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[Egg Shen]

saw Bellator spoilers whilst looking for 178 on twitter...i knew i should have out money on Halsey

 

if i was Bellator id wave the Halsey-Manheof fight, i think they believed Schlemenko was gonna walk through Halsey.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Ebb

[Noah Southworth]

Let's get it on...

 

Mike Richman (135.5lbs, 16-5) vs. Ed West (135.9lbs, 18-8) saw the fight end disappointingly, at least for me, with Richman hitting a one-punch knockout on West and leaving him unconscious at 2:44 of the first round. Until that time, it looked to be developing into a good fight; both men showing crisp strikes and good movement. Really wanted to see West get the KO win but all credit for Richman to landing a great punch

 

Thiago Meller (145.4lbs, 19-5) vs. Bubba Jenkins (146lbs, 7-1) started out with an decent first round, the highlight of which was Meller trying his hardest to finish a guillotine choke but Jenkins working just as hard to block and defend it; it was a great battle. Jenkins ended up on top near the end of the round and landed some nice hammerfists. The second round was definitely for Jenkins; Meller went into the round with a count near his left eye and by the end of the round, he had an even bloodier cut by his right eye. Jenkins really started to find his range and get comfortable on his feet; Meller appeared to have Jenkins stunned or at least stopped for a moment part way through the round, with Jenkins against the cage, and I don’t know why he didn’t follow up. The highlight of the third round saw Meller having Jenkins in a guillotine and Jenkins trying so hard to escape, that his shorts end up getting pulled half-way off; luckily, he had trunks on underneath. Otherwise, Jenkins physically dominated Meller and really beat him up; the first round could have gone either way, but Jenkins easily took the second and third rounds and will take this, which he does.

 

Patricky Pitbull (155,6lbs, 13-5) vs. Marcin Held (155.7lbs, 19-3) was the lightweight tournament final. The first round was good, mainly Held controlling Pitbull on the ground and showing great ground control and tenacity when going for submissions. Held landed some nice strikes too and clearly took the first round. The second round was slower and didn’t have much excitement until late on. Held controlled and dominated Pitbull on the ground, and the excitement came when Held was able to land some vicious forearms that quickly had Pitbull pulling guard. The third round saw Held immediately take Pitbull down and hold and control him there for three minutes. Pitbull was able to get back to his feet but couldn’t escape the grip of Held and was pressed against the cage. Held soon took Pitbull back down and controlled him for the rest of the round, and whilst Pitbull made attempts to get up, he couldn’t pull them off. Herd took the unanimous decision, though one judge gave Pitbull the first round, which is comical. The fight started out well but it petered off as it went on because Held went from trying to finish the fight to doing enough to win whilst minimizing the risk of losing.

 

Alexander Shlemenko (184.6lbs, 50-8) © vs. Brandon Halsey (184.4lbs, 15-0) was the main event of the evening and for the Bellator middleweight title, with Shlemenko looking to rebound after his loss to Tito Ortiz as he put the middleweight title on the line against the undefeated Halsey. Well, the rebound didn’t go so well; Halsey took Shlemenko down right away, Shlemenko turned his back for some reason, and Halsey got the rear-naked choke and Shlemenko passed out in just thirty-five seconds. I don’t think anyone saw this happening; Halsey went right through Shlemenko like he wasn’t even there. It was incredible. It was hard to tell if Halsey is that good or if Shlemenko is more hype than substance; Shlemenko’s record looks good but he hasn’t faced anyone that, at the time of the fight, could be called world class or even just a step below world class. Halsey takes the title and his first defence could be a cracker as he will be defending against Melvin Manhoef

 

This week, Bellator had a bit of a dud; there were some great moments, but not enough to make up for what was a fairly lacklustre night overall.

[DJM]

Brandon Halsey was 7-0 wasn't he and not 15-0?

[Egg Shen]

Shlemenko is well proven Noah, he isn't some young kid with a protected record, that guys been throwing down all across the world for the last 10 years. I don't think anyone had Schlemenko down as a guy being over hyped. He's just a granite rough Russian with a crazy style.

[Egg Shen]

Couple of note-worthy shows happening tonight, im on my phone so copying and pasting the cards is hardwork but the 1-Night 8 Man Battleground Tournament happens tonight...curious to see how it pans out.

 

Then Bellator 127 goes down headlined by former 145lb champ Daniel Straus agaisnt Justin Wilcox, its a sweet looking maincard with some good prelims too.

[hbk4life]

Anyone know if that Battleground tournament will be streamed live tonight?

[Egg Shen]

Its an online PPV, $20.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Actually bought this one, first PPV in a couple of years. Actually, think the last one was UFC 130 back when I had cable at home. Good thing it's not too pricey. 

