Tag: bellator results

Bellator 216 live results: MVP vs. Daley, Cro Cop vs. Nelson

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

(Image courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Welcome to our live coverage of Bellator 216. It’s night two of back-to-back shows for Bellator MMA from the Mohegan Sun Arena — and the main event is a grudge match years in the making. 

Michael “Venom” Page, aka MVP, puts his unbeaten record on the line against fellow Brit Paul Daley as both men attempt to advance to the semifinal round of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix tournament where the winner will get a million dollars and the 170 lb championship. 

The co-main may be 10-15 years late for some, but it should still be fun to see former TUF winner Roy Nelson lock up with the legendary Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop promises that this will be his retirement fight, although he’s said that before. Nelson will attempt to halt a two-fight losing streak, while Cro Cop has won nine in a row and has not lost in over five years. 

Former heavyweight champion Vitaly Minokov returns to the promotion after a long hiatus and will attempt to earn a shot at the belt he never lost. Stepping up against him is another long-in-the-tooth veteran, Cheick Kongo. Kongo was inexplicably left out of the recent heavyweight Grand Prix, despite a seven-fight win streak in Bellator, and is out to prove a point. 

The other fight with some intrigue is the promotional debut of Erick Silva, the former UFC welterweight. He will face a man fighting on a main card for the first time, Yaroslav Amosov, who comes in with a dazzling 20-0 record. 

Action kicks off with the main card fights at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Quick results from Bellator 215 last night, which was recapped by Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzalez on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio, available now for subscribers:

  • Matt Mitrione (13-6, 1 NC) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (29-7, 2 NC) ended in a no contest
  • Logan Storley (10-0) defeated Ion Pascu (18-9) via unanimous decision (30-27 30-26, 30-26)
  • Eduardo Dantas (21-6) defeated Toby Misech (11-7) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • John Douma (4-1) defeated Mike Kimbel (2-1) via submission (triangle choke) at 2:51 of round one
  • Austin Vanderford (7-0) defeated Cody Jones (6-3) via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:49 of round one

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Kicking off the main card is a women’s flyweight fight. 

Colby “Dreamcatcher” Fletcher (1-2) vs “Master” Valerie Loureda (pro debut)

Loureda is an accomplished Tae-Kwon Do expert coming in with a lot of hype and she gets a huge reaction from the crowd so that explains why this fight is on the main card. Fletcher is clearly something of a set-up fight for her. The “Master” in Loureda’s name is actually a title she earned, as explained by commentator John McCarthy. Loureda is only 20 years old so could be at this for awhile. 

Fletcher throwing a lot of punches early. Loureda mixing in high and low kicks. Loureda lands a great punch combo and follows up with a high kick. Great punch exchange about 2 minutes in. Fletcher is the one controlling the pace so far. Loureda knocks her down with a body kick and finishes her off with a vicious barrage of punches and the ref may have let it go on a little long honestly. 

Official result – Valerie Loureda (1-0) by TKO (punches) at 2:55

Loureda cut a tearfelt promo after the fight, saying she’s been dreaming of this moment since she was a little girl. Her coaches were in tears as she thanked them for making her the woman and the mixed martial artist that she is today. 

Two welterweights making their Bellator main card debut are next up. 

Erick “The Tiger” Silva (20-9) vs Yaroslav Amosov (20-0)

For those that remember Silva from UFC, his fights usually end early and are almost always exciting. Amosov trains with American Top Team and it’s not easy to rack up 20 wins in a row in this sport. He did handle another former UFC vet, Gerald Harris, pretty easily, in his first Bellator fight. 

Mauro Ranalo points out that both guys have 12 first round finishes on their record. Silva pushign the pace early. Silva lands a nice punch combo 90 seconds in that opens a cut around Amosov’s right eye. Silva is pacing himself much better than usual. Silva blocks a takedown attempt at 2:45. Amosov controlling a clinch on the cage. They separate 30 seconds later and Amosov lands a nice punch combo. Amosov goes back to the clinch but Silva breaks free quickly. Amosov rocks Silva with punches at 4:00. Amosov now pushing the pace. Silva lands some nice counter punches. 10-9 Silva but close

Silva stuffs a takedown early. Silva again controlling the pace. Amazov gets a takedown. Silva up quickly but Amosov controlling his back and drags him down again. Amosov landing punches to the head but Silva gets to his feet. Amosov drags him down again. Silva blocking most of the punches as Amosov attempts to secure a body lock. Silva to his feet and immediately thrown to the canvas by Amosov at 3:00. Amosov landing punches and elbows as he attempts to advance position. Crowd getting restless at the 4 minutes mark. Ref not warning them as Amosov is controlling Silva pretty well. Silva ties up Amosov with a body lock at 4:45 as he is trying to work out a sub from his back but not enough time. 10-9 Amosov, 19-19

