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Bellator 74 On-the-Scene Report: MMA’s Scrappy #2 Tries Its Luck in Atlantic City

(Bellator 74 video highlights, via YouTube.com/BellatorMMA)

By Sean Cunningham

Pride Fighting Championships. International Fight League. Affliction. M-1 Global. As each rival organization has been gobbled up or at least driven from American shores, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has inched closer to ensuring that in this land, “MMA” means “UFC.” The only thing standing between them and total North American domination is Bellator Fighting Championships. Bellator currently airs fights on MTV2 and in 2013 will shift to Spike TV, the cable network where the UFC dwelled before leaving for plush new Fox Network accommodations. With the UFC going through some growing pains — witness the cancellation of UFC 151 and UFC President Dana White calling his most promising star’s trainer a “sport killer” — it seems a perfect time to check in on the competition.

My girlfriend Maggie and I attended Bellator 74 at Caesars in Atlantic City. In general, Bellator treads a less-glamorous path than their rival, with upcoming events at Hammond, Indiana; Windsor, Ontario; Reading, Pennsylvania; Dayton, Ohio; and Rama, Ontario, while the UFC journeys to Minneapolis, Seattle, and Montreal and leaves the continent entirely for Rio de Janeiro and Macau. Atlantic City is common ground for both promotions, with Bellator holding multiple events there yearly and the UFC having returned in June after a seven-year absence. (Incidentally, with the rise of gambling in neighboring states causing local gaming revenue to plummet from $5.2 billion in 2006 to $3.3 billion in 2011, A.C. needs every MMA event possible.)

Growing up in Nevada and New Jersey, I attended a good number of casino fights. (It was a deeply wholesome childhood, filled with apple picking, fireflies, and demanding that the cocktail waitress bring me a Long Island iced tea while the dice were still hot.) The fights were divided into two categories: mega-bouts and ballroom events. Bellator 74 was a ballroom event, meaning a ring was assembled in the middle of a ballroom, chairs were put around the ring, and there you are.

(Bellator 74 video highlights, via YouTube.com/BellatorMMA)

By Sean Cunningham

The downside to a ballroom fight is that you lose the buzz created when a headliner is announced and walks through the arena to the ring, since in a ballroom the distance between the entrance and the fighter is maybe 15 feet, so as soon as he appears, he’s there. (Also, it’s disorienting to see video of the fighters waiting in the “locker room” and realize it’s basically a meeting room with some towels.) The draw of the ballroom event is the intimacy: You feel like you can reach out and touch the fighters because in a good percentage of the seats, you can.

Bellator is a classic ballroom event in the sense it’s about a system, not star power. (General casino fight rule: the Tysons of the world ain’t in ballrooms.) Bellator 74 hosted the Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinals, meaning you saw eight top fighters in action for a shot at the title. Even if you didn’t know their names — and yes, there may be a few people unfamiliar with the career of Nordine Taleb — you still get to experience the crème de la crème of a weight class in an evening.

How was this crème? Here are my notes after watching Andrey Koreshkov vs. Jordan Smith, Michail Tsarev vs. Tim Welch, Marius Zaromskis vs. Nordine Taleb, and Lyman Good vs. Jim Wallhead:

-Upon looking at the card, Maggie immediately said: “They’re all Rocky IV!” Indeed, each fight followed the pattern of the American Rocky vs. the foreign Drago: two against Russians, one against a Brit, and, most provocatively of all, one versus a French-Canadian.

-Turns out one of the fights was a little more complicated than Rocky IV. While listed out of San Jose, Marius Zaromskis was actually born in Lithuania in the former Soviet Union, meaning it’s like if Drago emigrated to the United States, then fought…himself?

-Three of the four fights went the distance, with Koreshkov, Zaromskis, and Good each winning their fights on points. Tsarev submitted Welch in the second. Yes, this does mean the semis could potentially feature two additional IVs.

-Bellator’s big challenge from having so many Russian fighters? Americans will gladly embrace athletes from other lands, but we like them to speak our language. (Witness Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic in tennis.) Based on the pre-fight videos and post-fight interviews, Koreshkov and Tsarev don’t yet even attempt English. Chuck Liddell‘s ability to schmooze on ESPN prior to bouts helped bring the UFC attention at a point when they still needed it; these laid-back promotional moments are infinitely trickier when a translator’s involved.