 

Almost ashamed to say it's just about entirely for the commentary team. Of the fighters in the tournament, the only one I actually know well is Cody McKenzie. How the hell does a guy who fought at featherweight not long ago struggle making 170?

[Noah Southworth]

We start off with Bellator 127

 

Christian M’Pumbu (184.6lbs, 18-6-1) vs. Kendal Grove (186lbs, 20-14) kicked Bellator 127 off, with M’Pumbu making his debut as a middleweight; it started out with Grove decking M’Pumbu right away, but M’Pumbu was soon up, and that was the only thing of note that happened in the first round and would turn out to be the only thing of note for the entire right. The second round was rather mundane until Grove took M’Pumbu down just past the half-way mark and he soon took the back of M’Pumbu, sank in the rear naked choke, flattened him out, and got the tap out.

 

Rafael Silva (137.6lbs, 21-4) vs. Rob Emerson (134.9lbs, 17-10) was fairly even for the first minute until Silva decked Emerson and whilst Silva couldn’t finish Emerson on the ground or after they were stood up, it was a round controlled by Silva. The second round was almost all Silva controlling Emerson on the ground, with Silva taking him down almost right away, and then taking him down again after a stand-up was ordered. Emerson landed a nice punch before the second takedown but it was only the thing of note he did in the entire round. The third round followed the same pattern and the round, as well as the whole fight, was pretty boring and unexciting, with Silva doing enough to win but no more. Silva takes it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

 

Fernando Gonzales (172.3lbs, 21-13) vs. Karo Parisyan (169.1lbs, 24-10) saw Gonzales coming off an upset win over Karl Ammoussou and he pulled out the upset again here, clipping Parisyan about a minute in and dropping him and despite Parisyan trying pull him in close to defend, Gonzales broke free and delivered some wild haymakers and hammerfists to get the TKO win in 1:43.

 

Justin Wilcox (145.7lbs, 14-6) vs. Daniel Straus (145.6lbs, 22-5) was the main event, with Straus looking to rebound after losing the featherweight title. I’d say he did just that, catching Wilcox with a left hook as he moved in; Wilcox dropped to the mat, and after only a few more punches, the fight was over in just 50-seconds. Wilcox was reckless and got caught, but Straus has some serious firepower.

 

We have time for an undercard fight with Johnny Cisneros (176.8lbs, 8-3) vs. Ricky Rainey (177lbs, 9-3); a non-descript fight ended in 3:18 when Rainey caught Cisneros with a knee as went in for a takedown and then followed up with hammerfists for the TKO win

 

Bellator 127 was so-so, with two rather boring and mundane fights followed by three quick fights with explosive finishes. Not the greatest night of action and nothing you really need to go out of your way to see.

 

Battleground next, with the one-night eight-man tournament kicking it old-school style. First off, bad choice of opening shot from the production crew because it shows most of one side of the arena is empty; we also have a ring official who doesn’t appear to own or be able to rent a suit, and a ring announcer who looks smarmy and sounds like he’s doing a very bad Ed Sullivan impression.

 

Trey Houston (169.5lbs, 11-2) vs. Jesse Taylor (170.25lbs, 27-10) kicked off the tournament; Taylor tried to take Houston down early on and after a good struggle, was able to. Taylor controlled from the guard but he couldn’t get anything really going and from the bottom, Houston was able to throw his legs up and catch Taylor with an armbar and get the submission and Houston gets the upset win quite quickly.  Not only that, he didn’t take much damage, if any, which could prove crucial in the tournament format.

 

Roan Caneiro (170lbs, 16-9) vs. Randall Wallace (170.5lbs, 11-3) was next and it didn’t take long for Caneiro to get Wallace down and take the mount. Wallace did well to survive but Caneiro was able to counter the attempted escape and take the back of Wallace; Caneiro got a body triangle and began working for a rear naked choke, and when he couldn’t get that done, he transitioned into an armbar attempt and after blocking it for a few moments, Wallace was trapped, and despite trying hard to escape he couldn’t and was forced to tap out and we have another quick victory in just 3:29.

 

Cody McKenzie (170.75lbs, 15-4) vs. Brock Larson (170, 37-8) was pretty uneventful for most of the first round until right near the end when McKenzie got the guillotine choke on but Larson held on until the end of the round. In the second round, Larson countered a takedown with a guillotine choke attempt of his own, and whilst Larson didn’t get the tap out, he was able to use it get McKenzie down to the mat. Larson controlled from top position with the beginnings of an head and arm triangle and was eventually able to step over McKenzie’s body and get the hold applied and McKenzie tapped out right away. Not much of a fight, with McKenzie looking terribly out of shape, and the only highlight was Julianna Pena, who was McKenzie’s cornerwoman, looking very easy on the eyes.

