Former UFC star and MMA commentator/podcast host Chael Sonnen is adding the new Real American Freestyle promotion to his list of jobs.
Announced by the promotion co-founded by Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Israel Martinez, the 48-year-old Sonnen will be a live commentator and analyst for the new group.
The group, which will be focused on traditional freestyle wrestling, will hold their first event on August 30th in Cleveland, Ohio.
Before moving into fighting, Sonnen was a standout amateur wrestler, earning All-American status at the University of Oregon along with being a two-time PAC-10 runner-up. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Greco-Roman World University Championships, and was a two-time Dave Schultz Memorial International Greco-Roman winner.
In his MMA career, he competed in the UFC, WEC and Bellator where he ended his career in June 2019. He also founded Submission Underground in 2016, a submission grappling promotion. Along with his YouTube channel, Sonnen is also a UFC analyst for ESPN.
Sonnen made news Wednesday for publicly apologizing to the couple he confronted in a Las Vegas hallway in December 2021 while allegedly intoxicated. After he was initially charged with battery by strangulation along with 10 misdemeanor battery charges, Sonnen pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of breaching the peace and was fined $750.
With Andrew Zarian out on vacation through the end of the year, the good ship WOL must keep afloat in a sea of wrestling news so I’m wearing the captain hat for the next three Sundays.
On the Sunday feel-good edition of Wrestling Observer Live, we have to talk about the successful return of WWE Saturday NIght’s Main Event on NBC. While the show didn’t have a ton of news, it was another giant marker in the sand for WWE as they march into another huge year ahead.
I love the AEW Continental Classic and look ahead to what matches are left to come and who I think the final four will end up being at Worlds End. I also talk about the online conjecture about Toni Storm’s return to AEW and wonder if it’s all a bit too muddled.
And how could I not bring up Chris Jericho’s surprise appearance in GCW Saturday? What does it mean for the relationship between AEW and GCW if anything?
All that, plus my theory on why Chael Sonnen is suddenly cornering and acting as a mouthpiece for Colby Covington in the UFC. (Strong hint: he’s trying to get to WWE.)
The boxing bug has bit two former UFC rivals as Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will do battle for a third time — only this time in the ring vs. the cage.
The news was revealed Sunday night, coming on the same day Silva denied he would be fighting actor Terry Crews. It’s being promoted as the “grand finale” of Silva’s career even though he has declined to answer whether he will retire.
12 days before their first fight is inducted into the UFC hall of fame, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will meet again, this time in a boxing match. pic.twitter.com/rfuld9Aavh
The two will clash on Saturday, June 15th in Brazil, but the rules are unknown as is whether it will be a pro or exhibition bout. It will come nearly two weeks before their first UFC fight is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
The 49-year-old Silva (3-2) has boxed professionally three times since retiring from the UFC, picking up wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz before losing to Jake Paul in September 2022. While the 47-year-old Sonnen has trained in boxing before, he has never competed in boxing professionally.
The two fought twice before in the Octagon with Silva picking up both victories.
One of the famous fights in recent UFC history is going into the Hall of Fame.
Announced during Saturday’s UFC 300, the first-ever Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen fight will be part of this year’s class as part of the June 27th ceremony in Las Vegas. It will go in their Fight Wing.
The 2017 bout for Silva’s then-middleweight title was one of the most anticipated at the time due to the immense trash talking and emotional build leading up to it.
The verbose Sonnen was going for his first UFC title off a three-fight win streak and was looking to dethrone Silva, winner of 12 straight with six straight title defenses, and arguably the best fighter in the world at that point.
At UFC 117 in August 2010, the two met and Sonnen dominated Silva for nearly five rounds using his wrestling. It appeared a major upset was in the works.
But with less than two minutes to go, Silva ensnared Sonnen in a triangle armbar submission, getting the challenger to tap — only the second time in UFC history such a submission finished a fight.
From the UFC:
“Silva’s submission came with a -60 significant strike differential and remains the greatest statistical comeback finish in UFC championship history.”
The fight won Fight of the Night and also Fight of the Year by many media outlets. The UFC did dodge a bullet as Sonnen later tested positive for elevated testosterone levels which canceled plans for an immediate rematch.
The two did eventually rematch years at July 2012’s UFC 148 which Silva won via second round TKO.
The fight joins inductions for Wanderlei Silva, Frankie Edgar and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Former UFC and Bellator star Chael Sonnen was given five misdemeanor battery citations by Las Vegas police Saturday after an alleged brawl at the Four Seasons hotel in Las Vegas.
TMZ first reported the story which included a video of Sonnen being taken away in handcuffs. They said that according to law enforcement sources, Sonnen wasn’t arrested because they didn’t witness the incident.
As of this time, it’s unknown what is next for Sonnen legally.
As TMZ’s report goes, a witness said Sonnen was banging on a hotel room door around 7 PM when a man and woman walked by and an altercation broke out for reasons that are unclear. Sonnen got into it with the man and police were called after the woman began screaming.
The retired 44-year-old has yet to comment publicly on the matter. He is currently employed by ESPN as an analyst and by Bellator MMA as a commentator.
Following his second round TKO loss at the hands of former UFC middleweight champion Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222, Chael Sonnen laid down his gloves in the center of the cage and retired from the sport.
“Listen, I got one thing to say,” Sonnen told the audience. “I had a hell of a lot of fun. I had a good run. Scott Coker gave me a five-fight deal, he let me honor all five fights, and ladies and gentlemen, I’m walking out. I appreciate the memories, and goodbye.”
Sonnen won two of his five Bellator fights after a long UFC career that saw him challenge middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a memorable two-fight series in 2010 and 2012. He would go on to face Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title, and although he lost via first round stoppage, he nearly fluked his way into the title as Jones had suffered a broken toe and would not have been able to come out for the second round had Sonnen survived the first.
In a career filled with controversy, “The American Gangster” retired with a record of 30-17-1. He was twice suspended for drug test failures, but that was largely forgotten late in his career as his promo style made it so fans either loved or hated him.
Sonnen drew two monster pay-per-view buy numbers for the fights with Silva and also drew strong TV ratings for fights with Michael Bisping on FOX and Tito Ortiz on Spike TV.
Sonnen is in the unique position now of being featured on both Bellator and UFC broadcasts due to his contract with ESPN that preceded that network picking up UFC television.
Sonnen’s biggest career wins were against former champions Bisping, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, and Wanderlei Silva, the last two coming for Bellator.
Bellator MMA returns to Madison Square Garden Friday night on DAZN for one of the bigger shows in their history with even several prelim fights piquing interest among fight fans.
