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Round 1
Luna is making his pro debut against the 0-1 Hernandez, while the
referee is Blake Grice. Both fighters begin trading hooks to start
the fight. Hernandez mixes in his attack with body shots and leg
kicks, but Luna is happy to throw right back. Luna temporarily
loses his mouthpiece, but Hernandez is a gentleman and allows him
to pick it up off the floor before going right back to punching him
in the face. The pace is nonstop as both men exchange uppercuts in
the clinch, displaying plenty of dirty boxing prowess. While Luna’s
face is now red and slightly bloodied, the featherweight is showing
no signs of slowing and continues to fire back. Luna fires a kick
to the body and lands a powerful right hand on the jaw of Hernandez
to end the highly competitive round.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Luna
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Round 2
The pace hasn’t slowed much in Round 2, with both men standing in
the middle of the cage and throwing punches. Luna begins working
the body with hooks and eventually stings Hernandez with punches.
Luna is doing great work of throwing combinations rather than
individual shots, and Hernandez is finally slowing down. Henandez
once again gets rocked and takes a series of hooks. Hernandez
clinches but takes a series of body shots as punishment. A clearly
tired Hernandez eats a knee as they exit the clinch, and Luna
continues throwing hooks to the body and straight shots to the
head. Hernandez is able to grab Luna’s back while standing and is
desperately trying to take his opponent down. However, Luna escapes
and goes right back to landing damaging punches. A wild flurry
gives Hernandez a shot to get a takedown, and he then takes Luna’s
back. Hernandez tries to sink in a rear-naked choke, but Luna
defends well and it becomes a neck crank instead. Hernandez can’t
quite get the choke under the chin but has Luna in a draining body
triangle as the round ends.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Luna
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Luna
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez
Round 3
The third and final frame starts similar to the others, with both
men looking to strike from a distance. Luna once again starts
tagging the chin of Hernandez and rocks his opponent, backing him
up against the cage. Hernandez is able to reverse position and gets
a takedown but can’t keep Luna down, who bounces back to his feet. “Socky Bombs” is exhausted and just eating clean punches to the
face as Luna continues to throw. The brutal pace is underlined by
Hernandez once again losing his mouthpiece. Luna is once again
temporarily taken down but once again pops back up and begins
punishing the body of his opponent. Hernandez shows heart as he
gets yet another takedown, but he simply doesn’t have the energy to
control his foe. Luna stands composed and unloads punches with 90
seconds left in the round. Luna lands several hard shots and is
easily avoiding the sloppy arm punches from Hernandez that are
coming in slow due to fatigue. Luna sprawls against a takedown
attempt and then starts unloading shots with 30 seconds left in
Round 3. The two clinch up and trade blows when the referee
decides enough damage has been done and stops the fight.
The Official Result
Rogelio Luna def. Socrates Hernandez R3 4:48 via TKO
(Punches)
Round 1
Your referee for the lone flyweight bout of the night is Mike
Beltran. This is the second professional fight for both Mendez
(0-0, 1 NC) and Santos (1-0). Both men take their time finding
their distance, trading a few air punches and missed kicks to start
the fight. Santos starts to land some thudding kicks while Mendez
looks to close the distance. However, it is a big right hand that
lands for Santos. Mendez eats another clean punch and is dropped
but is able to pop back up. Despite having his opponent hurt,
Santos doesn’t up the pressure and opts to pick his shots instead.