-Speaking of Liddell, he would have been proud to see Lyman Good vs. Jim Wallhead, in which each fighter boasted a mohawk. (Technically, Wallhead may have had a fauxhawk; regardless, I think the Iceman would be touched.)

-Of the four winners, Michail Tsarev struck me as the most impressive fighter, entering the ring with a career record of 23-2 and nearly submitting Tim Welch in the first before finishing it in round two.

-Sticking with that submission, Tim Welch is a proudly Irish fighter, complete with shamrock tattoo. Watching him, I was reminded that we Irishmen need to avoid being brutally choked, because when denied oxygen we turn comically red. Also, eventually, we die.

-Michail Tsarev has one of the most unusual nicknames ever for a fighter: the Lonely Wolf. While “Lone Wolf” is hardly original and undeniably bad-ass, somehow adding that “ly” makes it take on a unique, morose quality. When he learns English, I hope he follows every victory by taking the mic and announcing, “I’m so lonely”, then silently weeping for a few minutes.

-Best Ring Girl: Maggie and I both went Mercedes. (No offense, Jade.)

-Biggest Potential Crowd-Pleaser: Marius Zaromskis. He speaks English fluently, makes a point of going for knockouts (in his pre-fight video he discussed the joys of kicking people in the head), and after a win does backflips. He does a lot of backflips, performing one for every side of room and repeating them until he sticks the landing to his satisfaction. Seriously, he may have used more energy on this than the actual fight.

-Most Helpful Heckle: During the Marius Zaromskis-Nordine Taleb fight, one attendee who was not pulling for Montreal’s Nordine yelled, “Hit the Frenchman!” (Sure enough, almost immediately grasping the wisdom in this strategy, Zaromskis did so.)

-Biggest Crowd Favorite: Lyman Good. To the surprise of no one, the former titleholder who fights out of New York and likes to mix it up drew the most fan support.

-Worst Evening: Many a fighter can find consolation after a tough loss by telling himself, “I didn’t win tonight, but at least no one crushed my testicles.” Not the U.K.’s Jim Wallhead. With just seconds left, Lyman Good charged in to close the night with a bang. Unfortunately, for the second time in the fight, he connected with Wallhead’s bangers and mash. Good had a point deducted but was so far ahead on the scorecards it didn’t matter, meaning all that was left was for Wallhead to recover enough for them to run out the clock. So everyone patiently waited as an obviously suffering Wallhead hobbled around the ring on his hands and feet, hoping at some point he would again be capable of standing upright. At last he rose, the clock ran out, and Wallhead left the ballroom, presumably to find the gypsy and ask her to remove the curse.

And that was my night of Bellator. Will it challenge the UFC for American supremacy any time soon? Seems unlikely, but it should stick around longer than the I.F.L. As noted, Bellator appears on basic cable and plays cities often neglected by the UFC — in the case of Rama, Ontario, they reached a place I wasn’t aware existed — so if you enjoy the tournament approach and feel there haven’t been enough back-flipping emigres and punched Frenchmen in your life recently, you know where to go.

Bellator 72 Recap: Amoussou Takes Tournament, Zaromskis vs. Spiritwolf Finally Ends Without Controversy

Yes, the headline is 100% accurate. Perhaps the third time really is a charm, as Marius Zaromskis and Wachiim Spiritwolf finally had a fight last night that didn’t end with an eye poke just seconds into the fight or a highly questionable stoppage. We know, we’re just as excited as you are.

But first, let’s go over the tournament bouts. In the evening’s main event, judo black belt Karl Amoussou made quick work of Jackson MMA’s Bryan “The Beast” Baker. After an early accidental eye poke from Baker, the two traded blows throughout the opening frame. Then, after a failed Super Kick^TMfrom Baker, Amoussou locked in a nasty heel hook that earned the submission just fifty six seconds into the bout. Seriously, that’s how this one ended. Take a look:

Amoussou will now face Ben Askren for the welterweight title. Given his judo background, he may be able to keep “Funky” Ben from lying on top of him for five rounds. Just don’t count on it – we’ve probably said this before about one of Askren’s foes.

