It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Friday, February 26, 2016) will come in the form of Bellator 150. Headlining the card are Cheick Kongo and Vinicius Queiroz, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card. Cheick Kongo
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Friday, February 26, 2016) will come in the form of Bellator 150. Headlining the card are Cheick Kongo and Vinicius Queiroz, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card.
Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) and Vinicius Queiroz (8-3) meet in a heavyweight bout.
David Rickels (16-4, 1 NC) vs. Bobby Cooper (12-5) is next in a lightweight bout.
Kendall Grove (22-15) vs. Francisco France (13-3-1) is next in a middleweight bout.
Gaston Reyno (5-0) and Chuka Willis (6-2) meet next in a featherweight bout.
Opening the main card on Spike TV for Bellator 150 is Lena Ovchynnikova (10-3) vs. Rebecca Ruth (5-1) in a flyweight bout.
So join us right here at LowKickMMA for Bellator 150, kicking off at 6:45 PM ET!
Bellator 150 is here, and it goes down today from the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. In the main event, Cheick Kongo will fight Vinicius Queiroz in a welterweight bout. In the co-main event, David Rickels fights Bobby Cooper in a lightweight bout. Five bouts will take place on the main card. According to
Bellator 150 is here, and it goes down today from the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. In the main event, Cheick Kongo will fight Vinicius Queiroz in a welterweight bout. In the co-main event, David Rickels fights Bobby Cooper in a lightweight bout. Five bouts will take place on the main card.
According to oddsmakers 5Dimes.com, Cheick Kongo is a -175 favorite over Vinicius Queiroz, who is a +155 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Bobby Cooper being a +415 underdog against David Rickels, who is a -525 favorite.
That’s right kids, Luke Thomas recently passed along the word that some more UFC veterans are going to throw down for the right to challenge whoever Bellator’s current heavyweight champion is (I think it ends in “agrov” or “arinov”?) for the low, low price of 35ish dollars!
(That’s right, three consecutive posts anchored by gifs. Deal with it.)
That’s right kids, Luke Thomas recently passed along the word that some more UFC veterans are going to throw down for the right to challenge whoever Bellator’s current heavyweight champion is (I think it ends in “agrov” or “arinov”?) for the low, low price of 35ish dollars!
(That’s right, three consecutive posts anchored by gifs. Deal with it.)
(Cheick Kongo relaxing before his fight, presumably listening to high-quality audio of groin shots. / Screen-cap via Chris Nelson)
After nine years in the UFC, Cheick Kongo found himself fighting for another promotion last night. The French heavyweight probably found the experience a little disconcerting, and yet entirely familiar. The cage was there, there was a man inside it, and he was tasked with disposing of him. Yet there is something less about the entire experience for a fighter competing in a lower-tier organization, deprived of the possibility of reaching the glory he once sought. For Kongo and fellow UFC cast-off Lavar Johnson, Friday’s Bellator 102 event in Visalia, California, was the beginning of the end of the road. Both are fighters on the way down, fighting not for what they once strove for, but simply because this is what they know how to do. It’s rarely a road that ends well. All they can hope for is to reclaim the one thing that doesn’t change — the euphoria of victory. Because if you can’t get that, what’s the point anymore?
Kongo was, at least, able to make the best of his opportunity against Mark “The Hand of” Godbeer. His most formidable challenge on the night came from his pre-fight water bottle. Unfortunately, Godbeer wasn’t capable of offering such a test. If there’s one thing Kongo is known for, it’s probably his knee strikes. If there’s another thing he’s known for, it’s probably that those knee strikes tend to find his opponent’s testicles a little too often. Fortunately for almost everyone involved, Kongo managed to keep himself in Cheick tonight. (I’m so sorry.) He battered Godbeer with knees from the clinch throughout the fight, and finished him in the second round with a monster right knee followed by an uppercut against the fence. Able to stave off the reaper for another few months, Kongo advances into the next round of Bellator’s heavyweight tournament.