In the main event, welterweight champion Rory MacDonald returns on relatively short notice to face Neiman Gracie in the Welterweight Grand Prix semifinals. MacDonald recently advanced after a draw with Jon Fitch after which he questioned he had the instinct to fight anymore given a newfound focus on religion.
In the co-main event, Chael Sonnen battles former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida for what is expected to be a shot at Ryan Bader’s light heavyweight title.
In what is expected to be a great fight, bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell rematches with RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi for Caldwell’s title. The two clashed at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve show with Horiguchi picking up the third round submission win. If the Japanese MMA force wins Friday, he is contractually obligated to defend the belt once a year.
The show also features super prospect Aaron Pico on the prelims trying to rebound after a brutal knockout loss and a change of camps to Jackson-Winkeljohn, the return of BJJ ace and Conor McGregor teammate Dillion Danis for the first time after the post-fight McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov brawl, and several female fights on the prelims that have garnered interest for several reasons.
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In the early prelims:
“Queen” Rena Kubota was submitted in the first round of her US debut, losing to Lindsey Van Zandt, who moved to 6-1 with the win.
“Master” Valerie Lloureda beat Hooters waitress Larkyn Dasch by unanimous decision to move to 2-0
Robson Gracie Jr moved to 2-0 with a slick submission win over Oscar Vera. His cousin fights for the welterweight belt later tonight.
Featherweights Aaron Pico (4-2) vs Adam Borics (12-0)
Much more measured first round by Pico, who is usually either finished or finishes his opponent in quick fashion. He was patient and took his unbeaten opponent down several times but didn’t do a ton of damage on the feet or the ground but enough to win the round easily. 10-9 Pico
Pico just kept taking down Borics over and and over but then got caught with a flying knee and finished.
Official result – Adam Borics (13-0) by KO at 3:55 of Round 2
There was talk of having Pico fight for the featherweight title with champion Patricio Pitbull also holding the 155 lb belt. Now you’d have to think he may be hard pressed to get a spot in the upcoming Grand Prxi tourney in that weight class. Devastating loss for Bellator’s top prospect.
More prelim action with world boxing champion Heather Hardy dropping to 2-2 after being stopped in the first round by Taylor Turner, who came in with a 3-5 record and dominated Hardy on her way to a TKO win.
Bellator Bantamweight title fight –
Champion Darrion Caldwell (12-2) vs Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2)
Both guys threw kicks from distance before Caldwell got a takedown less than a minute in. Caldwell rocks Horiguchi with a an elbow to the head. Caldwell lands a couple more hard elbows as Horiguchi tries to get to his feet. Horiguchi landing light punches from a sitting position while Caldwell maintains top control. Caldwell gets him to his back again and lans some hard punches to the head and then more elbows. Ref stands them up, claiming that Caldwell was holding Horiguchi’s glove. 10-9 Caldwell
Horiguchi advancing to start round 2 but Caldwell doing his best to keep at distance early. Caldwell gets a takedown 2 minutes in. Horiguchi landing punches to the body from a sitting position on the ground. These shots seem harder than the ones he was landing in the first. Horiguchi briefly to his feet but Caldwell drags him right down. No ground work from Caldwell. Horiguchi continuing to land punches from sitting but the ref stands them up with 20 seconds left. Horiguchi advancing and landing punches from distance on the standup. Tough round to score. 10-9 Horiguchi, 19-19
Horiguchi lands a knee to the body and then stuffs a takedown attempt with a guillotine. Horiguchi landing punches to the body and head and then ends up in top position. Horiguchi continuing to land enough to avoid a standup while maintaining top position. Horiguchi stands up with 2 minutes left and Caldwell follows. Caldwell with another takedown attempt but Horiguchi sprawls out and ends up on top again. Horiguchi takes the back and lands hard punches but Caldwell to his feet with a minute left. Both guys trading hard shots. Horiguchi sprawls out of another takedown attempt but this time Caldwell ends up on top. Horiguchi landing punches from a sitting position again. Horiguchi to his feet but eats a hard knee to the head at the bell. 10-9 Horiguchi, 29-28
Horiguchi with a knockdown early in the 4th and goes for a front choke but Caldwell pops out and ends up in top position. Again, Horiguchi in a sitting position against the cage and landing light punches to the head and body. Caldwell doing absolutely nothing in top position. Crowd booing heavily. Caldwell briefly postures up to improve position but ends up back in the same spot and still eating the light punches from Horiguchi. Ref has warned them to work a couple times and finally stands them up with 90 seconds left. Caldwell misses a takedown attempt badly with 45 seconds left. Caldwell takes it to a cage clinch with 15 seconds left but Horiguchi gets control before the bell and takes him down. 10-9 Horiguchi, 39-37 overall
Caldwell gets a takedown 45 seconds in and they end up in the exact same position with Horiguchi sitting with his back to the cage. Crowd boos this instantly. Horiguchi again landing light punches to the head and body. Caldwell just laying on top of him. Horiguchi appears to be setting up a guillotine. Ref not even warning them to work even though their is almost no action besides the punches from Horiguchi, which have no power behind them. Horiguchi to his feet and eats a hard knee. Caldwell with a takedown but Horiguchi landing elbows to the head and ends up reversing position. They end up back in the same position with Horiguchi sitting with his back to the cage. More elbows from Horiguchi and punches to the body. Caldwell did open a cut under Horiguchi’s right eye with an elbow. 10-9Horiguchi, 49-46 overall
Official result – Kyoji Horiguchi (28-2) by unanimous decision (48-47; 49-46 x 2)
Horiguchi is the first Japanese fighter to win a US-based world title in MMA. He apologized to the fans for the lack of action in the fight. This was his 13th straight MMA win since losing a UFC flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson.
Featherweights Eduardo Dantas (21-6) vs Juan Archuleta (22-1)
Both guys staying very far apart early. Ref warning one of them for extending fingers but hard to tell which one. Archuleta seems more willing to engage but they barely touch in the first 90 seconds. Archuleta lands some jabs as he moves in. Dantas lands a nice spinning back fist. Archuleta tries to clinch up and then gets a takedown but Dantas right up. Archuleta controlling his back standing. Archuleta landing knees to the back of the legs. Archuleta lands some foot stomps. Dantas blatantly grabbing the cage but the ref not noticiing. Dantas works him around to front position but Archuleta still controlling the clinch. Ref warns them to work with 45 seconds left. They separate on their own with 30 seconds left. Archuleta lands a couple high kicks before the bell. 10-9 Archuleta
Nice punch exchange to open the round as Dantas is a little more aggressive. He’s pushed back by a flurry from Archuleta, though. Dantas starting to control the pace. Archuleta with a nice punch combo at 1:15 and then a takedown attempt stuffed by Dantas. Archuleta ends up in control of a cage clinch. Dantas with cuts around both eyes but takes control of the clinch. They separate at 2:00. Dantas gets off a nice punch combo. Archuleta rocks Dantas with a punch combo at 3:30. Dantas misses a spinning back fist and almost falls over. Archuleta with another punch combo with 15 seconds left and then knocks Dantas out with a hard right just before the bell. One punch KO.