This gives Mendez a shot to get back into the bout as he lands
several solid punches in the final minute of the round, showing
that this is still a competitive bout. A spinning back kick whiffs
at the end for Santos, although the round is certainly his.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Round 2
Mendez gets a hot start to Round 2 as he goes for a takedown, but
he’s unable to get Santos to the ground for any significant amount
of time. Santos begins landing additional leg kicks as the two
battle at a distance and then goes for a takedown of his own that
is ill-advised as Mendez winds up on top. Mendez begins punching
while in guard, but an armbar attempt by Santos is enough to help
him escape back to his feet. Santos lands several fundamentally
sound punch combinations and is the more composed fighter,
dictating the pace of the round. Mendez is able to avoid a takedown
attempt but finds himself on the receiving end of several
combinations in the final minute of Round 2.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos
Round 3
Round 3 begins with a much more measured pace as Santos peppers
Mendez with punches. Santos mixes up his attack with several kicks,
but Mendez is able to time some counters, including a nice uppercut
that sends Santos’ head back. Santos lands a head kick that rocks
Mendez and stays in control of the bout. Both men trade punches,
but neither is able to come close to finishing or put the other in
significant danger. Santos stays in control to finish the fight,
although Mendez botches a German suplex and falls on his own back
instead.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos (30-27 De Los
Santos)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos (30-27 De Los
Santos)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 De Los Santos (30-27 De Los
Santos)
The Official Result
Edwin De Los Santos def. Alberto Mendez R3 5:00 via Unanimous
Decision (30-27, 30-27 and 30-27)
Round 1
Blake Grice is the referee for the first welterweight bout of the
evening. Crutchmer enters the bout 8-1 and holds a No. 9 ranking in
Bellator, while Lombardo is 12-2 with one no-contest sprinkled in.
Neither man is able to land anything of note on the feet in the
opening moments. Crutchmer looks for a front choke while the two
grapple, but Lombardo gets back to his feet. Crutchmer takes the
fight to the ground again, securing a takedown against the cage.
Lombardo works his way back up as a largely apathetic crowd looks
on but eventually gets taken down anyhow. “The Don” looks for a
kimura while Crutchmer is in half guard and eventually gives up his
back as a result. Lombardo once again goes for a kimura, but
Crutchmer ends the round safely on top.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Round 2
Crutchmer begins the round by landing some solid punches and
controlling the center of the cage. Lombardo throws single shots
and isn’t catch his opponent off his game. Crutchmer backs up a
hesitant Lombardo, who hasn’t landed a single offensive flurry of
note halfway through the round. Crutchmer forces “The Don” to pay
with several head-snapping counters and constantly comes over the
top of Lombardo’s guard after he throws a punch. Lombardo lands a
weak leg kick and then gets taken down after he begins to circle
the cage without any offense. Crutchmer is able to score with
several elbows and comfortable controls the fight in half guard as
the second frame ends.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer
Round 3
Lombardo comes out aggressively in the third but whiffs his
punches. “The Don” is moving forward and begins throwing
combinations, although to little success. Crutchmer clinches his
opponent and then switches to an unsuccessful double leg takedown.
Lombardo stays on his feet but is unable to punish Crutchmer as he
is all tied up defending. Eventually, Crutchmer picks up “The Don”
and then slams him to the floor. Lombardo tries to get up but is
unable to make space from his guard. Crutchmer patters down soft
blows and finally moves to half guard, while Lombardo once again
looks for a kimura to no avail. Crutchmer never gets further than
half guard, but he rides out the rest of the fight on top.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer (30-27 Crutchmer)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer (30-27 Crutchmer)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Crutchmer (30-27 Crutchmer)
The Official Result
Kyle Crutchmer def. Michael Lombardo R3 5:00 via Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 30-27 and 30-27)
Round 1
Mike Beltran is in the cage for this featherweight rematch that saw
Carey (7-5) submit Bolanos (5-3) with a guillotine choke. Despite
having shared the cage before, the fight starts off extremely tepid
with Bolanos landing a few kicks and Carey keeping his distance.
Neither man has put each other in any sort of danger after half a
round with both men typically standing several feet away from one
another. They both land kicks that hit the other man’s arm and are
unable to score any damage. Carey dashes forward with a few jabs,
none of which land. Bolanos lands several nice kicks that clearly
impede Carey, who is then stunned right a thudding right hand after
stepping in for a knee. A follow-up right hand by Bolanos drops Carey and a
series of hammerfists ends the fight in an extremely violent
fashion.
The Official Result
Gaston Bolanos def. Daniel Carey R1 4:59 via KO (Punches)
Round 1
Bantamweight action between Seronio (1-0) and Ramirez (1-1) will be
overseen by Jason Herzog. Both men sprint to the center of the cage
and are happy to battle in the inner circle. An errant low kick by
Ramirez pauses the action temporarily. Seronio tries to land a
flashy side kick but it misses. “The Humble Warrior” finally finds
success with a takedown attempt as he takes the back of Ramirez.