In the co-main event, Rudy “Bad News” Bears certainly lived up to his nickname, providing Bellator newcomer Paul “Semtex” Daley with a durable punching bag for two minutes and forty five seconds. The former UFC/Strikeforce contender was never really in danger while outstriking Bears, ending the fight with vicious knees before delivering a nasty left hook. Daley will be in the Season Seven Welterweight Tournament starting in September, while Rudy Bears drops to 14-11, going 1-4 in his last five outings.

In light-heavyweight tournament action, Attila Vegh managed to outstrike Emanuel Newton en route to a split decision victory. Newton managed to find success with body kicks and a suplex in the third round, but Vegh managed to stay on his feet and land combinations throughout the bout. The victory makes it seven in a row for Vegh. Also, Travis Wiuff managed to take Tim Carpenter down early and often en route to a unanimous decision victory. Wiuff sometimes can fight like the Jon Fitch of the Indie Leagues, but damn is he ever effective. If Wiuff can get past Attila Vegh, he’ll have earned his well deserved rematch against Bellator LHW “champion” Christian M’Pumbu.

As for Zaromskis vs. Spiritwolf, it ended without controversy, which is about all we can ask for at this point. It was just an added bonus that it wasn’t a bad fight. Spiritwolf shot in for takedowns throughout the bout – sometimes just to try to get Zaromskis to drop his hands, sometimes looking to put him on his back – but Zaromskis defended himself well. In the end, Marius Zaromskis landed strikes far more often than Spiritwolf, earning a split decision victory. Perhaps the new rule changes (specifically the new definition of “aggressive striking”) explain the third judge’s scorecard, as even though Zaromskis landed far more strikes, Spiritwolf’s strikes seemed to do more damage when they landed.

Full Results:

Main Card:
Karl Amoussou def. Bryan Baker via submission (heel hook), 0:56 Round One
Paul Daley def. Rudy Bears via TKO (strikes), 2:45 Round One
Attila Vegh def. Emanuel Newton via split decision
Travis Wiuff def. Tim Carpenter via unanimous decision
Marius Zaromskis def. Waachiim Spiritwolf via split decision

Preliminary Card:
Paul Barrow def. Jason Carapelluci via submission (rear-naked choke), 0:46 Round Three
Ben Saunders def. Brian Warren via TKO (knees), 0:22 Round One
Raul Amaya def. Kenny Moss via verbal submission (injury), 0:30 Round Two
Matt McCook def. Shannon Slack via split decision
Julien Williams def. Ryan DeRocher via technical submission (arm-triangle choke), 1:32 Round Two

Video Tribute: The Eight Most Insane Moments in DREAM History

(“You’ll never get me Lucky Charms!”)

For nearly four years, the Japanese MMA promotion DREAM did its best to carry the mantle of PRIDE, presenting the same mix of top international talent and freak-show comic relief, all inside of a traditional ring, rather than a filthy American cage. But we were hit with some sad news this weekend as multiple sources reported that DREAM has ceased day-to-day operations, and will no longer be producing events. So as we like to do when great MMA traditions die, let’s take a look back at some of the fights that made this promotion so unique, so entertaining, and so balls-out insane…

#8: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Melvin Manhoef
DREAM.4, 6/15/08

Though Kazushi Sakuraba’s fame was partly based on his willingness to absorb damage from larger fighters, the level of savagery that Melvin Manhoef inflicted on him during their meeting at the Yokohama Arena probably should have convinced Saku to walk away from the sport. The moment when Manhoef drags Saku away from the ropes by his leg so he can dive in to continue the assault (see the 2:43 mark above) remains one of DREAM’s most indelible and brutal moments.

#7: Shinya Aoki vs. dumb-ass gaijin
DREAM.7, 3/8/09

Another tradition that DREAM inherited from PRIDE? Absurd mismatches. At the time of this fight, Aoki was widely considered to be a top-3 lightweight, while Gardner was an obscure 13-7 journeyman who was coming off a loss to Brian Cobb. Aoki’s domination on the mat was no surprise, but the fight became legendary for how it ended. Stuck with Aoki on his back, Gardner took advantage of a brief pause in the action — and the near-silence in the Saitama Super Arena — to wave to the crowd and shout “Hello Japan!” Aoki immediately wrapped up Gardner’s neck and choked him out, causing the crowd to break out in laughter and Bas Rutten to cry “Oh my God it is so dumb! So dumb! Why?!” Some things just can’t be explained, Bas.

