If we needed any more proof that Michael Chandler deserves to be mentioned among the world’s best 155’ers, we got it last night at Bellator 85 in Irvine, California, when the reigning Bellator lightweight champion made decorated judoka Rick Hawn look like it was his first time on the mats. Chandler completed his takedowns with impressive ease, and when he saw an opportunity to take Hawn’s neck during a scramble in round two, he seized on it, sinking a rear-naked choke and showcasing the killer instinct that has now become a hallmark of Chandler’s game. To be honest, it wasn’t much of a fight, and this season’s lightweight tournament field doesn’t suggest that his next challenger will make things any harder for him. On the bright side, Chandler may have just established himself as Bellator’s greatest home-grown fighter — a budding superstar for the promotion’s new Spike TV era.
While Michael Chandler made his title defense with little resistance, reigning featherweight champion Pat Curran faced a much trickier test in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Their title fight (which led off the Spike TV broadcast) played out as a 25-minute kickboxing match, which started slow but built into an entertaining and evenly-pitched battle. Curran’s striking was just a little more active and accurate, however, and if you were judging on facial damage through the fight, Pitbull’s swollen-shut right eye and bloodied mouth didn’t exactly scream “winner.” When the scores were announced, “Judo” Gene LeBell saw it for the challenger, but the other two judges made the right call in awarding the win to the defending champ.
In addition to the two title fights, Bellator 85’s main card also featured a pair of light-heavyweight tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, those UFC castoffs we mentioned yesterday are well on their way to becoming Bellator castoffs as well, as Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli were steamrolled by their lesser-known competitors. Russian M-1 Challenge vet Mikhail Zayats stunned Sobral with a spinning-backfist near the end of the first round of their fight, then swarmed him to the canvas and fired down punches until the fight was stopped. (Eddie Alvarez’s wife called that shit, you guys.)
If we needed any more proof that Michael Chandler deserves to be mentioned among the world’s best 155′ers, we got it last night at Bellator 85 in Irvine, California, when the reigning Bellator lightweight champion made decorated judoka Rick Hawn look like it was his first time on the mats. Chandler completed his takedowns with impressive ease, and when he saw an opportunity to take Hawn’s neck during a scramble in round two, he seized on it, sinking a rear-naked choke and showcasing the killer instinct that has now become a hallmark of Chandler’s game. To be honest, it wasn’t much of a fight, and this season’s lightweight tournament field doesn’t suggest that his next challenger will make things any harder for him. On the bright side, Chandler may have just established himself as Bellator’s greatest home-grown fighter — a budding superstar for the promotion’s new Spike TV era.
While Michael Chandler made his title defense with little resistance, reigning featherweight champion Pat Curran faced a much trickier test in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Their title fight (which led off the Spike TV broadcast) played out as a 25-minute kickboxing match, which started slow but built into an entertaining and evenly-pitched battle. Curran’s striking was just a little more active and accurate, however, and if you were judging on facial damage through the fight, Pitbull’s swollen-shut right eye and bloodied mouth didn’t exactly scream “winner.” When the scores were announced, “Judo” Gene LeBell saw it for the challenger, but the other two judges made the right call in awarding the win to the defending champ.
In addition to the two title fights, Bellator 85′s main card also featured a pair of light-heavyweight tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, those UFC castoffs we mentioned yesterday are well on their way to becoming Bellator castoffs as well, as Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli were steamrolled by their lesser-known competitors. Russian M-1 Challenge vet Mikhail Zayats stunned Sobral with a spinning-backfist near the end of the first round of their fight, then swarmed him to the canvas and fired down punches until the fight was stopped. (Eddie Alvarez’s wife called that shit, you guys.)
It was an unexpected finish, but not nearly as strange as Petruzelli’s anti-climactic showing against Jacob Noe, in which the Silverback blew out his knee during a takedown attempt midway through the first round, and immediately turtled up as Noe ground-and-pounded the crap out of him. Ah well. We still have King Mo, right?