Official result – Juan Archuleta (23-1) by KO (punch) at 4:59 of the 2nd round
They brought out a stretcher for Dantas but he managed to leave the cage on his own power. It was a vicious KO with Dantas doing a flat back bump and his head bouncing off the canvas. This was Archuleta’s 18th straight win and he asked for a world title shot at either 135 or 145 and specifically called out Horiguchi, sayiing he won’t leave the States with the belt over and over again. He claims he’s the #1 contender in 3 division, including 155 and said he wants all 3 belts. The promo was very reminiscent of Henry Cejudo and not necessarily in a good way.
Bantamweights Ricky Bandejas (11-2) vs Patrick Mix (10-0)
Mix takes the back standing and secures a body triangle. Mix with elbows to the head as he sets up a choke. Mix secures the rear naked choke and drags him to the mat, getting the tap.
Official result – Patrick Mix (11-0) by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:06
He said it meant everything to him to win in his home state and he called out James Gallagher, who Ricky Bandejas had beaten in a previous fight.
Catchweight (175 lbs) Dillon Dannis (1-0) vs Max Humphrey (3-2)
Dannis goes for a leg seconds in but Humphrey shakes him off. Dannis gets him down at 30 seconds and lands some punches. Dannis continues to land punches as he takes the back. Dannis with full back mount and landing hard punches. Ref warns Humphreys to fight back. Humphrey to his knees and Dillon now setting up a choke. Dannis secures the body lock and briefly locks on the choke but Humphrey fights it off. Dannis into mount at 3:00 but then takes the back again. Humphrey breaks the body lock briefly but Dannis secures it again and now going for a Kimura. Dannis landing hammer fists to the head and then transitions to the belly down armbar for a quick tap.
Official result – Dillon Dannis (2-0) by submission (armbar) at 4:28
Dannis basically toyed with Humphrey, clearly wanting a TKO win but then “settling” for the submission. He claimed to the best in the world and called out Rory McDonald and Jon Jones.
Light heavyweights Chael Sonnen (30-16-1) vs Lyoto Machida (25-8)
Sonnen goes for a takedown to open and ends up in control of a cage clinch. They separate on their own at 1:00. Nice punch exchange and then Sonnen takes hiim down. Sonnen takes the back. Machida to his feet but Sonnen still controlling the back. Machida shakes him off and Sonnen controlling the cage clinch. Sonnen connecting with foot stomps. Separation at 2:45. Machida lands a couple hard body kicks and a flying knee knocks Sonnen down. Machida on top landing punches to the head. Machida landing hammer fists and elbows to the head and Sonnen not fighting back. Machida with hard elbows to the body. Sonnen turtling as Machida lays in more punches with 30 seconds left. Sonnen to his feet and in control of a clinch at 4:45. 10-8 Machida
Machida knocks Sonnen down with a knee to open round 2 and again all over him with punches on the ground and the ref stops it.
Official result – Lyoto Machida (26-8) by TKO (punches) at 22 seconds of the 2nd round
Sonnen had his gloves in his hands and motioned to Big John that he wanted to talk after Machida. Machida thanked Sonnen for taking the fight and put him over as a tough competitor and asked the fans to cheer for him, which they did.
Sonnen said he probably lost the first round. He said he’s had a lot of fun and he’s walking out, he appreciates the memories and goodbye. He then laid his gloves in the centre of the cage.
Main event for the Bellator Welterweight title and the semi-finals of the Bellator World Welterweight Grand Prix –
Champion Rory MacDonald (20-5-1) vs Neiman Gracie (9-0)
Gracie throwing kicks and punches from distance early. Rory lands a nice head kick 1:00 in. Gracie shoots for a takedown but stuffed. Gracie with leg kicks and jabs from distance. They trade hard punches to the head at 3:15. MacDonald starting to find his range late in the round. MacDonald catches a kick and pushes Gracie back to the fence but doesn’t go for the kill. MacDonald showing damage from the leg kicks late iin the round. Close round, 10-9 Gracie
Gracie with a trip takedown to start round 2. MacDonald with a leg lock attempt and briefly gets to his feet. Gracie with a kneebar attempt but MacDonald escapes. Both to their feet at 1:15. They clinch in the center and MacDonald lands knees to the body. Gracie takes it to the cage and then takes the back standing. Gracie gets him down but MacDonald sweeps into top position. Gracie secures a body lock from his back. MacDonald landing punches to the head while Gracie seems to be setting up a triangle from his back. MacDonald with elbows to the head in the last minute. MacDonald postures up to improve position and drops a couple of hammer fists. 10-9 MacDonald, 19-19
MacDonald landing punches from distance early in the 3rd. Gracie with some swelling around his left eye. Gracie moves in for a takedown at 2:00 but MacDonald stuffs it. MacDonald with a takedown and moves right into side control. Gracie works hiim back to half guard. MacDonald stands up to improve position but then goes back into guard at 2;45. Gracie ties him up with a body lock. MacDonald landing punches to the body and head fom the top. Gracie sweeps into top position and secures an armbar. MacDonald fights it off and regains top position. 10-9 MacDonald, 29-28 overall
Gracie pressing the action to start round 4. Gracie landing jabs from distance. Gracie with a takedown attempt blocked but ends up taking the back standing at 2:00. Gracie manages to drag him to the mat while maintaining back control. MacDonald sweeps into top position at 3:00. Gracie maintains the body lock from his back. MacDonald landing hard punches to the head with 30 seconds left and breaks the body lock. MacDonald stands up but Gracie stays on his back as the round ends. 10-9 MacDonald, 39-37
Gracie attempts a takedown and ends up in control of a cage clinch 30 seconds in. Gracie gets him down at 1:00. Gracie moves into mount at 1:15. MacDonald works him back to half guard at 2:45 and didn’t take any damage while he was being mounted. MacDonald works him back to full guard at 3:45. Crowd starting to boo. Gracie with a heel hook attempt with 15 seconds left. MacDonald escapes at the bell. 10-9 Gracie, 48-47 MacDonald overall
Official result – Rory MacDonald (21-5-1) by unanimous decision (49-46; 48-47 x 2)
MacDonald advances to the tournament final where he’ll face former 2-time champion Douglas Lima later this year for the title and the $1 million grand prize.