The same can’t be said for Lavar “Big” Johnson. Cast aside from the UFC for failing a drug test — to say nothing of possessing one of the least imaginative nicknames in a sport rife with them — Johnson was essentially fed his opponent Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz in his Bellator debut upon returning from his suspension. The expectation was that Johnson, a one-dimensional heavy-hitter, would have no problem dispatching Queiroz in a spectacularly violent fashion. Queiroz, it was reasoned, could offer trouble on the ground, but the fight wouldn’t last long enough to get there. If you’re familiar with ironic foreshadowing, you’ve probably figured out what happens next.
(Cheick Kongo relaxing before his fight, presumably listening to high-quality audio of groin shots. / Screen-cap via Chris Nelson)
After nine years in the UFC, Cheick Kongo found himself fighting for another promotion last night. The French heavyweight probably found the experience a little disconcerting, and yet entirely familiar. The cage was there, there was a man inside it, and he was tasked with disposing of him. Yet there is something less about the entire experience for a fighter competing in a lower-tier organization, deprived of the possibility of reaching the glory he once sought. For Kongo and fellow UFC cast-off Lavar Johnson, Friday’s Bellator 102 event in Visalia, California, was the beginning of the end of the road. Both are fighters on the way down, fighting not for what they once strove for, but simply because this is what they know how to do. It’s rarely a road that ends well. All they can hope for is to reclaim the one thing that doesn’t change — the euphoria of victory. Because if you can’t get that, what’s the point anymore?
Kongo was, at least, able to make the best of his opportunity against Mark “The Hand of” Godbeer. His most formidable challenge on the night came from his pre-fight water bottle. Unfortunately, Godbeer wasn’t capable of offering such a test. If there’s one thing Kongo is known for, it’s probably his knee strikes. If there’s another thing he’s known for, it’s probably that those knee strikes tend to find his opponent’s testicles a little too often. Fortunately for almost everyone involved, Kongo managed to keep himself in Cheick tonight. (I’m so sorry.) He battered Godbeer with knees from the clinch throughout the fight, and finished him in the second round with a monster right knee followed by an uppercut against the fence. Able to stave off the reaper for another few months, Kongo advances into the next round of Bellator’s heavyweight tournament.
The same can’t be said for Lavar “Big” Johnson. Cast aside from the UFC for failing a drug test — to say nothing of possessing one of the least imaginative nicknames in a sport rife with them — Johnson was essentially fed his opponent Vinicius “Spartan” Queiroz in his Bellator debut upon returning from his suspension. The expectation was that Johnson, a one-dimensional heavy-hitter, would have no problem dispatching Queiroz in a spectacularly violent fashion. Queiroz, it was reasoned, could offer trouble on the ground, but the fight wouldn’t last long enough to get there. If you’re familiar with ironic foreshadowing, you’ve probably figured out what happens next.
The fight started and Queiroz fired a counter-right over Johnson’s lazy hook that staggered Johnson, who attempted to recover only to faceplant on the mat. Whatever hope Johnson had of a career recovery was snuffed out in 23 seconds. Meanwhile, Queiroz received the satisfaction of proving his doubters wrong, and can now look forward to a modicum of respect. Though he’ll probably get knocked out when he faces Kongo. Oh well.
If this recap sounds a little depressing or pessimistic, that’s what happens when your primary talent for a card consists of aging fighters who have recently been released by the UFC. Bellator has solid, younger fighters; the fight between Brennan Ward and Joe Pacheco was a good fight while it lasted, as Ward secured the victory with a modified guillotine. Rafael Silva looked impressive as he earned a title shot with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Leone. Bellator, however, put all of its promotional stock in fighters whose stocks are on the decline. Even Kongo’s victory is but a halt in his inexorable descent. By tying their image to fighters like him, it only serves to reinforce the perception that Bellator is being led down the same road they are. Maybe it will work for now. But inevitably it won’t end well.