 

Luigi Fioravanti (171lbs, 24-11) vs. Joe Ray (170lbs, 11-3) rounded out the quarter finals; it was a decent scrap, lots of strikes. Half way into the first round, Ray reversed positions to have Fioravanti against the cage, and he landed a knee to the jaw that stunned Fioravanti; Ray landed another, Fioravanti fired back with one of his own, and then Ray landed one to the gut that felled Fioravanti and Ray followed up with ground and pound, albeit with two punches to the back of the head, to get the first round TKO.

 

Caneiro is said to be having trouble rehydrating and there is a chance he may not be able to continue, and if that happens, Jesse Taylor will take his place. Sonnen and Ross do the talking head bit and in another case of bad production, they have the spotlight swinging over the seating behind them and you can see that the middle tier is completely empty. This is real basic stuff and this outfit is whiffing on it. Sonnen and Ross recap the first round fights as well.

 

Wayne Cole (207.6lbs, 16-23) vs. Niko Koliastasis (204.5lbs, 0-0) was a non-tournament fight, and it says something about the state athletic commission when a guy as experienced as Cole takes on a guy making his professional debut. Koliastasis was able to get the back of Cole, who was on his hands and knees, and rained down punches to the head, which Cole did nothing to block. Then, when Koliastasis went for the rear naked choke, Cole did nothing to try and defend it and it seemed like he couldn’t wait to tap. Not a good fight and Cole looked like crap.

 

Ryan Hayes (145.5lbs, 7-3) vs. Zac Church (146.2lbs, 4-2) was another non-tournament fight and featured two local fighters in action. It started well and had a good first round that had plenty of action from both fighters and it looked like we were going to have our first good fight of the night. Unfortunately, the pace slowed considerably in the second round and pretty much came to a total stop in the third round until late on. Church won 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

 

Trey Houston (169.5lbs, 12-2) vs. Roan Caneiro (170lbs, 17-9) had a first round consisting of Caneiro in top position and pretty much just keeping Houston in place and staying busy enough with strikes to stop from being stood up. The second round saw Houston pick up the pace but he ended up getting taken down rather quickly. Houston was able to get back to his feet and Canerio tried staying on his back but Houston was having none of that. A few moments later, Caneiro landed a combination that rocked Houston and had him stumbling, in trouble, so Caneiro quickly took him down and landed some punches before the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

 

Brock Larson (170, 38-8) vs. Joe Ray (170lbs, 12-3) was a real grinding battle; hard fought but with not too much action, more each trying to impose their will on the other. Larson dominated the first round on the ground, Ray dominated the second round on the ground, and the third was very even on the ground. When there was striking, it was all Ray and he had Larson rocked in the third round was either unable to capitalize on it or didn’t realize he had Larson in trouble. In the end, Larson got the nod 29-28 on all three scorecards.

 

Tyler Shinn (135.5lbs, 6-2) vs. Chris Guiterrez (135lbs, 4-1-1) was another non-tournament fight. It was a fairly pedestrian affair that saw wrestler versus striker, but with the wrestler doing virtually no wrestling; for some reason, Shinn, a well-credentialed wrestler, decided to test his striking against a better, more technically proficient striker. Not that Guiterrez shined, as he seemed content to do just enough to win and no more, which played its part in this being a rather uninspiring fight. Guiterrez took the win by split decision, and the scorecard for Shinn, which was 30-27, was quite vocally derided by both Sonnen and Ross and quite rightfully so because there is no way to give that first round to Shinn.

 

Roan Caneiro (170lbs, 18-9) vs. Brock Larson (170, 39-8) was the main event and the tournament final, and it’s a three round affair. The first two rounds were boring and uneventful as Caneiro was content to just hold Larson against the cage and keep him there. The third round started out with Larson trying to take Caneiro down but Caneiro blocked it and was able to take Larson down and get his back and flatten him out; Caneiro landed some nice ground and pound and it could have been stopped, but Larson hung in there and managed to reverse himself so that Caneiro was in top position, and for the rest of the round, over three minutes, Caneiro stayed on top of Larson, holding him down and staying active enough to stop from being stood up. It wasn’t the most exciting of finals apart from the first minute of the final round and you can put that down to Caneiro fighting very conservatively and deciding to fight a low-risk, and subsequently low-excitement, low-interest style, against a fighter who was clearly tired from the moment the fight started and had nothing because of that.