Both guys throwing leg kicks early in round 3. Amosov moves in for a takedown but Silva defends it. Silva with a hard knee to the body as Amosov moves in for a takedown. Amosov gets him down but Silva right up. Amosov controlling the back again through. Silva breaks free and grabs a standing guillotine. He gives it up quickly and eats a body kick for his efforts. Both guys looking pretty tired. Amosov gets a takedown at 2:00. Amosov landing punches from half guard. Amosov takes the back  but Silva to his feet. Amosov drags him right down again and lands more punches to the head. Silva works back to guard but still eating punches. Silva to his feet but Amosov takes the back again. Amosov throws him down at 4;00. Silva to his feet again but Amosov still on his back. Amosov throws him down again. Silva up again at 4:30 and right back down. 10-9 Amosov, 29-28 overall

Official result – Yaroslav Amosov (21-0) by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28 x 2)

Next up is a heavyweight rematch. In Vitaly Minakov’s last Bellator fight in April 2014, he won a unanimous decision over Cheick Kongo. He returns to the promotion and faces the same opponent. Kongo is on the wrong side of 40 but on the longest winning streak of his career, with 7 straight. In fact his only loss since the previous Minakov fight was a split decision vs King Mo. 

Vitaly Minakov (21-0) vs Cheick Kongo (29-10-2)

Scott Coker has promised a title shot to the winner of this fight. With a win tonight, Cheick Kongo will set the record for most wins as a heavyweight and his 14th fight is also a heavyweight record. This came all after a long UFC career. 

Nice punch exchange 15 seconds in. Minakov is the one advancing but Kongo landed a nice counter punch in the exchange. Minakov with a takedown attempt blocked and Kongo clinches up on the cage. They separate at 1:15. Kongo lands a nice punch combo at 2:00 and goes back to the clinch. Kongo lands an inadvertent low blow in the exchange. Minakov is looking very tired when the action restarts. Minakov goes back to the clinch after missing some punches. Kongo breaks free. Kongo mixes in some kicks as Minakov is looking to land a home run shot. Minakov catches a kick and Kongo slips but gets up quickly after a guillotine attempt by Minakov. Kongo controlling the clinch but they separate quickly. Kongo lands a nice punch combo and some knees to the body. 10-9 Kongo

Herschel Walker and Michael Strahan were shown sitting together at cageside and Mauro brings up having called Walker’s MMA fights. John McCarthy disagrees with me and gives round 1 to Minakov. He also gave Amosov round 1 in the last fight and all 3 judges disagreed. Kongo throwing counter kicks as Minakov is controlling the pace and again looking for that big punch. Crowd getting restless as they’ve barely touched 2 minutes in. Some chants for Kongo. Heavy boos from the crowd at 2:45 as they’ve still barely touched. Minakov is throwing punches but they’re missing and Kongo not throwing anything. Ref warning them to engage at 3:45. More heavy boos. Kongo with a punch combo and then he clinches up at 4:15. Kongo with a knee/punch combo as they separate. Kongo lands a couple of counters as Minakov misses more punches. Kongo with some punches landed right before the bell. 10-9 Kongo, 20-18 overall

Kongo landing hard leg kicks to start. Minakov is advancing but very tentative and very tired. He misses a huge punch but catches a kick and gets a takedown at 1:00. Minakov setting up a head and arm choke while landing punches to the body and head. Minakov with an Ezekiel joke from the top. Kongo landing desparation punches  from his back and gets out of it but Minakov maintains top position. Minakov postures up to land some hammer fists before settling back into half guard. Kongo makes his way to the cage as he attempts to get to his feet . Kongo with a guillotine attempt and gets to his feet at 4:30. Kongo unloads with a punch/knee combo. Kongo with vicious knees to the head and Minakov is barely standing but the round ends. 10-9 Minakov, 29-28 Kongo overall. 

Official result – Cheick Kongo (30-10-2) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)

John McCarthy had Kongo winning all 3 rounds and Mauro reacts like it was a bad decision. I’m not sure what those two were watching because Minakov did not win this fight. 

Co-main event is next up and it’s a battle of the legends. 

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (23-16) vs Mirko Cro Cop (37-11-2)

Cro Cop is introduced as a former K-1, Pride and RIZIN champion and comes out to the vintage “Wild Boys” theme. If he’s interested in fighting again after this, he could steal Kongo’s title shot with an impressive win. 

Nelson advancing to start. Cro Cop blocks a takedown attempt 45 seconds in. Cro Cop blocks another takedown and pushes Nelson to the other side of the cage. Nelson takes over clinch control at 1:45 after eating an uppercut. Cro Cop lands some punches to the body and then walks Nelson across the cage again. Cro Cop rocks Nelson with an uppercut and then lands more punches to the body. They separate at 3:30. Back to the cage clinch and Cro Cop quickly takes control. Cro Cop with knees to the body and more uppercuts before separating. Nelson looking tired. Cro Cop wih a vicious body kicks and then blocks a takedown. 10-9 Cro Cop

Nelson against controlling the pace early. Cro Cop to the cage clinch at 1:00. Knees and punches to the body from Cro Cop. They trade elbows to the head. Cro Cop with hard uppercuts to the head and Nelson is rocked. They separate. They trade hard body kicks. Cro Cop just landing hard single shots but no combos. Nelson stuffed on another takedown attempt and Cro Cop ends up controlling a cage clinch. They separate after Cro Cop lands body punches. Nelson lands some punches that rock Cro Cop. Nelson with a punch/knee combo at 3:30. Nelson again stuffed on a takedown attempt. Cro Cop with a standing guillotine attempt but gives it up quickly. Cro Cop controlling a cage clinch and lands punches to the body and head. Separation at 4:30. Nelson lands some uppercuts to the head at 4:45. They trade hard body shots. 10-9 Cro Cop, 20-18