(“You’ll never get me Lucky Charms!”)

#8: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Melvin Manhoef
DREAM.4, 6/15/08

Though Kazushi Sakuraba‘s fame was partly based on his willingness to absorb damage from larger fighters, the level of savagery that Melvin Manhoef inflicted on him during their meeting at the Yokohama Arena probably should have convinced Saku to walk away from the sport. The moment when Manhoef drags Saku away from the ropes by his leg so he can dive in to continue the assault (see the 2:43 mark above) remains one of DREAM’s most indelible and brutal moments.

#7: Shinya Aoki vs. dumb-ass gaijin
DREAM.7, 3/8/09

#6: Marius Zaromskis scores two head-kick KO’s in the same night
DREAM.10, 7/20/09

“The Whitemare” had already been drawing hype in Europe as a human highlight-reel when he entered the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix in 2009, but it was his performance in that tournament which launched him as a worldwide sensation. Between his Street Fighter cosplay and in-ring acrobatics, it was clear we were dealing with a special individual. In the final two rounds of the GP, he met Hayato Sakurai and Jason High on the same night, and knocked them both dead in the first round, one with his left leg, and one with his right. Zaromskis took home the DREAM welterweight belt and did it to another poor bastard three months later.

#5: Jose Canseco is not “Super Hulk” material
DREAM.9, 5/26/09

DREAM’s Super Hulk Tournament was a bizarre convergence of veteran freaks, imposing big-men, and an off-his-rocker baseball player who was only there to make guys like Bob Sapp and Hong Man Choi look legitimate by comparison. The opening round featured Canseco vs. Choi, which has to be the most inexplicable pairing in MMA history. Canseco actually lands first with a big overhand right followed by a body kick, but eventually he remembers that he’s just there to collect a paycheck. Canseco grabs his knee at the 1:12 mark to signify that the dive is coming, then falls down after throwing one more kick and gets pounded on for a TKO loss. After the fight, Nick Diaz did his best to shore up the holes in Canseco’s game, but Jose has yet to take the MMA world by storm.

#4: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Zelg Galesic — back from the dead, once again
DREAM.12, 10/25/09

On paper, it’s another dramatic example of Sakuraba’s unbreakable spirit, his resilience, his heart. Much like his infamous 2006 fight against Kestutis Smirnovas, Sakuraba survived a terrifying beating — with Galesic smashing him in the head with blows that would have removed most fighters from consciousness — and went on to win by kneebar. Following this victory, Sakuraba went on a four-fight losing streak, including two losses by arm-triangle choke and a TKO loss to Marius Zaromskis that cost him his ear. But the Galesic fight was Sakuraba’s final triumph…if you really want to call it that.

#3: Gegard Mousasi submits a striker and knocks out a grappler
DREAM.6, 9/23/08

Just like Zaromskis, Gegard Mousasi put his name on the map with two first-round stoppages on the same night in a DREAM tournament. His moment came during the final night of their Middleweight Grand Prix in 2008, where he first faced Melvin Manhoef, who was coming off of his previously-mentioned destruction of Sakuraba. Manhoef’s intimidation factor was at an all-time high, but Mousasi out-grappled the Dutch dynamo and secured a triangle choke submission in just 88 seconds. Next, Mousasi faced BJJ stud Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who was closing in on a top-ten ranking at middleweight. True to form, Souza put the Armenian Assassin on his back and tried to turn it into a grappling match. Mousasi defended the ground-attacks, kicked Jacare off, then landed a knockout upkick when Jacare tried to dive in with a punch — a wild stoppage, which showcased Mousasi’s versatility and unshakable coolness under pressure.