Full Bellator 102 Results
MAIN CARD
– Cheick Kongo def. Mark Godbeer via TKO, 2:04 of round 2
– Vinicius Spartan def. Lavar Johnson via KO, 0:23 of round 1
– Rafael Silva def. Anthony Leone via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Mikkel Parlo def. Jason Butcher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
– Brennan Ward def. Joe Pacheco via submission (guillotine choke), 2:41 of round 2
PRELIMINARY CARD
– Scott Cleve def. Isaac de Jesus via TKO, 3:14 of round 2
– Javy Ayala def. Thiago Santos via KO, 5:00 of round 1
– Brandon Girtz def. Poppies Martinez via submission (armbar), 1:20 of round 1
– Stephen Martinez def. Bryan Travers via technical submission (guillotine choke), 0:56 of round 1
– Cain Carrizosa def. Juan Quesada via submission (triangle choke), 4:41 of round 2
– Brandon Cash def. William Richey via TKO (exhaustion), 5:00 of round 2
Friday night’s Bellator 102 event was heavy on UFC veterans and nasty finishes. In the night’s main event, former long-time UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo knocked out Mark Godbeer with knees and punches in the second round. Kongo used a dirty clinch in the first to wear down Godbeer and then started to lay into him with knees in the second before dropping him and forcing the stoppage.
The card’s other heavyweight UFC veteran Lavar Johnson did not fare so well. Johnson was knocked out in just over twenty seconds of the first round by Vinicius de Queiroz. The Brazilian now advances to this season’s heavyweight tournament finals against Kongo.
Quick Results for the Rest of the Bellator 102 Card:
Rafael Silva beat Anthony Leone by unanimous decision
Mikkel Parlo won a unanimous decision over Jason Butcher
Brennan Ward scored a guillotine submission win over Joe Pacheco in the second round
Scott Cleve beat Isaac de Jesus in the second round by TKO
Javy Ayala defeated knocked Thiago Santos out in the first round
Brandon Girtz won with an arm bar submission in the first over Poppies Martinez
Stephen Martinez choked out Bryan Travers in the first round with a guillotine choke
Cain Carrizosa beat Juan Quesada with a triangle choke in the second round
Brandon Cash scored a second round TKO win over William Richey
Friday night’s Bellator 102 event was heavy on UFC veterans and nasty finishes. In the night’s main event, former long-time UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo knocked out Mark Godbeer with knees and punches in the second round. Kongo used a dirty clinch in the first to wear down Godbeer and then started to lay into him with knees in the second before dropping him and forcing the stoppage.
The card’s other heavyweight UFC veteran Lavar Johnson did not fare so well. Johnson was knocked out in just over twenty seconds of the first round by Vinicius de Queiroz. The Brazilian now advances to this season’s heavyweight tournament finals against Kongo.
Quick Results for the Rest of the Bellator 102 Card:
Rafael Silva beat Anthony Leone by unanimous decision
Mikkel Parlo won a unanimous decision over Jason Butcher
Brennan Ward scored a guillotine submission win over Joe Pacheco in the second round
Scott Cleve beat Isaac de Jesus in the second round by TKO
Javy Ayala defeated knocked Thiago Santos out in the first round
Brandon Girtz won with an arm bar submission in the first over Poppies Martinez
Stephen Martinez choked out Bryan Travers in the first round with a guillotine choke
Cain Carrizosa beat Juan Quesada with a triangle choke in the second round
Brandon Cash scored a second round TKO win over William Richey
(A full replay of Quieroz vs. Volkov. For those of you who don’t have time for the whole thing, the relevant bits are after the jump.)
Although it’s a given that fight promotions have no control over which referees are assigned to their events/fights — because if they did, Dana White would have permanently relegated Steve Mazaggati to the UFC’s super secret “AIDS-ridden Lion Fights” division — it has become apparent that Bellator is clearly getting the shit end of the stick when it comes to acquiring a decent referee. Just a couple weeks ago at Bellator 78, referee Jerry Poe allowed Andrey Koreshkov to savage Maruis Zaromskis’ unconscious body so badly that it would have been considered necrophilia in some states. And just two events later at Bellator 80, referee James Warring displayed a similar, albeit less dangerous, incompetency during the Vinicius Queiroz/Alexander Volkov fight.