When they fought in 2011, Nelson scored a finish in the 3rd round and he’ll have to do the same to win here. Cro Cop starting to land leg kicks. Nelson lands some uppercuts to the head as Cro Cop tries to clinch. Cro Cop starting to tire. Nelson advancing. More leg kicks from Cro Cop and he stuffs another takedown attempt from Nelson. Yet another takedown attempt blocked by Cro Cop. Punch combo from Nelson and he attempts another takedown but fails. Cro Cop walks him across the cage but Nelson breaks free. Cro Cop blocks another takedown attempt. Crowd starting to get restless. Nelson with a punch combo and another takedown attempt and then finally lands one at 4:00. Cro Cop landing punches to the head from his back. Cro Cop ties him up with a body lock. 10-9 Nelson, 29-28 Cro Cop

Official result – Mirko Cro Cop (38-11-2) by unanimous decision (30-27; 29-28 x 2)

Main event is a first round match in the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix tournament with the winner advancing to face Douglas Lima for a spot in the finals. Sonnen, Thomson and Glazer interview Lima at the desk about his thoughts on the main event. He thinks Daley’s durability may be the difference. 

Michael “Venom” Page (13-0) vs Paul “Semtex” Daley (40-16-2)

MVP chants as Page makes his entrance. Daley was much more subdued but Page clowning all the way down the ramp. Daley giving up 6 inches of height and 3 inches reach, which could be telling. Because this is a tournament match, it’s five rounds. Page is also 2-0 as a pro boxer. They do not touch gloves. 

Page takes the center of the cage to start. Loud MVP chants before they even engage. They don’t touch for the first minute and there are some boos. Boos getting louder at 1:30. MVP has thrown a couple shots but missed while Daley hasn’t even thrown a thing. MVP just backing off and taunting Daley, who won’t engage. 3:30 in and no one has landed a strike. Daley finally throws a kick but misses. Page may have landed a punch at 4:30. Page lands a leg kick at 4:45. Deafening boos at the end of the round. 10-9 Page

Round 2 starts the same as the whole first round went. Page doing more taunting. Page lands a front kick to the head. Daley misses a takedown attempt as he’s chasing MVP around the cage. He catches him and they end up in a cage clinch with Daley in control. Daley with knees to the body. Separation at 2:45. Daley gets a takedown at 3:00. Daley with punches to the body. MVP doing nothing from his back. Daley has the legs tied up so MVP basically trapped on the ground. MVP does gets up but Daley lands some nice punches on the feet at the end of the round. 10-9 Daley, 19-19

MVP landing shots from distance early in round 3. Daley controlling the pace but MVP timing the counters well. MVP lands a great right cross at 1:15. MVP stuffs a takedown at 1:45. Daley controlling the cage clinch. Page takes control  at 2:30 but Daley gets a takedown. MVP ties up the body but Daley landing body punches. Daley postures up to break the body lock and then goes back into guard. Daley postures up and lands punches to the body and head and the crowd explodes. Page to his feet at 4:45 but Daley still controlling the clinch. 10-9 Daley, 29-28

PAge advancing to start and lands a couple of strikes early. He’s just landing single shots and moving. Daley gets a takedown at 1:00. MVP lands a couple of weak elbows from his back. MVP ties up the body of Daley and lands more elbows. They’re not doing damage but they are landing. Page with punches to the head from his back. Ref warns them to work. Daley stands up and MVP follows. MVP lands a hard kick to the body. MVP lands a flying knee that hurts Daley and clinches on the cage at 3:30. MVP gets a takedown at 3:45. MVP lands hard punches to the head. Page with more punches to the head at 4:45. 10-9 Page, 38-38 overall

MVP lands a jumping knee and attempts a takedown but Daley lands one. Daley stands up but MVP stays on his back throwing upkicks. Daley landing kicks to the legs. before going back into guard. MVP ties up his body so Daley stands up to break it. MVP setting up a triangle from his back. Daley lands some punches to the head as Page attempts to get to his feet. Page to his feet at 2:30. Page with elbows to the head as he defends a takedown attempt. Page takes the back standing and drags Daley to the ground. Page landing punches to the head as he sets up a rear naked choke. Daley to his feet but Page still on his back and drags him down again. Page landing punches to the head as he contrinues to look for the choke. MVP chants from the crowd. Elbows to teh head from Page. Daley to his feet at 4:15 but Page controlling the clinch. Daley with a takedown attempt but MVP reverses and on top, landing punches as the round ends. 10-9 Page, 48-47 overall

Official result – Michael Page (14-0) by unanimous decision (48-47 x 3)

Crowd boos the result but the scoring of each round was pretty obvious and it’s good that all the judges got it right after some questionable scorecards in earlier fights. MVP said that Daley tried to take it to the ground but he beat him there and he’ll take the belt. He says he respects Douglas Lima a lot and it will be an honor to fight him in the next round. 