#2: Shinya Aoki breaks an arm, acts like a dick about it
Dynamite!! 2009, 12/31/09

Technically, the 2009 New Year’s Eve show was a co-promotion between DREAM and Sengoku — with a handful of K-1 matches thrown in on the undercard — and featured nine different DREAM vs. Sengoku bouts. For DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, there was clearly more at stake than just bragging rights. Stepping into the ring with Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota, the Tobikan Judan wanted to exterminate with extreme prejudice. It took just over a minute for Aoki to prove that Hirota wasn’t on his level. Shattering Hirota’s arm with a hammer-lock was the exclamation point, and sticking his middle finger in Hirota’s face and then at the crowd was the unnecessary bcc to your entire Gmail address book. Aoki’s mounted gogoplata win over Katsuhiko Nagata the previous year seemed downright merciful by comparison.

#1: Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri, Fight of the Decade candidate

In May 2008, Eddie Alvarez fought a 15-minute war against Joachim Hansen that had many observers calling it a strong front-runner for Fight of the Year. Two months later, Alvarez topped it. The wild pace, the heart shown by both fighters, the shifts in momentum, and the astounding final sequence (skip to the video’s 7:20 mark) made this match, in my opinion, the single greatest fight in the promotion’s history, and one of the purest examples of the sport that you’ll ever see.

DREAM neva die.

– Ben Goldstein

Waachiim Spiritwolf and Marius Zaromskis Scheduled for a Third Inconclusive Bout at Bellator 72

Just look at these two–like a couple of wild dogs you can’t keep apart.

With two bouts and two unsatisfying stoppages already under their belts, Waachiim Spiritwolf and Marius Zaromskis are slated to once more climb into a cage and go through the motions of fighting before a freak injury leaves the viewing audience with a massive case of blue balls.

The pair first locked horns at Strikeforce Challengers 12, where an inadvertent eyepoke just seconds into the fight left Spiritwolf unable to continue. The duo reloaded and clashed once more a few weeks back at Bellator 68, where cageside doctors would call a halt to the bout between the second and third frames due to a cut between Spiritwolf’s eyebrows.

With one ‘No Contest’ and one questionable tally in the win column for Zaromskis, Spiritwolf will have his chance to settle the score on July 20^th at Bellator 72.

After the jump, season six Welterweight tournament finalists will tie up loose ends as well…

Just look at these two–like a couple of wild dogs you can’t keep apart.

With one ‘No Contest’ and one questionable tally in the win column for Zaromskis, Spiritwolf will have his chance to settle the score on July 20^th at Bellator 72.

Oddly, Bellator’s sixth season came to an end before its Welterweight tournament did. Tourney finalists Bryan Baker and Karl Amoussou will get to settle their unfinished business alongside Spiritwolf and Zaromskis.

Baker earned his spot in the finals by notching a workmanlike decision over Carlos Alexandre Pereira and upsetting Ben Saunders on the scorecards. Amoussou choked out Chris Lozano in the opening round of the tournament and snuck past David Rickels with a decision in his following fight.

Bellator 72 will kick off the promotion’s “Summer Series” at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.

Bellator 68: Fight Vids & Recap

seven by JMMANow

Spiritwolf vs Zaromskis (courtesy of IronForgesIron.com)

The fighters in Bellator may not get the same respect and acclaim as their Zuffa-based brethren, but at least they have video evidence to back up their wild fight stories. Season six of our favorite Friday night fights marched on last night, and here’s how it all went down.

The rematch between Waachiim Spiritwolf and Marius Zaromskis was far more eventful than their initial clash, though the ending was just as unsatisfying. After spending the opening minutes pressed against the cage, Zaromskis took advantage of the space created by a ‘Tan’ Dan Miragliotta break to land a backward elbow that opened a small vertical cut between Spiritwolf’s brows. The Native American responded with a slam, but Zaromskis was immediately back to his feet. The pair spent the remainder of the round tightly clinched with Spiritwolf working very hard for short-lived takedowns. Round two looked less promising for Waachiim, who had missed weight the day before. He showed signs of fatigue early on and had trouble finding the clinch at the end of his lunging punches. Zaromskis backed him up with a series of knees and kicks to the head, but a bloodied Spiritwolf responded with a torrent of heavy hands that forced the wobbled Lithuanian to retreat. Spritwolf downed him with another punch and closed out the final two minutes of the frame on top, trying to land finishing blows through Zaromskis tight defense.