At 42 years old, Fedor Emelianenko showed he still has plenty of power and used it to defeat Chael Sonnen Saturday to advance to the Bellator heavyweight title Grand Prix finals against Ryan Bader.
Emelianenko beat Sonnen by first round TKO (4:46) in the main event of Bellator 209 Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. He’ll face light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader who advanced Friday with a dominant performance over Matt Mitrione at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
Emelianenko countered Sonnen’s attempts at takedowns for the most part, landing hard fists that immediately hurt Sonnen in addition to sambo throws. Sonnen did eventually gain the advantage on the ground, but Emelianenko was able to avoid any serious trouble.
The end came when Sonnen had Emelianenko’s back and was working for a rear naked choke. He rolled over the top and left himself prone to a punch by Emelianenko that led to Sonnen to cover up and take a dozen unanswered shots before the referee called it.
Bader and Emelianenko will meet in January for the vacant Bellator heavyweight title.
One night after light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader punched his ticket to the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix finals, Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen will do battle for the chance to face him for the vacant Bellator heavyweight title in January.
Welcome to our live coverage for Bellator 208 from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, live on Paramount Network and DAZN.
As mentioned, the main event will pit Emelianenko vs. Sonnen against each other in an interesting match-up of styles. Sonnen dominated Rampage Jackson in a decision win to get where while Emelianenko defeated Frank Mir by first round TKO in his first tournament appearance.
Also on the main card, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson vs. Saad Awad, Cheick Kongo faces Timothy Johnson, former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko returns to take on Anatoly Tokov, and Henry Corrales faces Andy Main.
Our coverage begins with the kickoff of the main card at 9 PM Eastern.
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First up is a featherweight bout between Henry Corrales (15-3) and Andy Main (12-3-1). Rob Hinds is the referee.
Main is making his Bellator debut after fighting for Pancrase in Japan. Corrales is a Bellator vet with wins over Georgi Karakhanyan as well as former UFC fighters Noad Lahat and Cody Bollinger.
Main is the taller fighter and landed a lot of punches and kicks from distance early, while Corrales was having trouble finding his range. Crowd was booing toward the end of the round as both guys seemed reluctant to engage at times. Corrales woke up the crowd with a flurry of punches with about 30 seconds left that may have been enough to steal a close round. Main did rock Corrales with a counter shot right before the bell. 10-9 Corrales
Main had a really nice combo in the first minute, right after Mike Goldberg brought up the fact that he has won 4 of his last 5. Corrales’ only pro losses were against 2 former champs and Emmanuel Sanchez, who has the next title shot. Most of the action in the first half of the round took place in the center of the cage until Main got a takedown but Corrales got right up. Both guys were landing leg kicks from distance while also throwing occasional punches. Another close round. 10-9 Main, 19-19
Corrales landed a really nice punch combo a minute into the third that rocked Main. Main having trouble walking around from taking all kinds of damage from leg kicks on his lead leg. Corrales drops Main with a punch combo and then finishes him on the ground with punches.
Offical result – Henry Corrales (16-3) by KO (punches) at 2:08 of the 3rd round
Corrales has now won 4 straight, including 2 KOs. He put over Main as a tough opponent and his fight camp of MMA Lab, who he gave credit to for his winning streak. Benson Henderson is a teammate and will fight later tonight in the co-main.
Next up is a battle of Russian middleweights featuring former champion Alexander Shlemenko (57-11) vs Anatoly Tokov (26-3). Shlemenko has been splitting his time between M-1 and Bellator and has just 1 win here in the last 4 years, including losses to Tito Ortiz and Gegard Mousasi. Tokov has won his first 2 Bellator fights, both by stoppage. Dan Miragliotta is the referee for this one.
Tokov is a teammate of Fedor, who of course fights in the main event tonight. He was on the defensive early as Shlemenko controlled the page, landing punches and kicks. They fought for control in a cage clinch and Tokov briefly took Shlemenko down. Halfway through the round, Tokov got him down again and held him down a little longer. Tokov controlled his back when standing but Shlemenko eventually got away. Tokov back to the cage clinch and Shlemenko was looking to the ref to break it up but eventually got away himself. Tokov back to the cage clinch with 30 seconds left and held him against the cage for the rest of the round. 10-9 Tokov
John McCarthy agreed with me and scored round 1 for Tokov. Shlemenko looking tired and nailed Tokov with a low blow, which should earn him a little longer to rest. Dan Miragliotta gave him a hard warning. Tokov took him down right after the restart. Shlemenko up quickly but Tokov controlling his back standing. Shlemenko got away and thowing a lot of desparation shots with Tokov landing nice counters. Hulk Hogan had a tweet aired on the broadcast in support of Chael Sonnen and Mike Goldberg put him over, doing a Hulkster impression. Tokov back to the cage clinch and again Shlemenko looking to the ref to break it up. They separated on their own and Tokov looking tired now as well. Tokov took the back standing with about 30 seconds left, landing knees to the legs as the round ends. 10-9 Tokov, 20-18 overall
Herschel Walker and Ryan Bader were both shown cageside. Big John has Tokov up 20-18 as well. Shlemenko with a standing guillotine attempt in the first minute but gives it up quickly. Tokov starting to pick off Shlemenko with punches at will so Shlemenko took it to the cage clinch. Tokov broke away fairly quickly and landing shots from distance. Shlemenko looking very tired but does get a flash takedown halfway through the round. Tokov takes the back standing with 90 seconds left. Tokov gets a takedown but Shlemenko up quickly. Tokov hangs onto the back. Tokov took him down a couple more times but Shlemenko kept getting up with Tokov still on his back. Tokov with knees to the head and body as the round ends. 10-9 Tokov, 30-27 overall
Official result – Anatoly Tokov (27-3) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
They officially announced a second card in Hawaii on December 14th on Paramount the night before the DAZN card on the 15th. Announced fights are Brent Primus defending his lightweight title against former champ Michael Chandler on the Friday and Hawaiian Ilema-Lei MacFarlane defending the women’s flyweight belt against Valerie Letourneau on the 15th. Also on the Saturday card are Lyoto Machida making his Bellator debut against Rafael Carvalho and a first round match in the welterweight Grand Prix between Neiman Gracie and Ed Ruth.