Bellator 192 live results: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Preview by Josh Nason

With the wrestling world relatively quiet this weekend, MMA has taken center stage with UFC and Bellator going head-to-head Saturday night on separate coasts. While the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles will be battled over in Boston, Bellator kicks off its year-long heavyweight championship grand prix and a former UFC fighter guns for his first major title.

In the main event, Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson will fight in a first round matchup of the heavyweight grand prix. This will be Sonnen’s first foray into heavyweight while Jackson has fought here before, notably in a dud of a fight against King Mo Lawal.

Sonnen is coming off a June decision win over Wanderlei Silva while Jackson is coming off that March decision loss to Mo, snapping a five fight losing streak.

In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald will look to win his first major championship when he faces welterweight champion Douglas Lima in what should be a great fight. Also on the show, former lightweight champion Michael Chandler looks to get back on track while prospect Aaron Pico looks to win his second straight.

Follow our main card coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET tonight.

Bellator 192 (main card)

  • Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
  • Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
  • Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
  • Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan

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In the prelims, prospect Joey Davis won his fight but the debuting Khonry Gracie dropped a decision to Devon Brock, who was also making his pro debut. Other names of note picking up wins were Johnny Cisneros and Guilherme Vasconcelos. 

John McCarthy makes his debut as color commentator, alongside Mike Goldberg for tonight’s show. 

Featherweights Georgi Karakhanyan (27-7-1) vs Henry Corrales (14-3)

Goldberg and McCarthy seem like they have chemistry together. The video on the Shaw Cable feed is completely messed up so I cannot tell who is winning the fight but it sounds like Karakhanyan from the commentary. It seems to be a network-wide issue affecting only the Paramount Network in Canada on my cable system. 

Second round sounded like it was back and forth but that Karakhanyan had the advantage.  Corrales finished strong and may have stolen the round. The commercials are working fine, it’s only the video during the live fights that is messed up. 

John McCarthy seems to think that Corrales is down 2 rounds and needs a finish. 

Corrales seemed to be holding off Karakhanyan well but it sounds like Karakhanyan won the third as well. In listening to Goldberg call a fight, it’s alarming how little of the action he actually calls as it’s really hard to tell what’s going on. Based on what I heard, I’d be shocked if Corrales won the fight. 

Official result – Henry Corrales (15-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)

Corrales said he is not impressed with his own performance. He put over his camp, saying he’s 3-0 since he switched to them. 

Jay Glazer is the studio host of the show and gives it a very different vibe, adding credibility to the show, I think. Jay Glazer interviewed Ryan Bader about the Heavyweight Grand Prix. He basically just put over all the other competitors in the tournament but didn’t really have a lot to say. Josh Thomson is also on the panel. 

Jenn Brown then interviewed his opponent King Mo and he said that they will both be fighting at their walk-around weights and the better man should win, which would be him. King Mo said that Chael will win the main event because Rampage is out of shape. I’ve found an online live feed of the show so I should be able to watch from here on in. 

Featherweights Aaron Pico (1-1) vs Shane Krutchen (12-3)

Pico dropped Krutchen with a body punch combo to open the fight. Pico backed off, forcing Krutchen to stand. He dropped him again with a hard punch to the liver and he was out. Ref stepped in before Pico could do more damage. 

Official result – Aaron Pico (2-1) by KO (punch) at 37 seconds

He put over his team after the fight in his post-fight interview. John McCarthy asked him to call someone out but he refused to, saying he’ll fight whoever they put in front of him. Both guys have sworn in their promos tonight. Not sure if that’s by design but it is interesting given it’s the debut of the network. 

Lightweights Michael Chandler (16-4) vs Goiti Yamauchi (22-3)

After a brief cage clinch, Yamauchi dropped to the ground, almost like he was pulling guard. Chandler obliged him and went into his guard. He proceed to hold position for almost the entire round, doing enough to avoid a standup and easily win the round. Yamauchi was continously grabbing the cage but only was warned once. 10-9 Chandler

Yamauchi hurt Chandler bad with a body kick early. Chandler was wobbly for awhile after that but he managed a takedown halfway through the round. He was just laying there for awhile and almost got stood up but in the last minute, he did a lot of damage and probably stole the round. 10-9 Chandler, 20-18 overall

Lost hte video feed again for most of the 3rd round but from what I saw, Chandler dominated and should take the round and the fight easily. Should be noted that John McCarthy is already one of the best color guys in MMA. 

Official result – Michael Chandler (17-4) by unanimous decision (30-26 x 2; 30-25) 

John McCarthy told Chandler that Scott Coker says he earned a shot at Brent Primus and Chandler says “who”. McCarthy asks if that’s what he wants and he said no but he’s a company man and he’ll do whatever the company wants. 

Roy Nelson was interviewed by Josh Thomson and Jay Glazer at the desk. Thomson says he picked the winner of Nelson/Mitrione to win the whole tourney. Nelson says that if he fights his fight, he’ll win but if he doesn’t then he won’t. 