In prelim action, Emanuel Newton advanced in the LHW tournament bracket by choking out Atanas Djambazov, and UFC vet Jason Lambert pulled off a slick first-round armbar against Hector Ramirez in a non-tourney bout. Plus, Savant Young ended Mike Guymon’s brief lightweight comeback in violent fashion, and Jamie Yager indeed got his ass kicked. Hooray! Full results from Bellator 85 are below…
Main Card
– Michael Chandler def. Rick Hawn via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:07 of round 2
– Jacob Noe def. Seth Petruzelli via TKO, 2:51 of round 1
– Mikhail Zayats def. Renato Sobral via TKO, 4:49 of round 1
– Pat Curran def. Patricio Freire via split-decision (48-47 x 2, 47-48)
Preliminary Card
– Aaron Miller def. Joe Camacho via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
– Jason Lambert def. Hector Ramirez via submission (inverted straight armbar), 3:59 of round 1
– J.J. Ambrose def. Brian Warren via submission (guillotine), 0:50 of round 2
– Emanuel Newton def. Atanas Djambazov via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:21 of round 2
– Savant Young def. Mike Guymon via KO, 0:48 of round 2
– Joe Williams def. Jamie Yager via TKO, 4:02 of round 1
– Cleber Luciano def. Mario Navarro via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Ron Sparks (8-0) continued his rise towards relevancy with an 84-second knockout of Mark Holata. Sparks also happens to be one of those dudes with his own last name tattooed on his stomach, but we won’t hold it against him. Speaking of stoppages, Blagoi Ivanov (5-0, 1 no contest) also kept his unbeaten record, smashing Zak Jensen standing then putting him to a sleep in the second round with a guillotine choke.
Ron Sparks (8-0) continued his rise towards relevancy with an 84-second knockout of Mark Holata. Sparks also happens to be one of those dudes with his own last name tattooed on his stomach, but we won’t hold it against him. Speaking of stoppages, Blagoi Ivanov (5-0, 1 no contest) also kept his unbeaten record, smashing Zak Jensen standing then putting him to a sleep in the second round with a guillotine choke.
Things didn’t fare any better for the other TUF 10 vet on the card, Abe Wagner, who lost two out of three rounds to an increasingly beet-red Eric Prindle (8-1). And in the night’s biggest upset, Neil Grove — the runner-up in Bellator’s previous heavyweight tournament — got outworked by Mike “300″ Hayes (16-4-1) en route to a split decision loss. Complete Bellator 52 results are below…
MAIN CARD
– Mike Hayes def. Neil Grove via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29, 29-28)
– Blagoi Ivanov def. Zak Jensen via technical submission (guillotine choke), 2:35 of round 2
– Eric Prindle def. Abe Wagner via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Ron Sparks def. Mark Holata via KO, 1:24 of round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD
– Genair da Silva def. Bryan Goldsby via submission (brabo choke), 3:51 of round 1
– Josh Quayhagen def. Cosmo Alexandre via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Justin Frazier def. Liron Wilson via TKO, 1:50 of round 1
– Matt Van Buren defeated Nick Nichols via TKO, 2:29 of round 2
(Chris Lozano jacks Brent Weedman with an uppercut during their three-rounder at Caesars Atlantic City. Photo via Bellator)
Bellator’s fifth season kicked off last night, featuring the quarterfinals of their latest welterweight tournament. Still undefeated since his release from the UFC last year, Ben Saunders grabbed his second Bellator victory — and a spot in the semi-finals — in classic “Killa B” fashion, abusing Chris Cisneros for two rounds before ending the bout early in the third frame with a storm of knees from his infamous Thai clinch. Former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima also impressed in his promotional debut, winning a unanimous decision over Steve Carl.
On a less-triumphant note, former Bellator standouts Chris Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle ate their second-consecutive losses at the event. Weedman, who ran through his first four opponents under the Bellator banner before getting outpointed by Jay Hieron at the Season 4 Welterweight Finals, fell short once again against Chris Lozano. Weedman took the first round easily on the strength of a knockdown and a slam-takedown, but Lozano controlled the next ten minutes and won a unanimous nod from the judges. Earlier in the evening, Dan Hornbuckle was thoroughly handled by season Brazilian vet Luis “Sapo” Santos.
(Chris Lozano jacks Brent Weedman with an uppercut during their three-rounder at Caesars Atlantic City. Photo via Bellator)
Bellator’s fifth season kicked off last night, featuring the quarterfinals of their latest welterweight tournament. Still undefeated since his release from the UFC last year, Ben Saunders grabbed his second Bellator victory — and a spot in the semi-finals — in classic “Killa B” fashion, abusing Chris Cisneros for two rounds before ending the bout early in the third frame with a storm of knees from his infamous Thai clinch. Former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima also impressed in his promotional debut, winning a unanimous decision over Steve Carl.