Speaking of the welterweight tourney, 50 Cent was show cageside. He has committed a 1 million dollar prize to the winner of the Grand Prix. Douglas Lima, who has already advanced to round 2 was interviewed at the desk by Jenn Brown, Frank Mir and Josh Thomson but didn’t really have anything of importance to say.
Heavyweights Cheick Kongo (28-10-2) and Timothy Johnson (12-4) are next up. Kongo is one of only two fighters to have picked up at least 10 wins in both Bellator and UFC. Johnson is making his Bellator debut after going 3-3 in UFC. They share a common former opponent in former Bellator champ Alexander Volkov. Kongo beat him by decision in 2015 while Johnson lost via split decision last year. An interesting note is that Kongo is higher ranked at heavyweight according to FightMatrix.com than 6 of the 8 fighters in the Grand Prix but didn’t get a spot in that tourney despite 6 straight wins in Bellator.
Todd Anderson gets the officiating duties for this one. Both guys keeping their distance early. Johnson moves in to clinch on the cage but Kongo takes him down and finishes him quickly with punches on the ground.
Official result – Cheick Kongo (29-10-2) by TKO (punches) at 1:08
That’s two straight first-round finishes for Kongo. Kongo, in his post-fight interview asked for Bellator to bring a card to France. Kongo asked for a fight with the winner of the tournament and even said he could fight in a few weeks if needed to. He said he’s still going strong at age 43 and is drug-free.
Former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson (25-8) takes on Saad Awad (23-9) in a lightweight bout next. Rob Hinds gets the reffing duties. Saad Awad ties Alexander Shlemenko for 3rd all-time in fights with 18th here tonight.
Both guys throwing mainly kicks early. Henderson looks to be giving up size to Awad, who has fought at welterweight in the past. Awad with a standing guillotine after Henderson moved in for a takedown. Henderson completes the takedown and escapes the guillotine. Henderson takes the back with 2 minutes left and secures a body lock. Awad escapes and ends up in top position with a minute left. Awad with a D’Arce choke attempt. Henderson escapes and lands punches and elbows. Henderson takes the back again and working for a rear naked choke. Awad escapes and throwing upkicks after Henderson stands up. 10-9 Henderson
Awad pushing the pace early in round 2. Henderson with a takedown 90 seconds in but Awad reverses and ends up on top. Awad with a guillotine but loses position and Henderson escapes and ends up on top. Awad to his feet but Henderson controls his back and drags him down again. Awad escapes and to his feet but Henderson takes him down again. Henderson takes the back and landing punches and knees to the body with a minute left. Henderson landing elbows and punches to the head while setting up a head and arm choke. He secures it with 15 seconds left but the bell saves Awad. 10-9 Henderson, 20-18 overall. Almost a 10-8 round but not quite
McCarthy has it 20-18 as well. Awad sprawls out of a takedown attempt early and lands a nice knee to the head that rocks Henderson. He lands a takedown shortly after that but Awad landing punches to the head while Henderson is just trying to maintain position. Henderson takes the back and landing punches to the head. Ref breaks it up because Henderson was grabbing the cage and told him he’d take a point if it happened again. Awad defends a couple of takedown attempts but Henderson ends up trapping him in a cage clinch. Awad knocks down Henderson with a punch but he gets right up and takes Awad down with 90 seconds left. Henderson with an arm triangle attempt with 30 seconds left. Awad gives up his back. Henderson with a rear naked choke but time runs out. 10-9 Henderson, 30-27 overall
Official result – Benson Henderson (26-8) by unanimous decision (30-27; 30-26 x 2)
Henderson cut a promo calling out fighters who act like morons and then say they were just building up a fight, obviously referring to Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Crowd did not like this at all and booed him pretty noticeably.
Ryan Bader was interviewed cageside by Mike Goldberg and John McCarthy. Bader joked that he hasn’t been hit yet in the tournament and the only damage he’s taken is mat-burn on his knees. He seemed to indicate that Chael Sonnen might be a tougher matchup for him but did admit that Fedor’s power worries him. He thinks that for his legacy, he’d rather fight Fedor in the finals.
Main event time. Fedor Emelianenko (37-5) vs Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) in the semi-finals of the Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix. Winner faces Ryan Bader in early 2019 to determine the winner and new Bellator heavyweight champion. Dan Miragliotta is the ref.
They didn’t touch gloves at first but Miragliotta asked again and they did. Fedpr knocked Chael down with the first punch of the fight but let him up. Chael goes down again from a shot but again Fedor lets him up. It seems to be on purpose to get Fedor to the ground. Chael takes him down but Fedor reverses into top position. This is all in the first minute. Fedor to his fet and sonnen shoots for a takedown but gets stuffed easily. Sonnen gets a takedown and takes Fedor’s back but Fedor shakes him off. Fedor all over Sonnen with punches but he weathers it. Fedor into side control at the 2 minute mark. Sonnen to his feet at 2:30. Fedor ducking away from Chael’s punches, which are coming in slow. Sonnen gets a takedown at 3:00. USA chants from the crowd even though they were cheering Fedor during the intros. Chael just laying on Fedor and ref warns him to work. Fedor landing body punches. Chael into mount but Fedor immediately reverses and gets to his feet. Chael misses a takedown and Fedor lands some heavy punches and back into top position. Fedor all over him with punches and the ref stops it since Sonnen wasn’t fighting back.
Official result – Fedor Emelianenko (38-5) by TKO (punches) at 4:46
Fedor says Ryan Bader’s a great fighter and a serious opponent for him.
Chael was interviewed as well and said that everything Fedor did hurt him and that he thinks that he and Bader will be a great fight.
Bader and Fedor squared off in a pose and then shook hands.
Amazingly, every scheduled match in this tourney took place and the finals are set for LA on January 26th.
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
*********
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.
Two of the biggest talkers in the sport will face off in the first round of the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, announced Tuesday along with the rest of the first round fights and locations.
On January 20th at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, Chael Sonnen will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson to kick off the tournament as part of the undercard of Rory MacDonald vs. welterweight champion Douglas Lima. The show will go head-to-head with UFC 220 from Boston, MA.
Announced earlier this month, four heavyweights and four light heavyweights moving up in weight class will compete in the Grand Prix tournament with the winner becoming the new Bellator heavyweight champion.
A month after Sonnen/Rampage, Matt Mitrione will look to keep his win streak going against Roy Nelson at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena in February 2018. This will be a rematch of their December 2012 UFC TUF finale encounter.