Jenn Brown interviewed Mitrione backstage about the fight with Nelson. He feels he earned a title shot and didn’t like the fact he had to go through a tournament to get the belt. But now he likes the idea because he was going to have to beat everyone anyway and this is the most exciting thing going on in the sport. This is rematch from 5 years that Nelson won but Mitrione says he’s developed as a fighter and he doesn’t feel Nelson has. 

Bellator Welterweight title – Champion Douglas Lima (29-6) vs Rory McDonald (19-4)

McDonald was clinching on the cage early, trying to get it to the ground. Neither guy did much on the feet. McDonald got a takedown with just over 2 minutes left. Lima was actually more active from his back but McDonald held him down for the majority of the round. Ref Jason Herzog actually stood them up with 12 seconds left but nothing happened on the feet. 10-9 McDonald but close

McDonald was constantly going for takedowns and controlling the cage clinch but Lima was the more active fighter, landing punches to the head and body from the clinch. When they were standing, it was pretty even although Lima was doing more damage as McDonald was bleeding from the nose. Another close round, 10-9 Lima, 19-19 overall

Round started off really slow with a lot of clinch work where nothing was happening and the crowd was booing. After they separated, McDonald got a takedown but didn’t do anything with it. Ref stood them up. After the standup, Lima started landing hard leg kicks and he dropped McDonald with one with about 45 seconds left. Lima went into his guard and did a lot of damage with ground and pound. 10-9 Lima, 29-28 overall

McDonald went for a takedown right off the bat but Lima stuffed it and ends up on top. McDonald’s left leg is swelled so badly from the kicks, it looks like it has a second knee. Lima quickly moved into mount and held it for awhile but didn’t do a ton of damage. McDonald was eventually able to move him back to guard and as soon as he did, the ref stood them up. Lima landed a hard leg kick that almost dropped McDonald again but he got a takedown. He did his best damage of the fight but probably not enough to take the round. 10-9 Lima, 39-37 overall. Should note that most on my Twitter feed have it tied up as does John McCarthy. 

McDonald got an immediate takedown. He was far more active than he’d been at any time during the fight, trying to avoid a standup. In particular, he landed some hard elbows that opened a cut on Lima’s forehead. There was a couple points when it looked like he might get stood up but McDonald did enough to stay on top. He slowed down at the end but enough to take the round. I have it 10-9 McDonald and 48-47 Lima overall but I suspect McDonald will take it. 

Official result – Rory McDonald (20-4) by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-45 and 49-46)

McDonald says Lima is the best guy he’s ever fought and after winning that fight, he really feels like the best welterweight in the world. He says he can’t walk on his leg and it feels like there’s a person growing inside of it. Not sure how two judges thought that Lima didn’t win both rounds 3 and 4 but it wasn’t a bad decision. 

McDonald had to be carried to the back by his cornermen. Lima looked upset at the decision. 

Main event – Round 1 matchup in the Heavyweight Grand Prix: Rampage Jackson (37-12) vs Chael Sonnen (29-15-1)

Sonnen is giving up 31 pounds in this matchup. Trace Adkins sang the national anthem. Blake Grice is your referee. 

First round was pretty good. Sonnen was far more active but Jackson landed the harder punches and did the most damage. Jackson threw Sonnen down halfway through the round, almost like a bodyslam, but backed off, forcing hi to stand. Sonnen got a late takedown and was working for a rear naked choke but Jackson moved into top position by the end of the round. 10-9 Jackson.…but Tom Lawlor for one has it the other way. 

Sonnen clinched up early, trying to get a takedown. He got it about 90 seconds in and manage to hold Rampage down for the rest of the round. He didn’t do a ton of damage but enough to avoid a standup. Jackson was starting to do damage from his back late in the round but not nearly enough to take it. 10-9 Sonnen and 19-19 after 2. Rampage could need a finish though as round 1 was close. 

Jackson went right to the cage clinch and manage to hold Sonnen there for over half the round. He had some really good damage with a nice series of body punches. After they finally separated, it was pretty even on the feet and Jackson was taunting Sonnen, trying to get him to throw down. Sonnen got a takedown with a minute left but Jackson was more active from his back. Ref stood them up with 10 seconds left and Jackson closed with a nice punch combo. 10-9 Jackson and 29-28 overall but I suspect Sonnen might win it. 

Official decision – Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) by uananimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Crowd booed the decision but it was probably more due to the fact they like Jackson than they disagreed with the decision. He said that neither Frank Mir nor Fedor are the best but one of them will be the next. He had a couple cute rehearsed lines but crowd didn’t seem to care. No interview with Rampage. 

Bellator 148 Paul Daley vs Andy Uhrich coverage and results

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Bellator MMA is back on Spike TV tonight with it’s first show of 2016, Bellator 148 – Daley vs Uhrich. Originally, Josh Koscheck was to headline this show with Paul Daley in the co-main, leading to a rematch of their controversial 2010 fight in UFC, which led to Daley receiving a permanent banishment from the company for hitting Koscheck after the final bell. Should Daley win tonight, they will probably just go straight to the Koscheck match on one of their tentpole shows later this year.