While Ramirez gets back to his feet, Seronio lands a suplex and
then drags his opponent down to the mat. Seronio looks to lock in a
rear-naked choke on “The Thunder One,” but Ramirez defends well.
Seronio then takes mount but is forced back into half guard.
Seronio lands some damaging punches, but then stands up and starts
landing knees as the round comes to an end.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Seronio
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Seronio
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Seronio
Round 2
Seronio starts the second frame off hot with an immediate takedown.
Ramirez eats several shoulder strikes as Seronio looks to advance
from half guard. The grappling defense of Ramirez holds as Seronio
is unable to do much damage and the two men go back to their feet.
Ramirez then lands his most damaging blow of the fight, which is a
knee to the cup of Seronio. Action resumes without any bad blood as
the two fighters touch gloves. Right after they reengage, a perfectly placed right hand from Seronio knocks
out Ramirez cold.
The Official Result
Bobby Seronio III def. Calob Ramirez R2 2:14 via KO (Punch)
Round 1
Frank Trigg is inside the cage for a light heavyweight bout between
former Bellator champion Carvalho (16-6) and Yagshimuradov
(18-7-1). Yagshimuradov lands several thudding leg kicks to the
lead leg of Carvalho. Neither man has found much momentum on the
feet, although both have moved forward with flurries that haven’t
quite hit the mark. Carvalho swings wildly and is sent backing up
after Yagshimuradov fires back. The two clinch against the cage and
then break out of it after neither finds any advantage. Carvalho
lands a solid punch but is then taken down by Yagshimuradov, who
ends the round with his arms around the back of Carvalho.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yagshimuradov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Yagshimuradov
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Yagshimuradov
Round 2
The second frame starts off slow, but Carvalho has upped his output
and is the more active fighter on the feet. Yagshimuradov clinches
with his foe and lands a nice punch as they exit the position.
Carvalho finds success moving forward and throwing straight
punches, but Yagshimuradov takes advantage of the movement and
lands a takedown with two minutes to work. Yagshimuradov is able to
posture up and lands a damaging elbow that causes Carvalho to shut
down. A few additional elbows later and Trigg waves off the
fight.
The Official Result
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Rafael Carvalho R2 4:04 via TKO
(Elbows)
Round 1
This heavyweight bout is reffed by Jason Herzog. Fortune (11-2, 1
NC) comes out composed and is controlling the fight against
Cleveland (22-14-1, 1 NC) early on. Cleveland begins talking to
Fortune, which causes Fortune to come forward and he rocks
Cleveland with a straight right hand. Seeing his opponent is hurt,
Fortune rushes forward and unloads with punches,
several of which miss. Herzog stops the fight, although
Cleveland goes for a successful takedown on Fortune after the fight
is over.
The Official Result
Tyrell Fortune def. Rakim Cleveland R1 1:38 via TKO (Punches)
Round 1
The prestigious Gracie family returns to the Bellator MMA cage in
this welterweight bout reffed by Frank Trigg. Gracie (0-3) is
looking for his first win, while Miller (2-0) looks to stay
undefeated. Miller and Gracie strike at a distance early on until
Gracie grabs a kick. Gracie fights for a takedown and eventually
lands a double leg. Miller gets back to his feet, but Gracie drags
him back down into his guard. Miller is able to posture up but is
unable to land anything significant or get up. Separation is
finally found and Miller begins hammering away on Gracie, who has
no real defense against the strikes and is taking many unanswered
punches. The barrage of punches continues until Gracie rolls
through and hooks onto his opponent’s leg. Trigg admonishes Miller
for what is his third cage grab of the fight. Gracie is still
holding on but is taking plenty of damage as he’s unable to control
the fight. The round ends with Miller raining down punches. The
fight is subsequently stopped by the doctor in between
rounds as Gracie is unable to follow the doctor’s finger.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Miller
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Miller
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Miller
The Official Result
Tyson Miller def. Rhalan Gracie R1 5:00 via TKO (Doctor’s
Stoppage)
Round 1
The main card kicks off with a heavyweight bout refereed by Blake
Grice between Johnson (15-8) and Vassell (21-8, 1 NC). Vassell is
able to land a thudding kick to Johnson’s soft midsection to start.