On a less-triumphant note, former Bellator standouts Chris Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle ate their second-consecutive losses at the event. Weedman, who ran through his first four opponents under the Bellator banner before getting outpointed by Jay Hieron at the Season 4 Welterweight Finals, fell short once again against Chris Lozano. Weedman took the first round easily on the strength of a knockdown and a slam-takedown, but Lozano controlled the next ten minutes and won a unanimous nod from the judges. Earlier in the evening, Dan Hornbuckle was thoroughly handled by season Brazilian vet Luis “Sapo” Santos.
Spike.com’s broadcast of the prelims turned out to be a crowd-pleasing affair, as all five local feature fights ended by stoppage. Full Bellator 49 results are below.
Main Card (Season 5 Welterweight Quarterfinals)
– Chris Lozano def. Brent Weedman via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Ben Saunders def. Chris Cisneros via TKO, 0:29 of round 3
– Luis Santos vs. def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Douglas Lima def. Steve Carl via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
Spike.com Prelims
– Alexandre Bezerra def. Scott Heckman via TKO, 1:38 of round 2
– Giedrius Karavackas def. LeVon Maynard via TKO, 1:32 of round 3
– Joel Roberts def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via technical submission (triangle choke), 1:47 of round 2
– Lester Caslow def. James Jones via TKO (injury), 0:15 of round 2
– Azunna Anyanwu def. J.A. Dudley via TKO, 4:16 of round 2
Honorary CagePotato Fight Team captain Jefferey “KarmaAteMyCat” Watts has snagged a press credential to the event, and will be representing us on press row this evening, hopefully wearing some killer tights. Assuming the Mohegan Sun has a solid Internet connection, Jeff will be sharing his observations during the show, after the jump. It’s not a “liveblog,” so much as a casual chat among friends. So follow along if you’re watching the fights, let us know your thoughts, and remember to refresh the page once in a while. Thanks for being here.
(Pat Curran’s Peruvian necktie submission of Luis Palomino at Bellator 46, 6/25/11.)
Honorary CagePotato Fight Team captain Jefferey “KarmaAteMyCat” Watts has snagged a press credential to the event, and will be representing us on press row this evening, hopefully wearing some killer tights. Assuming the Mohegan Sun has a solid Internet connection, Jeff will be sharing his observations during the show, after the jump. It’s not a “liveblog,” so much as a casual chat among friends. So follow along if you’re watching the fights, let us know your thoughts, and remember to refresh the page once in a while. Thanks for being here.
Hey there Potatonation we’re in the middle of a very heated and very even match up involving Tateki Matsuda 6-2/Saul Almeida 9-1. The first round was a banger with Saul and Tateki exchanging blows early on, eventually it went to the ground with what seemed to be Saul getting hit by a hard right and looking for a take down. Saul’s jujitsu seems to be the story of the end of the first round the majority of the second with Saul taking Tateki’s back for the majority of the round and controlling him.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that Tateki’s submission defense might even be the real story in this fight. Early on in the third round Saul Almeida hits a solid double leg against the cage putting Tateki on his back for a third time in this fight controlling him , Saul seems to be looking for a mounted Guillotine but once again Tateki’s solid submission defense prevents Saul from finishing the fight. Tateki lands a successful sweep and is now controlling Saul from side control, and another switch with Saul taking Tateki’s back yet again in this fight. It just doesn’t seem that Tateki has any answer for Saul’s wrestling whatsoever, the fight is going to the judges and even though this fight wasn’t finished by either opponent I can see this going to Saul Almeida but we’ll have to see what the judges think. What a war these two just had, two fighters both very young and very hungry. (Judges:Peter Rodgers:30- 27, Jon Bilynk 28-29, Cardo Urso 30-27 ) WINNER VIA UD: Saul Almeida
The second fight of the night is a couple local fighters Brett Oteri fighting out of Taunton, MA and Ryan Quinn from Danbury,Ct. This one starts off with Oteri looking throw some bows but quinn wants none of it and goes for a takedown, He seems to have some real sick Jujitsu as he easily takes Oteri’s back and sinks in a RNC, Oteri however refuses to tap just as he goes out Big Dan stops the bought with a technical submission 1:48 seconds into the fight. Winner: Ryan Quinn Via RNC
Main Card
RD1:Juan Barrantes and Nazare come out swinging and it seems that Nazare is getting the better of the stand up as he is landing blow after blow. Juan trys to go body head but finds himself getting taken down for his efforts, Nazare seems to have a solid ground game working the body and controlling Juan pushing him against the cage, Juan seems to be bleeding from under one of his eyes. Nazare attempts a mounted guillotine right as the bell goes off.