The rest of the card is your standard Bellator fare. Chris Honeycutt and Paul Bradley are rematched after their 2015 fight ended in a no-contest due to an accident clash of heads. Honneycutt is an undefeated prospect that Bellator is hoping to build around and he was dominating the first fight before it was stopped. Two big heavyweights clash in what should be a fun fight with Tony Johnson Jr and Raphael Butler. Both have impressive records and the winner will likely be a future opponent of Bobby Lashley should they decide to stripe Vitali Minakov of the Heavyweight title and create a new champion. Rounding out the card and probably kicking off the show will be Bellator stalwart Patrick Freire up against Ryan Couture. Freire is coming off a loss on the last Bellator show of 2015 against Derek Anderson and Couture has two straight submission wins. Whether he’s ready for it or not, a win over Pitbull will probably mean that Couture will at least be in discussions for a title shot against Will Brooks.

The SpikeTV broadcast starts at 9 pm eastern and will have live coverage here once the show starts. The prelims are streaming at http://bellator.spike.com/ starting at 7:40 pm eastern.

Prelims results:

Carl Seumanutafa (10-6) over Javy Ayala by 2nd rd TKO (ground and pound)

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (3-0) over Amber Thackett by 1st rd submission (armbar)

Justin Smitley (10-6) over Art Arciniega by decision

Heavyweights Raphael Butler (9-1-1) vs Tony Johnson Jr (9-2) Mark Beltran – ref

Sean Grande said that Scott Coker has worked things out  with Vitaly Minakov and he’ll be back in Bellator to defend his title later this year and also said that the winner of this fight is a possible contender. He also brought up the names of Bobby Lashley and Cheick Kongo. A low  blow  broke things up  after 2 minutes of grappling against the cage. After the restart , it was more grappling before they both started  throwing hard punches for about 15 seconds and then right back to grappling. Butler ended up on top and held  him down for the last minute. Close round, 10-9 Butler

More grappling to start round 2 with Butler in control of a cage clinch for the first minute or so before Butler got away from the cage. They stayed clinched up with Johnson walking him around the cage. When I said “fun fight” in the opening, this was  not what I had in mind. Butler got a takedown 3 minutes in. Butler landed some elbows that didn’t do much damage while Butler just tried to work out of bottom position. Johnson took his back at 4:15 and started landing punches to the head. Butler up at 4:30. 10-9 Johnson, 19-19 overall

Johnson with a takedown right away. Butler briefly to his feet but Johnson took his back and dragged him down. Johnson flipped him over and right into side control but Butler gave up his back again. Butler up at 2:30. They noted that the only time Johnson has ben stopped is by Daniel Cormier, the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Ref broke it up due to lack of action but Johnson took him right back down again and immediately took his back. Johnson landing a lot of punches to the head but not terribly hard and Butler still defending. A lot  of the punches seemed close to the back of the head but Beltran not even warning him. Ref stopped it with about 30 seconds left, even though he didn’t even warn Butler to defend himself.

WINNER – TONY JOHNSON JR (10-2) by TKO (punches) at 4:24 of the third

For anyone who may have missed the Rizin show on New Year’s Eve, Spike is running a show that will air right after this called “The Emperor and The King” which one would assume will include both the Fedor and King Mo fights from Rizin.

Lightweights Patricky Freire (14-7) vs Ryan Couture (10-3) John McCarthy – ref

Sean Grande brought up how Patricky Pitbull had Eddie Alvarez beat when they fought but then Jimmy pointed out that Pitbull went on to lose that fight. As I’m typing that, Couture rocked Pitbull with a punch that knocked him down but he let him back up. Ptibutt rocks Couture with a punch at 2:15 but Couture stays on his feet. Couture bleeding from his nose from that shot but moving forward with punches. Pitbull dropped Couture with one punch. Couture stayed down for a long time flat on his face after the punch

WINNER – PATRICKY FREIRE (15-7) by KO (punch)

Lashley and Josh Thomson were in a commercial for Dave and Busters between fights that was just dreadful. Royce Gracie was interviewed via sattelite about next month’s fight with Ken Shamrock Jiu Jitsu that his Dad taught him will beat the wrestling of Shamrock. 

Welterweights Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs Paul Bradley (22-6) Mike Beltran – ref

Honeycutt gets a huge  pop  as he’s from Fresno, where this show is taking place. Bradley dropped Honeycutt with a punch early and then swarmed him with punches. Ref stepped in and stopped  it. Honeycutt protesting but he was wobbly and not defending at all.

WINNER – PAUL BRADLEY (23-6) by TKO (punches)

Crowd booed the hell out of Bradley during the winner’s announcement and post-fight interview. He called out the crowd for  booing, saying he was just doing his job. Bradley says “I hope I’m in contention for a title shot”. 

They aired the Javy Ayala/Carl Seumanutafa fight from the prelims next. Carl won by 2nd round KO due to  ground and pound as posted above. Ayala dominated the first, almost a 10-8 round. He nailed a flying knee early in the second and was all over Seumanutafa. Carl managed to work his way to the top position and then started to take over. Ayala looked exhausted and Carl busted him open with an elbow to the head and methodically worked his way into mount and it was stopped fairly quickly after that when he just kept landing unanswered  punches. Ayala just leeking blood  at the end of it.