In order to make up distance, Johnson rushes Vassell against the
cage and lands a number of short punches to the body. Vassell
escapes and manages to land several low kicks. However, Johnson
rocks Vassell with a left hand that sends the British fighter to
the ground. Johnson follows him to the ground and Vassell
eventually gets up but falls to the ground as he still doesn’t have
his feet under him. Johnson attempts to finish the fight by diving
headfirst at his opponent, resulting in a clash of heads that
opened up the American. Johnson gets sloppy on the ground, allowing
Vassell to grab his leg and reverse position. Now on top of Johnson, Vassell landed damaging
ground-and-pound. Vassell keeps the pressure on and eventually
takes the back of his foe, which he uses to end the fight with a
series of punches that cap off a remarkable comeback.
The Official Result
Linton Vassell def. Tim Johnson R1 4:21 via TKO (Punches)
Round 1
Mike Beltran will oversee the next bout, which sees heavily hyped
MMA prospect Pico (9-3) looking to continue his ascent against
Edwards (9-1). Pico gets an immediate takedown to start the round
and does some damage before Edwards gets back to his feet. Pico
takes advantage of the change in position as he lands a punch that
sends Edwards’ head flying back. Pico takes his opponent down again
and gets into side control before letting his opponent up. Wasting
little time, Pico gets another takedown and is controlling his foe
on the ground. Edwards battles his way back to the feet but is
taken down once again, as the two fighter’s grappling games are
simply miles apart. Pico ends the round landing shots from top
position.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pico
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Pico
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Pico
Round 2
The second frame sees a kick from Pico knockdown an off-balance
Edwards. Pico lands a punishing left hook to the body once Edwards
pops back up and then lands yet another takedown. Edwards is able
to get up but he’s being pieced up on the feet once again as he
gets hit to the body and the face. Pico then decides to take the
fight back to the ground as he’s confident no matter where the
action goes and is tiring out Edwards by constantly switching
positions. Edwards gets to his knees and Pico threatens to take his
opponent’s back before letting him up. Pico lands several slashing
elbows against the cage. Like clockwork, Pico ends the frame with
yet another takedown.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pico
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pico
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Pico
Round 3
Pico opens the third round with several damaging leg kicks. Now
immobile, Pico starts throwing to the body and then connects with several punches to the head that
floor Edwards. The fight is mercifully stopped after a few punches
on the ground and a completely one-sided fight comes to an
end.
The Official Result
Aaron Pico def. Adli Edwards R3 0:55 via TKO (Punches)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Title Fight & GP Final:
Vadim
Nemkov (204.4) vs. Corey
Anderson (205)
Round 1
Frank Trigg is overseeing the first title fight of the evening that
will see the light heavyweight title of Nemkov (14-2) on the line
against Anderson (16-5). The fight starts with Nemkov attacking
aggressively on the feet. Nemkov lands a stellar leg kick that sees
Anderson knocked off his feet temporarily, but he’s back up and
throwing heavy leather immediately afterward. Nemkov is just out of
the way of several swinging hooks of Anderson so far. The jab of
Nemkov is helping him set the distance as the American continues to
come up just short. Nemkov clinches Anderson up against the fence
but neither man can take the other to the ground. Nemkov is
chopping away with leg kicks and repeatedly hitting Anderson with
his jab. “Overtime” swings wildly but can’t connect and Nemkov is
just one step ahead in the striking exchanges. The round ends with
Anderson going for a takedown against the fence.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Nemkov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Nemkov
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Nemkov
Round 2
The second round starts much better for Anderson as he manages to
take Nemkov to the ground and put him on his back for the first
time. Nemkov employs his guard and starts delivering elbows from
the bottom. An armbar attempt allows Nemkov to get to his knees,
and Anderson attempts to get his opponent’s back. “Overtime” starts
landing elbows to the head and is in full control at the halfway
point. The Russian is forced onto his back once again and it
reveals that the bridge of his nose is busted and bloodied.