 

The matches could best be described as long periods of boredom punctuated by brief moments of excitement. Going into it, a lot of the interest was more around the commentary of Jim Ross and his teaming with Chael Sonnen. The commentary was hit-and-miss; whether it was because Ross is inexperienced in calling MMA or a chemistry problem with Sonnen, the commentary just didn’t click. A lot of the time, Ross seemed to be reigning himself in from going into his more bombastic, pro wrestling-style commentary, and there was a moment early in the night when Ross used the phrase ‘human chess’ and it seemed clear from the way he hesitated he was instinctively going to make a Gordon Solie reference, because it’s what Ross would normally do in wrestling, but he had to catch himself. The commentary was also geared towards the MMA novice, with Ross asking questions to set up Sonnen explaining what terms were used for certain positions and situations, and why things were happening the way they were. Overall, the show gets a solid thumbs down.

 

 

[Loki]

Sorry to ask again but.. is Bellator now off terrestrial tv?  I enjoyed the last series on Viva.

[wandshogun09]

Doesn't seem so unfortunately, Loki. I know it's easy enough to find online but I really can't be arsed downloading extra MMA anymore, on top of all the UFC and boxing on now. When it was still on VIVA it took no effort to just Sky+ it and watch it whenever so I was keeping up. But I've fallen right off now. I'll just have to track down certain shows/fights that grab me. I'm already getting moaned at for cramming the Sky planner with UFC and boxing stuff. I don't think me sitting at my laptop watching even more would go down too well. Plus I don't think I can even be arsed unless it's someone like Manhoef, Pitbull, Lima etc. I'll be tuning in for the Thompson vs Alexander freakshow though.

 

Didn't watch that Battleground thing. But I read that Roan Carneiro got stiffed on his pay by the Oklahoma commission.

 

Douglas Lima @PhenomLima

Oklahoma commission took $15,000 from @jucao saying he was "late" for a physical. They robbed him! We are fighting this!

And from Carneiro himself;

 

Roan Jucao @jucao

@johnalessio79 they stole my money man. I am really disappointed about that whole crap!!!

Dodgy bastards. Poor fuck fights three times in one night and gets mugged.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Really dodgy from the commission there, 30% of a $50,000 purse is really harsh, considering the big crime was turning up late to a medical. He didn't miss weight, he didn't run from a drug test... for all we know he got stuck in traffic and it cost him $15,000.

 

It's sad that the Battlegrounds event got such poor attendance, because it was a decent card for what it was, a new small company featuring UFC cast offs. Admittedly, I'm not sure I would have attended either as the big draw was hearing Ross and Sonnen on the call.

 

Sonnen was excellent, but- as much as it pains me to say it- JR wasn't very good at all. For a play by play guy, showed very little technical knowledge- you'd think he'd know a thing or two if he's really been watching as long as he claims- and used a lot of cliches and silly one-liners. The Larson/Lesnar mistake was comical but predictable, and he really awkwardly shoe-horned in "slobberknocker" a couple of times. I got the impression that Ross himself wasn't overly happy with his work as he said "thanks for putting up with my inexperience" to Chael during the sign-off.

 

The one night tournament was a fun novelty. Joe Ray and Chris Guiterrez seem like the biggest prospects coming out of the show overall. Having the tournament final be a 36 year old vs. a 37 year old was unfortunate, neither man looked great in that one due to cardio issues. I think the promotion itself has a bit of potential with a decent start from a fight standpoint, just hopefully they get more butts in seats next time.

[wandshogun09]

Ross was pretty cack doing boxing commentary for Golden Boy earlier this year as well. It's just not natural to him. His instincts are too pro wrestling, understandably so. And some of that is transferable to boxing and MMA announcing but when you lack the knowledge of the techniques being used, as a play-by-play man, it's just not going to come off right. Even with a good supporting colour guy.

[Loki]

Cheers Wand.  Like you, I can't be arsed to track it down online.  Having it on TiVo was perfect for my very low level of interest  

[wandshogun09]

Melvin Manhoef vs Joe Schilling has been announced. Sounds like a GLORY fight, but no, it's on the Ortiz vs Bonnar Bellator undercard. Someone is getting laid out in that one.

 

I thought Manhoef was getting the next title shot though? The fucker's just so active he can't wait, I guess.

 

He'd probably be in the UFC right now if he'd just took a little bit of time off from fighting and training to get a deal done. Back when he was on that little win streak in late 2012-early 2013ish, there were even rumours he was meeting with Dana when he cornered Machida for the Hendo fight but nothing came of it. Then Manhoef booked himself up in fight after fight, started losing and the UFC thing fizzled out.

 

He'd be one of those guys Dana loves as well. Mega exciting to watch and he'll fight literally anyone. Short notice, size disadvantage, anything. And he'd do eight fights a year if they'd let him. Shame it'll probably never happen now.