In April at Chicago’s Allstate Arena, Fedor Emelianenko will try to turn back time one last time against Frank Mir who will be making his Bellator debut after being released by the UFC while under suspension by USADA.
Finally, the first round wraps up in May at San Jose, CA’s, SAP Center with light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader moving up in weight to face “King” Mo Lawal, a fight originally scheduled to happen at the promotion’s NYC show this year.
Dates and locations for the semifinals and finals weren’t announced, nor were alternates in case of injury. Sonnen vs. Jackson will air on the Paramount Network, the soon-to-be renamed Spike TV, but it’s unclear as to whether all fights will be on free TV. Depending on how 2018 plays out, the finals could be on the company’s return to PPV.
A year and a half after the heavyweight title was stripped off the champion, Bellator MMA finally has a plan to crown a new champion and it’s a big one.
On Friday, the promotion announced to MMA Junkie that an eight-man heavyweight tournament Grand Prix is expected to begin in late-January with a conclusion in December 2018. The Grand Prix format is a favorite of Bellator president Scott Coker who famously last had a heavyweight Grand Prix in Strikeforce’s dying days.
The tournament is loaded with notable talent, making for some interesting potential matchups:
– Fedor Emelianenko
– Frank Mir
– Roy Nelson
– Matt Mitrione
– Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader
– Rampage Jackson
– King Mo
– Chael Sonnen
Yes, you read that right. Sonnen will compete in the promotion’s heavyweight tournament without actually having fought at heavyweight before. He joins the newly re-signed Jackson, King Mo, and Bader — all of which have made their names at different weight classes. Mo and Jackson have fought each other at heavyweight while Mo has competed there several times over the past few years.
Bader’s inclusion is particularly interesting, given he just defended his light heavyweight gold for the first time last weekend. It’s unclear how this will affect the title going forward.
Mir was released from his UFC contract months after a USADA violation that put his career in doubt and signed with Bellator earlier this year. Mitrione is coming off a knockout of Emelianenko, while Nelson is coming off a win in his promotional debut.
No brackets were announced, but expect that to be part of of the official announcement that will happen at one of Bellator’s five remaining 2017 shows. In the Junkie piece, Coker said there will be one fight per event at seven different shows throughout the year. However, there wasn’t any mention of alternates if one of the tourney fighters gets injured.
The last Bellator heavyweight champion was Vitaly Minakov who last defended the title in April 2014 by downing Cheick Kongo. He was finally stripped in May 2016.
Bellator MMA returns to pay-per-view for the first time in over three years with a big show from Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight.
Headlining the show is a grudge match between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva that was originally scheduled for 2014, first for UFC 173 and then UFC 175.
Drug test issues on the part of both men made it seem like this fight might never happen, but barring any last minute complications they will finally step into an MMA cage tonight.
Another former Pride legend — Fedor Emelianenko — will also make his Bellator debut as he faces heavyweight Matt Mitrione in the co-main event. These two were originally supposed to fight in February before a last minute medical issue on the part of Mitrione forced a postponement.
Rounding out the big matchups are three title fights. Light heavyweight champion Phil Davis goes up against Ryan Bader in Bader’s Bellator debut. Lorenz Larkin also gets a title shot in his first fight for the promotion as he takes on welterweight king Douglas Lima. 155 lb champion Michael Chandler will defend his belt against the unbeaten Brent Primus.
Spike.com will have five prelim fights beginning at 6 p.m. eastern. The prelims move over to Spike TV starting at 8 p.m., and that portion of the show will be called Bellator 180. The PPV main card begins at 10 p.m. Join us for live coverage starting with the Spike TV fights.
The production definitely has a more professional feel with Mike Goldberg and Jimmy Smith doing the intro plus Mauro Ranallo, Brendan Schaub, and Josh Thomson on the in-arena desk. This is the promotion’s big night and they are going all out.
We did get one report of the upper part of the arena being tarped off and fans being moved down to the lower level.
> Heather Hardy (1-0) def. Alice Yauger (4-6) by third round TKO (4:47) Flyweights
This is Hardy’s pro debut after a quality career as a boxer. She’s also a Brooklyn, NY, native.
R1: Hardy bloodied up Yauger above her eyebrow, but took some shots that had her blinking. Yauger has a little size on Hardy and doesn’t seem intimidated in the least, catching her in the clinch and delivering knees when she can. Thus far, not a great showcase for Hardy. Yauger 10-9
R2: Hardy looks a little more confident, but you have to keep in mind this is her MMA debut so the expectations should be kept in check. Yauger is slowing down and Hardy is making her pay with punches. Her hands are down though and if Yauger had any real power, she’d be in a lot more trouble. Better round for Hardy, but she’s getting by on guile and an edge on skill at this point. Hardy 10-9
R3: Yauger went down with a stiff shot at the beginning of the round. Seeing lots of reports of ‘Hardy’ chants in the arena and you can kinda hear them sitting at home. Hardy is using Yauger as a punching bag, landing hooks and trying to land with the occassional wild Liddell punch. Yauger did land a nice head kick and Hardy took it like a champ. Hardy got a decent cut over her left eye after a headbutt with a minute to go that caused ref John McCarthy to have the doctor check it out, but the fight went on. The last 40 seconds, Hardy turned it on, hurting Yauger badly with a right hand that put her on her butt. She got up and Hardy swarmed with lefts and rights, eventually causing McCarthy to stop the fight.
This was something you’d see in your local MMA promotion on a Friday or Saturday night. Again, this wasn’t the showcase I was expecting, but it’s hard to expect a lot from someone making their pro debut.
> James Gallagher (7-0) def. Chinzo Machida (5-3) by 1st round submission (2:22) Featherweights
Pre-fight, Gallagher walked all the way over to the opposite end of the cage and got in Machida’s face during the announcements. He’s from Conor McGregor’s camp and Bellator is fully behind him as their Irish star…unless they sign Joe Duffy, that is. Machida is Lyoto’s brother and isn’t exactly a spring chicken.
R1: This was all Gallagher. He used his strikes and got it to the ground early and locked in the body lock, working for the RNC. About halfway through the round, it was a quick tap for Machida. This wasn’t even competitive.
Two fights in, this hasn’t been the best show, but there’s time.
>Ryan Bader (24-5) def. Phil Davis (17-5) by split decision (49-46, 49-46, 47-48) to win the Bellator light heavyweight title
R1: Davis looks a lot bigger than Bader. Bader stuffed Davis’ first takedown attempt. The two fighters circled each other with Bader pushing the action. Bader stuffed another takedown attempt by Davis. The crowd booed at the lack of action. Not much action in the first round. Pretty much even, with neither guy doing much to win the round. Bader10-9. Barely.