Main Event –

Welterweights Paul Daley (37-13-2) vs Andy Uhrich (11-5) John McCarthy – ref

Paul Daley cut  an AWESOME taped promo  for the Fresno crowd. “People of Fresno, I came here to entertain you all. Your hometown boy, Josh CROTCH-check is nowhere to be found. I’m gonna show you real entertainment and how a real fighter fights. This is just a preview of the ass-whupping your hometown boy is gonna get”. They cut to a shot of Koescheck in the crowd, clearly amused but feining anger. Andy Uhrich comes out to the Hulk Hogan theme “Real American”. 

Daley controlling the distance early. Uhirich landing light strikes from distance and shoots for a takedown but easily stuffed by Daley. Crowd actually chanting for Uhrich during a clinch. Daley dropped him with a punch at the end of a combo and Uhrich is out.

WINNER – PAUL DALEY (38-13-2) by KO at 2:00

Daley and Koscheck yelling at each other, as Koscheck is at cageside. Daley all over Koscheck in his post-fight promo. He says he came out and entertained the fans and “Crotch-check” would’ve put them to sleep. Koscheck just making the “keep talking” motion. This fight should have some steam when it happens. 

Thanks for joining me tonight. Dave has you covered for UFC on FOX tomorrow  afternoon! 

Bellator 143 live results: Joe Warren vs. L.C. Davis

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The event is headlined by a bantamweight title eliminator bout as former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Joe Warren takes on L.C. Davis. The co-main event is a middleweight contest between Joey Beltran and Kendall Grove. The main card airs on Spike TV at 9 PM ET with preliminary card action on Spike.com beginning at 6:30 PM ET. We will post prelims results as they happen and start live play by play when the Spike broadcast begins. 

Prelims results:

Jose Flores (5-0) 1st round KO (kicks) over Gilbert Jimenez in 2:17

John Teixeira (20-1-2) SD win over Gleristone Santos (28-29, 29-28 x 2)

Dan Charles (10-3) 2nd round KO (punches) over Chase Gormley

Darrion Caldwell (8-0) by 1st round submission at 2:35 (rear naked choke) over Shawn Bunch

Steve Garcia (6-0) by 1st round TKO at 4:59 (punches) over Eduardo Bustillos

Amador Ramirez (5-4) UD win over Saul Elizondo (29-28 x 3)

Abdul Razak (4-0) 1st round KO (punch) over Bryce Sheppard-Mejia in 1:26

And we’re live with the main card and the fighters are in the ring!

Heavyweights Vinicius Spartan (7-3) vs Ewerton Teixeira (3-0)

Big John is the referee for the opening bout. Spartan with a takedown 1:00 in. Quickly gets into side control and lands punches and elbows to the head. Teixeira sweeps into top position at 2:30. Spartan working for a triangle from the bottom but Teixeira out and to his feet. Standup is pretty even, with Spartan controlling the pace. Spartan with a flash takedown at 4:30 but Teixeira right back up. 10-9 Spartan

This is  the first action in over 2 years for each guy, Sean Grande informs us. Ken Shamrock is in the building. The announcers were going on about the “new scoring system” again in the prelims. Teixiera looks to be cut between the eyes from the damage done by Spartan in round 1. Spartan with a takedown at 1:45. Not much happening on the ground but Spartan is trying to advance and working for an armbar. Spartan landing elbows to the head and body around 3:30. Spartan gets an arm triangle and the tap after a series of elbows to the head to get the win.

WINNER – VINICIUS SPARTAN (8-3) by submission (arm triangle) at 4:00

Featherweights Emmanuel Sanchez (10-2) vs Henry Corrales (12-1)

Both guys are considered prospects but have losses to former Bellator champions. Randy Couture was just shown on camera at ringside in the background but not identified. His son was scheduled to fight in the prelims but his opponent missed weight by SEVENTEEN POUNDS.

Corrales getting the better of the standup early on, opening up a cut on the forehead of Sanchez. Sanchez with a flying triangle at 2:15 and it seems in pretty tight. Sanchez grabs an arm in an attempt to tighten the grip but Corrales escapes and ends up in top  position. Sanchez escapes and to his feet at 4:15. Sanchez’ face is all bloody but he’s winning the round. 10-9 Sanchez

They are going to re-air the Shawn Bunch/Darion Caldwell fight from the prelims. That was a great performance by Caldwell. Sanchez backs up Corrales with a punch/knee combo and takes him down at 1:30. Corrales to his feet at 2:30. They are going to announce Bobby Lashley’s opponent for Vengeance later tonight. Standup again is pretty even. Corrales with some bruising and swelling under his right eye. Sanchez takes Corrales’ back standing and takes him down right before the end of the round and gets a rear naked choke right at the end of the round. 10-9 Sanchez

Sanchez controlling the pace early in the round. Punches are coming much slower on both sides now. Sanchez connecting with a lot of kicks to the body and head while Corrales is almost exclusively punching. Corrales with a nice litle flurry of  punches at 4:00 and then defends a takedown attempt by Sanchez. Sanchez got a takedown right at the end of the round. Close but probably Sanchez’ as well. I’ve got it 30-27 Sanchez

WINNER – EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (11-2) by split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28). No idea how anyone in their right mind could give Corrales all 3 rounds there. That judge should not be judging MMA. 