Our friends over at Fightlinker were able to find a compilation of Warring’s missteps during the fight, which we’ve placed below, and my God do they redefine the phrase “interesting interpretation of the rules.” Amidst a barrage of ridiuclously quick stand-ups, Warring appeared as if he were making up rules out of thin air, warning Queiroz that he could not “lead with the forehead” while he was on the ground, nor could he strike the top or the “Mohawk area” of his opponent’s head. While the first rule is an outright fabrication, the criteria for the “Mohawk area” head strikes can be found in the unified rules of MMA. That being said, Warring’s belief that a Mohawk typically starts in the middle of one’s forehead highlights the growing problems in MMA refereeing when it comes to interpreting the rules.
After the jump: The aforementioned lowlight reel of Warring’s Bellator 80 performance set to an oddly poignant soundtrack and the official complaint from Quieroz’s camp.
(A full replay of Quieroz vs. Volkov. For those of you who don’t have time for the whole thing, the relevant bits are after the jump.)
Although it’s a given that fight promotions have no control over which referees are assigned to their events/fights — because if they did, Dana White would have permanently relegated Steve Mazaggati to the UFC’s super secret “AIDS-ridden Lion Fights” division — it has become apparent that Bellator is clearly getting the shit end of the stick when it comes to acquiring a decent referee. Just a couple weeks ago at Bellator 78, referee Jerry Poe allowed Andrey Koreshkov to savage Maruis Zaromskis’ unconscious body so badly that it would have been considered necrophilia in some states. And just two events later at Bellator 80, referee James Warring displayed a similar, albeit less dangerous, incompetency during the Vinicius Queiroz/Alexander Volkov fight.
Our friends over at Fightlinker were able to find a compilation of Warring’s missteps during the fight, which we’ve placed below, and my God do they redefine the phrase “interesting interpretation of the rules.” Amidst a barrage of ridiuclously quick stand-ups, Warring appeared as if he were making up rules out of thin air, warning Queiroz that he could not “lead with the forehead” while he was on the ground, nor could he strike the top or the “Mohawk area” of his opponent’s head. While the first rule is an outright fabrication, the criteria for the “Mohawk area” head strikes can be found in the unified rules of MMA. That being said, Warring’s belief that a Mohawk typically starts in the middle of one’s forehead highlights the growing problems in MMA refereeing when it comes to interpreting the rules.
Following the loss, Queiroz’s manager, Josef Borges, filed a complaint with the Florida State Boxing Commission. Opposing Views has the scoop:
“[Referee James] Warring could have contributed to [and] altered the result of the fight after he ordered the fighters to rise up with only 15 seconds [on the ground] … in a moment that was favorable for Vincius,” wrote Borges.
Borges has stated that he wouldn’t attempt to overturn the result, but hopes that the referee will go back and reread the rulebook.
“I would like you to register my protest and I hope that Mr. James Warring will update [his] knowledge of the rules of MMA,” wrote Borges. ”MMA means also fighting on the ground. Getting a takedown and dominating the ground also adds points to the fight.”
Now, we’re not going to say that Queiroz would have won the fight had he not been the victim of some egregious standups, but just skip ahead to the 3:18 mark of the video and tell us that the cards were not at the least stacked against him. Quieroz secures a takedown with roughly 1:05 left in the round and is almost immediately stood up with 50 seconds remaining in said round. That, my friends, is some grade A bullshit. While Bellator commentators Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock were quick to call out Warring for his injustices, can you imagine what would’ve happened if Joe Rogan had been cageside? Warring would’ve probably left the arena in tears and looking for his favorite blankey.