R2: Davis is a bit busier in this round, but he isn’t landing much. The Madison Square Garden boobirds are out. Bader seems content with a stand-up fight. Bader stuffed another takedown attempt. Round 2 was a lot like the first. Bader landed a big right hand toward the end of the round. Bader 10-9.
R3: Davis landed a big righ-left combo that rattled Bader for a second. Bader seemed to recover quickly. Davis started to land leg kicks. Davis is showing more of a sense of urgency in this round, loosening up with his punches. Davis kept Bader on the defense for much of the round. Bader scored a quick takedown and almost put him in a guillotine, but Davis rolled out.. Close round. Davis 10-9
R4:The referee a minute into the round pulled both fighters together and told them to “fight.” Bader landed a right hand, but couldn’t follow it up. Davis was moving a lot, but wasn’t doing any damage. Both fighters started throwing more kicks in the round. Davis kept trying to throw an overhand counter-right after Bader threw a jab or a kick. Davis landed a few good knees to the mid-section. Another close round. Davis has yet to land a takedown. Davis 10-9.
R5: Bader is fighting like he’s ahead in the fight, content with an unaggressive stand-up attack. Davis land a long right hand, followed up by a left. Davis threw a roundhouse kick that missed. Bader scored another takedown, but Davis popped up quickly. Bader landed another right hand. Davis’ left eye is swollen. This was a boring fight and not the best lead-in to the PPV. Bader 10-9.
Official decision: Winner Bader, via split decision, 49-46 Bader, 49-46 Bader, 48-47 Davis
PPV (10 p.m. ET) —
> Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima (29-6) def. Lorenz Larkin (18-6) by unanimous decision (50-45, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the Welterweight Championship
R1: Both fighters traded a few leg kicks, but not a lot of action. Both fighters showing a lot of respect for each other. Lima is busier, throwing more strikes. He landed a couple of kicks to Larkin’s front leg. Larkin threw a fast combination, but missed. Lima landed a left jab and pushed Larkin up against the cage to end the round. Close round. Lima 10-9
R2: Larkin was more aggressive to start the round, but Lima did a good job of dodging punches. Larkin connected with a big right hand that bloodied the nose of Lima. That woke up Lima who landed a wicked left hand that dropped Larkin. Lima pounded him with elbows and fists, but Larkin defended and eventually scrambled to his feet. Lima continued to land with combinations, but appeared to punch himself out a bit. Larkin connected with some punches to end the round. Lima 10-9
R3: The two fighters seem very aware of each other’s power to start the round. Lots of circling of each other, but not a lot of punches landing. Larkin landed a left body kick Lima countered with his own. They both seemed to take the round off, but Lima is more aggressive. Lima 10-9
R4: Larkin landed a left leg kick to Lima’s shoulder. Lima landed a clean bodypunch. Larkin landed a leg kick again. Lima seemed a bit flustered by Larkin’s movement, even though Larkin didn’t land much. Larkin landed a double jab, but Lima pushed him down and jumped on top of him. Larkin stood up to end the round. Another close round. Larkin 10-9
R5: Although Larkin is busier, he seems relunctant to close the distance after tasting Lima’s power in the second round. Larkin gave Lima lots of different looks, but Lima stayed conservative and stuck to his game plan of throwing leg kicks to Larkin’s front leg. Everytime they get close, Lima pushes him off. Lima seemed a lot stronger than Larkin throughout the fight. Lima 10-9
Official decision: Lima retained the title via unanimous decision, 50-45, 48-47 (2x)
> Zach Freeman (9-2) def. Aaron Pico (0-1) by d’arce choke in 24 seconds
Lightweights
Freeman landed a right uppercut to the face of Pico and dropped the former amateur wrestling champion to the mat. He jumped on Pico and finished him with a d’arce choke. Pico tapped in 24 seconds, the fourth fastest finish in Bellator history. Not the outcome Bellator expected.
> Brent Primus (8-0) def. Michael Chandler (16-4) to win the Bellator lightweight championship via doctor stoppage at 2:22 seconds of Round 1.
R1:Chandler slipped early inexplicably and seemed to have rolled his ankle or twisted his knee. Chandler is favoring his left leg heavily. Chandler landed a right hand that dropped Primus, but Chandler could not stand up. The referee interrupted the fight to check on Chandler’s leg and the doctor called the fight off. The replay showed that Chandler’s ankle gave out underneath him as he was backing up. A freak injury cost him the title. The Madison Square Garden crowd booed heavily.
Chandler in his post-fight interview said “cut it off” referring to his ankle, and challenged Primus to a rematch.
> Matt Mitrione (12-5) def. Fedor Emelianenko (36-5) by knockout at 1:14 of Round 1
Heavyweights
R1: Fedor stalked Mitrione for the first few seconds. Emelianenko landed a left jab. The two connected simultaneous right hands and both went down, but Mitrione got up quicker and pounced on Emelianenko for the ground-and-pound finish. Mitrione landed several punches and Emelianenko was out cold.
> Neiman Gracie (6-0) def. Dave Marfone (5-3) by rear naked choke at 2:27 seconds of Round 2 Welterweights
R1: Gracie took him down quickly and tried to take his back, but Marfone pushed him off. Marfone landed a big right hand, but didn’t follow it up. Gracie took Marfone down, but he scrambled up. Gracie landed a few punches in the standup. Gracie went for a takedown, but Marfone caught him in a guillotine choke with less than 10 seconds to go in the round. Gracie held on. Gracie 10-9
R2: Gracie took his back and tried to get a takedown. Marfone tried to flip him forward, but Gracie held on and slapped on a body triangle. A few seconds later, he tapped Marfone out with a rear naked choke.
Prefight: Both fighters got their national anthems played. Guitar legend Dave Navarro played the U.S. national anthem live.