They just announced Lashley’s opponent in November as James Thompson. Yup, they’re trying to sign that one again. We shall see. Thompson, of course, won the first matchup 3 1/2 years ago and they’ve been scheduled twice since then and Thompson has pulled out due to injury both times.

Middleweights Joey Beltran (16-11) vs Kendall Grove (21-15)

This could be a loser leaves town match with Beltran having lost 3 of his last 5 and Grove 2 of his last 3. Both likely have bigger price tags than the majority of the roster. Hard to believe Beltran was a heavyweight not all that long ago. Kerry Hatley is the ref, so expect some shenanigans.

Grove looks like the one who would be two weight classes above Beltran as he seriously looks like he could trim down to Welterweight, if not lightweight. Both guys keeping their distance early on. Crowd turning on the fight halfway through the first as they may not have landed 10 punches between them. Grove pushes him to the cage and lands a nice punch combo at 2:45. Announcer tonight are talking a lot about The Ultimate Fighter on Spike, in this case relating it to Grove. I find that interesting for some reason. Way more interesting than this fight. Beltran seems to be the aggressor so may be winning the round but neither guy has done much of anything. 10-9 Beltran, I guess.

Sean Grande called that an entertaining first round in his very best Tony Schiavone impersonation. Strikes landed were 27-8 for Grove in Round 1. They threw almost the same amount though. They were actually debating whether that first round could be 10-8 Grove. WHAT? Beltran with a takedown at 1:45 but lets Grove up right away. Nice punch exchange at 2:15. Beltran starting to control the cage at 2:45. Grove bleeding from the mouth after  the punch exchange. Beltran starting to land leg kicks at will. Grove just keeping away and throwing from distance. Grove’s leg starting to buckle every time he gets hit at the end of the round. Crowd booing again as Grove is essentially just running away. 10-9 Beltran

Grove landing from distance at the start of the round. Grove also throwing leg kicks of his own. Grove with a nice kick/punch combo at 1:30 that backs Beltran up. But Beltran still basically chasing him around the cage. Beltran gets inside the range and lands a nice combo at 2:15. Grove runs away again. Grove knocks Beltran down with a punch out of nowhere and he was out but got  one more punch in before Hatley stopped it. Nice finish but terrible fight.

WINNER – KENDALL GROVE (22-15) by KO (punch) at 2:27 of Round 3

They interviewed James Thompson at cageside. With his thick accent it was hard to make anything out but he seems eager to fight Lashley again. Might be #PlansChange as they are saying the main event is next, meaning no re-airing of the Bunch/Caldwell fight. 

Main Event – Bantamweights Joe Warren (12-4) vs LC Davis (13-6)

They aired the walkouts but nothing special. Warren gets a title shot with a win and could be done with a loss as this is the last fight on his contract. John McCarthy is the ref. He stopped the fight where Warren lost the title by verbally submitting where Warren took a tantrum afterward. Warren controlling the action early and gets a takedown 1:15 in. Warren just holding him down and doing just enough to avoid a standup. Warren postures up at 3:15 to land some hammerfists and then right back into Davis’ guard. Davis almost made it to his feet at 4:15 but Warren dragged him right down again. Crowd starting to boo. 10-9 Warren unless you’re going with the alleged “new scoring” and then it’s a 10-8

Davis hit with an accidental eye poke to start the round. Sean Grande does the Michael Cole fake laugh when John McCarthy asks Davis if he can see and then if he’s ugly. Warren takes Davis down immediately on the restart but Davis to his feet right away. Davis pressing the action in this round, connecting with more punches. Warren went for an angle slam at 1:45 but Davis slid off his shoulders. Warren with a takedown at 2:45. Davis landing light punches to the head and body from the bottom as Warren tries to pass. Davis to his feet but Warren takes his back and drags him back down with a Greco Roman throw. Warren back into top position at 4:15.  10-9 Warren

Warren with a takedown 30 seconds in. Davis up quickly but Warren stays on his back and brings him down again. Warren into top position at 1:15. Jimmy Smith gave round 2 to Warren. I guess it was closer than Round 1 but seemed pretty clearly for Warren to me. Davis up but Warren takes him down again at 2:30. Warren takes his back at 3:00, which allows Davis to get to his feet. Warren takes him down again at 3:45. Davis landing punches to the body and head from the bottom. Warren with a couple of hard elbows from the top. Warren into mount at 4:30. Davis works out of it but Warren still all over him. 10-9 Warren

WINNER – JOE WARREN (13-4) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Crowd booed the announcement but that was probably more for the fight than the decision itself. Warren gets a title shot with the win. 

Show started great but the co-main and main were kind of awful so it’s hard to give this show a recommendation. Maybe check out the prelims.

Thanks for joining me here for Bellator. See you next  time!