Rd2: Juan just doesn’t seem to want any of the stand up that Nazare is bringing to the table, however Juan seems to land a solid right of his own back peddling away from Nazare. Nazare lands a solid takedown and Juan is on his back again, Nazare transitions to half guard. Juan just doesn’t seem to have any answer for the wrestling from Nazare which just seems phenomenal. Nazare has bruised and bloodied Juans face at this point I’m thinking someones going home with sunglasses after this fight! Juan manages to get to his feet and Nazare presses him against the cage in a clinch like position, I hate to sound like a broken record but this kids wrestling is either REALLY good or Juans wrestling is nonexistent. Round two ends the same as round one Nazare in complete control.
During the break the Ref called the doctor in to examine Juans Bloodied up right eye and the doctor stopped the fight. Winner Via Doctor Stoppage: Nazare!
(I wanna take this time to Note that Juan Barrantes deserves all the credit in the world for what he does. He teaches Martial Arts to at risk teens and homeless teens that makes him a bad ass guy in my book! He will be graduating from College this year with a degree in Psychology he commits his life to making a difference in others lives which is just outstanding. Congratulation and best wishes to Juan in his future en devours we can’t wait to see you fight again.)
Ricco Rodriguez and Seth Petruzelli are up next, both look in amazing shape as they come out to the cage. I am told that Seth weighed in last night with a Jujitsu Gi on how crazy is that? Seth claims to be honored to fight Ricco because he was a Legend in the sport when Seth was just getting started. Awww you gotta love the bro Love.
Rd1: Both fighters come out and touch gloves a show of Mutual respect. Ricco throws a body kick and Seth just seems to be measuring up his much larger opponent Seth lands a shot right into Ricco’s groin, after a minute or so the two are back at it exchanging blows. Ricco throws a leg kick which is in turn lands him on his back as Seth catches it. Their both back to their feet quickly exchanging blows, Seth lands a solid right on Ricco’s jaw and I think Ricco just gave him a look as to say is that it? Ricco pushes Seth against the Cage controlling him, Seth breaks off the cage and they both throw some blows. Ricco throws a punch, Seth counters with a hard right. They both exchange High Fives, as seth throws a spinning back kick twice over, Oh SHIT Seth Lands a hard right on Ricco’s jaw and is going to town on his face, Ricco goes Limp and Big Dan stops the fights! Holy shit Seth Petruzelli has knocked out Ricco Rodriguez. Winner Via KO: Seth Petruzelli
Paul Buentello and Cole Konrad are up and neither are looking in the best of the shape I’ll have to give this one beauty contest to Konrad for the entourage of Pat Barry and company.
RD1: The first round starts of with Konrad throwing his Jab out there a lot and it just seems to be the story of this round. Neither Konrad or Buentello seem to be interested in taking this fight to the ground, the Fans are going insane you should hear some of the crazy shit their saying but since you can’t I’ll hook you up “Come on Muffin top at least hug him”, “Come on Fight or go home” this has to be the first time I’ve heard fans boo a stand up Play day in my entire time of watching MMA, I’d love to complain but who can blame them honestly.
RD2: It’s the same thing all over again as the two men just aren’t interested in doing anything but throwing bows, I suppose I should say Cole Konrad is throwing Bows. Theres a few Flurrys in there but for the most part both fighters make no effort to showcase their ground game, Perhaps Buentello thinks if he runs in circles Konrad will get tired and give up?
RD3: Both men come out measuring one another up again looking for that one mighty blow that might help them defeat the other. Konrad throws a couple jabs out there and pushes Buentello against the cage a little, a Hard right from Konrad sends Buentello rolling backwards. Konrad is running in and takes his back, he seems to be going for a RNC I think he’s having problems fitting his arms around Buentello’s neck. He’s laying on a little bit of GNP as he takes Buentello’s half guard. He seems to be trying to take mount but settles for side Control. The crowd is Booing and chanting “Stand them up” and they get their wish as Big Dan stand them up, Just as he does Dan stops the clock to fix Konrads tape on his gloves. Buentello seems to wanna exchange now that theres thirty seconds left on the clock but this ones going to the judges. Winner VIA Unanimous Decision: Cole Konrad(Cardo Urso 28-29, Jon Blyk 27-30,Pat Avery 27-30)
Marlon Sandro and Pat Curran are up! Bellator Featherweight Tournament finals are LIVE WITH ME!
