we do not take into account contractual situations, injuries and scheduling. In reality, the business of matchmaking is far more difficult than Silva and Shelby make it appear. 

It won’t be the biggest event of the UFC’s calendar year. But UFC 173 is yet another example of the matchmaking team thinking on their feet, moving pieces around and trying to create the best cards possible for UFC fans in attendance.

At the end of the day, how much more can we ask?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 173: Making the Best of a Bad Situation with Matchmaking Wizardry

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has three annual cornerstone events, all held in Las Vegas: fight cards in May, July and the end of December.
All three are centered on popular Las Vegas vacation dates. The May card is held on Memorial Day weekend. T…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has three annual cornerstone events, all held in Las Vegas: fight cards in May, July and the end of December.

All three are centered on popular Las Vegas vacation dates. The May card is held on Memorial Day weekend. The July event takes place during Fourth of July week and is coupled with the UFC’s version of WrestleMania. International Fight Week features a Fan Expo and other fan-centered events, and it is designed as the ultimate destination event for hardcore UFC fans.

The December card takes place as close to the final weekend of each year and is traditionally known as the UFC’s end-of-year event.

Publicly, the UFC will tell you it doesn’t favor any one event over another. This stance is understandable; you don’t want fans in other cities around the globe feeling slighted.

But take one glance at prior main events for these cards, and you’ll see they hold a special place in the UFC’s increasingly busy events schedule.

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (and the subsequent rematch). Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2. Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez. Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem. Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans.

All were considered big fights, and all were featured in May, July or December.

Which is why, given the circumstances, I’m impressed with the work the UFC has done in rescuing this year’s version of the Memorial Day card, UFC 173.

You know the back story, but here’s a brief primer: Vitor Belfort was supposed to fight Chris Weidman, but then the Nevada Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy. As a result, Belfort pulled out of the fight and was replaced by Lyoto Machida. But then Weidman suffered a minor injury, and the fight was moved to UFC 175 in July, which left UFC 173 with a non-appealing main event of Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic.

UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby quickly went to work. On Thursday night, the promotion announced that Renan Barao will defend his bantamweight title against T.J. Dillashaw. Fan response was lackluster, as Barao—despite being one of the best fighters in the world and an absolute joy to watch in the Octagon—isn’t exactly a big draw.

But then Friday rolled around, and the promotion announced a welterweight bout between Jake Ellenberger and Robbie Lawler, per MMA Junkie. Ellenberger was scheduled to face Tarec Saffiedine at UFC 172 in April, but the Belgian suffered an injury. Ellenberger was quickly matched with Lawler, who is coming off a career-best performance in a title-fight loss to Johny Hendricks earlier this month.

And just like that, a card that appeared to be one of the UFC’s weakest offerings in recent memory is now, at the very least, moderately interesting.

Barao vs. Dillashaw. Dos Santos vs. Miocic. Ellenberger vs. Lawler. Mizugaki vs. Rivera. Varner vs. Krause. On paper, it isn’t the best card of all time. Not by a long shot.

But given where things stood just 24 hours ago, I’d say we must give kudos to Silva, Shelby and Dana White for taking a card that appeared dead in the water and making it something worth looking forward to.

Dillashaw will have a tough time against Barao, but the Team Alpha Male product is tough and progressing quickly in all facets of the fight game. Dos Santos vs. Miocic could represent a chance for the former heavyweight champion to take a step back into title contention, or it could be the night Miocic leaps from prospect to serious heavyweight threat. And Ellenberger vs. Lawler has all the makings of a violent fight that will end with someone lying unconscious on the canvas.

Matchmaking is not simple. It is easy for us to sit at home and discuss which fights the UFC should or should not make, but we do not take into account contractual situations, injuries and scheduling. In reality, the business of matchmaking is far more difficult than Silva and Shelby make it appear. 

It won’t be the biggest event of the UFC’s calendar year. But UFC 173 is yet another example of the matchmaking team thinking on their feet, moving pieces around and trying to create the best cards possible for UFC fans in attendance.

At the end of the day, how much more can we ask?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com