R1: Sonnen took Silva down in the opening seconds and started with the ground and pound. Sonnen showed an aggression at the level of the first Anderson Silva fight. Sonnen tried to apply a can opener, but Silva defended. It’s all Sonnen right now. Silva scrambled to his feet and pulled away. Silva landed a big right hand and dropped Sonnen. Sonnen scrambled up and took Silva down again. Silva went for a guillotine choke, but Sonnen slipped out. Sonnen finished the round on top. Sonnen 10-9
R2: Sonnen came out hot and landed a flying knee. He went for a takedown and Silva put on a guillotine choke. He kept the choke on forever, forcing the referee to stand them up because Silva wasn’t doing anythin to finish the hold. Sonnen immediately took Silva down again. Sonnen stayed on top and pounded Silva with right hands and elbows. The round ended with Sonnen on top of Silva. Sonnen 10-9
R3: Sonnen took Silva down again to start the round. Sonnen is showing shades of his dominant performance against Anderson Silva, just staying relentless on top of Silva. Sonnen tried for a wristlock submission attempt that Silva defended. Silva doesn’t have much on the ground in this position. Sonnen wrapped him up with a leg lock, but Silva tied him up from the top. Sonnen just wouldn’t let him up and Silva had no way to get off of his back. Sonnen 10-9
Official Decision: Winner Sonnen, 30-26, 30-27 (2x)
It’s the biggest show in the history of Bellator MMA tonight as they return to PPV with Bellator NYC. There are three world title fights on the card, but the show is headlined by a grudge match years in the making with Chael Sonnen taking on Wanderlei Silva in the promotional debut for the latter fighter.
Also making their Bellator debut is former Pride legend and the one-time top heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko. He will step into the cage with Matt Mitrione, looking for his third straight win since joining Bellator.
The most high profile title fight will actually headline the prelims on Spike, called Bellator 180, as light heavyweight champion Phil Davis faces the debuting Ryan Bader.
On the PPV main card, there are two title fights. Lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who in many ways is the face of the company, defends against little known but unbeaten Brent Primus while recent UFC free agent Lorenz Larkin challenges champion Douglas Lima for his welterweight belt.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (30-13; .698) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Dave Meltzer (30-13; .684) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Consensus Picks (28-13; .683)
Favorites (29-14; .674)
Mike Sawyer (28-15; .651) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
David Bixenspan (28-15; .651) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
Steve Juon (27-16; .628) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Tom Lawlor (3-2; .600) – Co-host Filthy Four Daily; pro wrestling undercard fighter; UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
Mike Sempervive (25-18; .581) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Ryan Frederick (23-20; .535) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (22-21; .512) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (20-23; .465) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
Chael Sonnen (28-15-1) vs Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
This fight was originally scheduled to happen in UFC in 2013, but both men had PED issues at that time and the fight never took place despite both guys building up the grudge match as TUF Brazil coaches.
Sonnen has already fought in Bellator, losing to Tito Ortiz earlier this year while “The Axe Murderer” will be fighting for the first time in Bellator. Both guys have been relatively quiet leading into this one and it’s hard to say where either guy goes from here, no matter what the result.
> Fedor Emelianenko (36-4) vs Matt Mitrione (11-5) HEAVYWEIGHTS
This one was originally set to go down in February in San Jose, but Mitrione had to pull out that night due to kidney stones while Fedor elected to wait until Mitrione was healthy enough to compete rather than take on another opponent.
Fedor is on a five-fight win streak with no blemishes on his record since losing to Dan Henderson in Strikeforce back in 2011. However, he was retired for a few years and one of the wins on his comeback, Fabio Maldonado in EFN, was questionable at best. Mitrione has knocked out both of his Bellator opponents so far and a third KO in this one would make him the leading contender for the vacant heavyweight title.
> Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler (16-3) vs Brent Primus (7-0)
Chandler has looked great ever since capturing the title vacated by Will Brooks. He knocked out Patricky Pitbull in the first round to win the belt and then won a decision over former UFC champion Benson Henderson in his first title defense. Primus will fight on a Bellator main card for only the second time in his career but he does have five stoppage wins in his young career, including each of his first three Bellator fights. Neither the oddsmakers or our panel is giving him much of a chance of escaping MSG with his perfect record intact.
> Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima (28-6) vs Lorenz Larkin (18-5)
Lima is a 2-time champion in Bellator, having won a tournament for the vacant title in 2015, later losing it to Andrey Koreshkov, and then gaining it back with a 3rd round KO last November. He’s a Bellator mainstay as this will be his 14th trip into their cage. Larkin fights for the first time in Bellator but he has worked for Scott Coker in the past. He started his career in Strikeforce, running up an impressive record there before moving over to UFC when that promotion was shut down. He won his last two fights in UFC and would’ve won five in a row if not for a split decision loss to Albert Tumenov.
Another ex-UFC vet in Rory McDonald awaits the winner.
> Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Phil Davis (17-3) vs Ryan Bader (22-5)
This will be the first title defence for the veteran Davis, who won the title with a dominant performance over Liam McGeary last November. He has won all four of his fights in Bellator, including a one-night tournament in September 2015 which earned him the title shot.
Bader was long considered the top UFC 205-pound fighter to not receive a title shot. Like Larkin, he won his last two UFC fights and seven of his last eight fights there with the only loss being a first round KO at the hands of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Bader beat Davis in January 2015 in what was a very controversial decision. The winner here will likely defend against King Mo next.
> Aaron Pico (pro debut) vs Zach Freeman (8-2) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Pico NR; no betting odds for this fight
Freeman #506
> James Gallagher (6-0) vs Chinzo Machida (5-2) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Gallagher #472; -200 betting favorite
Machida NR; +198 betting underdog
> Neiman Gracie (5-0) vs Dave Marfone (5-2) WELTERWEIGHTS
Gracie #212; -833 betting favorite
Marfone NR; +702 betting underdog
> Ryan Couture (10-5) vs Haim Gozali (7-3)
WELTERWEIGHTS
Couture #253; -525 betting favorite
Gozali NR; +530 betting underdog
Action begins with the Spike.com prelims at 6:00 PM EST and moves over to Spike at 8 PM EST. The main card airs on PPV at 10 PM EST, and will be covered here.
Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva seems to finally be happening, and the fight is scheduled to headline Bellator’s return to pay-per-view and debut at Madison Square Garden.
In a story broken by the Associated Press, Bellator revealed that they would be running MSG for a PPV on June 24th. More match announcements involving Bellator’s top fighters are expected to be made soon.
“We always said that when we come to New York, we’ll bring the biggest and the best fight card we’ve ever had in the history of this company,” Bellator president Scott Coker said. “We’re putting it together, and our roster is robust enough that we feel like it’s time to get into the pay-per-view business, so here we go.”
Bellator 120, which took place under the promotion’s previous regime, is the only other PPV in company history. The AP article noted that Coker doesn’t intend to run PPVs every few weeks, but is open to using it for their biggest shows.
Sonnen and Silva have long been rivals, but the UFC was never able to make the fight happen while both were in the promotion for a variety of reasons. Silva hasn’t fought since 2013, while Sonnen debuted for Bellator in January in a loss against Tito Ortiz.