Unfortunately, the battle would end on the stools and not the canvas…

Spiritwolf vs Zaromskis (courtesy of IronForgesIron.com)

Unfortunately, the battle would end on the stools and not the canvas. Cage-side physicians halted the bout between rounds due to Spiritwolf’s cut. We’ve seen some pretty messed up eyes and some real bloodbaths in our day, and this one didn’t really make the cut. Even MMA’s most respected physician, ~~Dr. Hector Oscar Molina~~ Dr. Johnny Benjamin questioned the stoppage, with the obvious caveat that he didn’t get to closely inspect the cut. Third time’s the charm, boys?

Those of you hoping to catch “The Silverback” back in action will have to wait just a bit longer. Seth Petruzelli’s scheduled bout with Carmelo Marrero was cancelled just hours before fight time when doctors heard wheezing in his lungs during a pre-fight exam. Petruzelli confirmed that he’s been sick all week, but hoped to fight through the illness anyway.

Held vs Kennington (courtesy of IronForgesIron.com)

In their stead, Marcin Held and Derrick Kennington were bumped up from the undercard to clash on the main broadcast. Sensing that things may not go his way on the ground, Kennington took charge early on, clipping Held with a crisp uppercut in the opening moments of the bout. Fighting off his back, Held kept his composure and worked for an omaplata until D.K. pulled free to resume the bout on the feet where he enjoyed a clear advantage. Eager to hit the mat once more, Held pulled guard—to the joy of BJJ practitioners around the world—and quickly sunk in a heel hook. Back in Poland, Held’s grappling coach celebrated by flipping over a Fiat.

Galvao vs Marx (courtesy of IronForgesIron.com)

Marcos Galvao and Travis Marx had the honors of kicking off this season’s Bantamweight semifinals. The Brazilian was largely able to keep Marx on his heels by getting off first and landing the heavier strikes in their exchanges. Marx was the aggressor in round two, forcing Galvao back against the cage. From the clinch Marx landed with knees to the thigh and scored several combinations, though he fell short of getting Galvao to the ground. “Loro” resumed his aggressive striking in the third, and save for a brief takedown, regained control of the fight. Galvao scored the unanimous decision, 29-28, on all three scorecards.

Straus vs Sandro (courtesy of IronForgesIron.com)

Headlining the card was the Featherweight tournament championship between Daniel Straus and Marlon Sandro. Straus opened the bout with a crippling dick-kick that sent Sandro crashing to the canvas. It was doubtful that Sandro would be able to continue fighting/reproduce, but after the five-minute break he amazingly returned to action.

Straus was in control of this bout. In the exchanges he landed single shots then disengaged, and when the two tied up he controlled the clinch and threatened to take Sandro to the mat. The Brazilian tied up a standing arm triangle in the third, but Straus defended well and prevented Sandro from dragging him to the floor. Straus rallied back with a big slam and closed the round struggling for a rear naked choke. Straus took the unanimous decision and will now await the winner of the upcoming title bout between Pat Curran and Patricio Freire.

Full Results: (via TheMMANews.com)

Main Card (MTV2 or Spike.com)

Featherweight tournament final: Daniel Straus def. Marlon Sandro via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight tournament semi-final: Marcos Galvao def. Travis Marx via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight bout: Marcin Held def. Derrick Kennington via Submission (Heel hook) – R1 @ 2:08
Catchweight (230-lbs) bout: Seth Petruzelli vs. Carmelo Marrero – bout cancelled, see update
Catchweight (172-lbs) bout: Marius Zaromskis def. Waachiim Spiritwolf via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) – R2 @ 5:00 – cut above Spiritwolf’s right eye

Preliminary Card (Spike.com)

Featherweight bout: Jeff Lentz vs. Eddie Fyvie
Lightweight bout: Don Carlos-Clauss def. Jacob Kirwan via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Catchweight (175-lbs) bout: Aung La Nsang def. Jesus Martinez via TKO (Punches) – R1 @ 36
Bantamweight bout: Anthony Leone def. Claudio Ledesma via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Middleweight bout: Francois Ambang def. Gregory Millard via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)