RD1:Both men make their way to the center of the cage Sandro throws and over hand right with bad intentions written all over it and Curran avoids it. Sandro with a sick leg kick heard clear cross the arena Curran seems to be measuring his opponent up. An accidental leg kick to the groin has the ref intervene for a moment and their back at it again Curran seems to be getting a little bullied here he’s backing up and being pushed against the cage. Did I mention that the MMA Fans here are Insanely Intoxicated and you can hear everything their saying as clear as day. “Kick his ass from the left side of the stands” as Sandro’s corner gives him instructions you hear a guy in the crowd shout “Listen to him” This is the quietest this crowd has been all night honestly. It’s almost as if MOST of them understand this fight could be over in a moments Notice. It’s the final minute of round one and this is a very close round I think you may have to give round one to Sandro he’s thrown more landed blows and he’s throwing blows. The first round ends with Sandro attempting a single leg and Curran sprawling the ref jumps in just as Sandro jumps to his feet in his fighting stand and we’re onto ROUND 2.
RD2: Both men meet back up in the center of the cage and exchange some shots. The silence from the crowd only adds to the intensity of the fight, for those of you who have been to a live fight you know what I mean. Oh Sandro lands a grazing left hook and Curran throws a right hand both men are obviously not afraid to drop bombs and eat them as well. Curran pushes Sandro against the cage into a clinch but Sandro fights it off and their back to the center of the cage. Left hook from pat and Sandro slips it moves forward and throws a one, two combination of his own followed by another one two combination finished by a left hook. Pat Curran looks cut under or around his left eye and the river runs red tonight Potato Nation, a super man punch follower by a straight right and Curran is backing up! Holy shit Curran catches Sandro with a round house kick ALL SHIN ALL DAY TO THE FACE and finishes the fight with some nasty GNP!! HOLY SHIT PAT CURRAN HAS DONE what Sandro has done to many others. WINNER: KO SHIN2THEFACE PAT CURRAN!
I’ll have a bunch of videos up tomorrow hopefully. My first live event coverage I had a blast Bellator was awesome to all of us in the Media. they truly are a class act.
The last event of Bellator’s fourth season went down last night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, featuring the finals of the light-heavyweight and featherweight tournaments. Christian M’Pumbu earned his way to the LHW finals by knocking out Chris Davis and Tim Carpenter, and it was business as usual against co-finalist Richard Hale. M’Pumbu dropped Hale once in the first round, but was unable to finish him with a D’arce choke. The Congolese-French standout didn’t make the same mistake twice; after scoring another knockdown in the third, M’Pumbu threw down leather until the ref was forced to stop the fight, picking up a $100,000 check and the title of Bellator’s first-ever light-heavyweight champion.
In the featherweight final, Patricio Freire edged out Daniel Straus to a unanimous decision, earning a rematch with champion Joe Warren, who he lost a split decision to last June. Full Bellator 45 results are after the jump…
The last event of Bellator’s fourth season went down last night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, featuring the finals of the light-heavyweight and featherweight tournaments. Christian M’Pumbu earned his way to the LHW finals by knocking out Chris Davis and Tim Carpenter, and it was business as usual against co-finalist Richard Hale. M’Pumbu dropped Hale once in the first round, but was unable to finish him with a D’arce choke. The Congolese-French standout didn’t make the same mistake twice; after scoring another knockdown in the third, M’Pumbu threw down leather until the ref was forced to stop the fight, picking up a $100,000 check and the title of Bellator’s first-ever light-heavyweight champion.
In the featherweight final, Patricio Freire edged out Daniel Straus to a unanimous decision, earning a rematch with champion Joe Warren, who he lost a split decision to last June. Full Bellator 45 results are after the jump…
MAIN CARD RESULTS
– Christian M’Pumbu def. Richard Hale via TKO, 4:17 of round 3
– Patricio Freire def. Daniel Straus via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
– Sam Alvey def. Karl Amoussou via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Shawn Jordan def. John Hill via TKO, 1:56 of round 1
– Luis “Sapo” Santos def. Nicolae Cury via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Tim Ruberg def. Mike Fleniken via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Rene Nazare def. Kelvin Hackney via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:46 of round 1
– Joseph Abercrombie def. Ben Parpart via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:11 of round 1
Filed under: Bellator, ResultsMMA Fighting has Bellator results of the promotion’s light heavyweight quarterfinals on March 26 at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MIss.
The four tournament winners Saturday will advance to the semifinals to continu…
MMA Fighting has Bellator results of the promotion’s light heavyweight quarterfinals on March 26 at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MIss.
The four tournament winners Saturday will advance to the semifinals to continue on the path towards $100,000 and the right to be crowned the first Bellator light heavyweight champion.
MMA Fighting has Bellator results of the promotion’s light heavyweight quarterfinals on March 26 at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Tunica, MIss.