Anderson is forcing Nemkov to stay busy on the ground and gets into
side control before settling into half guard. Nemkov is able to
explode back onto the feet to end the round, but the fight is
clearly even after two.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Anderson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Anderson
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Anderson
Round 3
The third frame finds Nemkov once again in control on the feet to
start. However, Anderson lands a damaging right hand that forces
the Russian to back up. Anderson pressures his opponent and is able
to land a takedown to get the fight back in his wheelhouse. “Overtime” gets caught in a guillotine choke that looks tight, but
he’s able to escape and then takes the back of Nemkov. Anderson
flattens Nemkov onto his back again and then begins delivering huge
elbows. However, an accidental clash of heads occurs with only
seconds to go. Both fighters acknowledge the accident, and the
fight is paused by Trigg. After a doctor looks at the significant
gash above the eye of Nemkov, the fight is called off. Since
the fight didn’t go three rounds, this should be a no contest.
The Official Result
Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson R3 4:55 No Contest (Accidental
Clash of Heads)
Bellator Featherweight Title Fight:
A.J.
McKee (144.4) vs. Patricio
Freire (144.6)
Round 1
Refereeing the highly anticipated featherweight title rematch
between McKee (18-0) and Freire (32-5) is Jason Herzog. “Mercenary”
runs across the cage and front kicks Freire to get the action
started. “Pitbull” fires off a right hand to show off his power.
McKee lands another body kick and demonstrates his effective reach
advantage. Freire whiffs a left hook as the Brazilian is throwing
at full strength but failing to hit his opponent. McKee is
effectively touching the shorter fighter on the outside but not
doing any damage. While fighting at a methodical pace, both martial
artists are coming forward and attacking. After landing some solid
leg kicks, Freire begins rushing forward and starts to land a bit
on the feet as the round comes to a close.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McKee
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 McKee
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Round 2
“Pitbull” opens the second frame with a head kick and then stuffs a
takedown attempt from the champion. Freire is doing a much better
job of getting inside and is able to rush forward while landing
punches. “Pitbull” gets McKee to drop to his back after a brief
grappling exchange while standing but allows his opponent to stand
back up. McKee begins getting more aggressive and goes for a flying
knee that misses. Freire catches a kick and lands a leg kick of his
own. A left hand for McKee lands and “Pitbull” complains of a clash
of heads. The Brazilian stuffs another takedown and punishes
McKee’s body as a result.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Round 3
“Pitbull” continues chopping the legs of McKee, which will surely
pay off in the later rounds. McKee can’t seem to find his footing
on the feet. Freire lands a big right hand that clearly hurts the
champion. However, McKee decides to wrestle and he puts Freire on
his back. McKee regains his composure and begins landing short
elbows. The Brazilian is attempting to get back to his feet, and
McKee lands several elbows as he gets up. “Pitbull” then sinks in a
guillotine choke and jumps into guard in an attempt to finish it.
McKee shows that he is all right and finally pops his head out
after a tense moment. McKee ends the round on top and lands a few
punches before nearly taking his opponent’s back.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Round 4
McKee enters the championship rounds for the first time in his
career. McKee lands a nice straight left hand to establish some
momentum. Freire isn’t as aggressive as he was in previous rounds
and might need some time to recharge. McKee lands a nice
combination with a body kick and then a left hand. The champion is
happy to work from a distance, while “Pitbull” lands yet another
leg kick. McKee finding his range with solid left hands. Freire
lands his best punch of the round, a counter left hook, but soon
eats another straight punch from McKee. The Brazilian flurries
after McKee validly complains of an eye poke. The round ends with
Freire sprawling after McKee fails on a takedown attempt.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McKee
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Freire
Round 5
McKee goes for another takedown and gets “Pitbull” up against the
cage to start the round. McKee is able to take the Brazilian off
his feet but Freire uses the cage to get back to his knees.
However, McKee gets another takedown and then starts trying to get
the back of Freire. “Pitbull” is able to escape, although he eats
an elbow in doing so. McKee lands another straight left punch,
which has worked for him largely all night, and follows it up with
a leg kick of his own. Freire lands a body kick of his own at the
midway point and is able to shuck off a takedown attempt. Some
solid counter punches from Freire lands as he gets a second wind,
but McKee starts moving forward with combination punches. Both men
spend the final minute trading punches, with McKee landing several
knees and ending the fight with another takedown.
Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McKee (48-47 McKee)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 McKee (48-47 Freire)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 McKee (49-46 Freire)
The Official Result
Patricio Freire def. A.J. McKee R5, 5:00 via Unanimous Decision
(49-46, 48-47 and 48-47)