Bellator 264 ‘Mousasi vs. Salter’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

Opening the Bellator 264 card, we have a mystery match, as both
Jonathan McNeil (0-0) and Orlando Mendoza (0-0) are both making
their pro debuts in a 195 pound catchweight affair. Sportsbooks and
gamblers are equally stumped, as they have this as a dead even
pick’em. Referee Todd Anderson will be observing them as closely as
anyone. They began cautiously, until McNeil starts with a flurry of
punches, and then, clinching against the cage, gets an easy
takedown. He immediately works from the top, looking to pass with
an arm triangle. Mendoza resists, but McNeil soon attains mount.
Mendoza, however, does manage to get out of the arm triangle, a
small consolation. McNeil keeps looking for the arm triangle, but
isn’t throwing many punches from such a dominant position. Mendoza
tries to buck him off, but he is only able to buy himself time,
little else. Eventually, Mendoza turns his back, and McNeil gets
both hooks in. McNeil throws a few punches to the body, but his
attempts to go for the RNC are thus far unsuccessful, as Mendoza is
fighting the hands. McNeil briefly softens him up with a few
punches to the head. Mendoza tries to scramble a little, and faces
mcNeil again. Mendoza goes for a heel hook with McNeil standing up,
but it’s unsuccessful, and McNeil finally blasts his opponent with
punches, clearly hurting McNeil. Eventually, he settles into
half-guard and soon advances to mount, again eyeing an arm
triangle. Finally, he decides to opt for GNP, battering Mendoza
with punches and elbows. Mendoza has his head flat against the
canvas, which is making them much worse. With 30 seconds left,
Mendoza is in pure survival mode. Finally, he turns his back to
avoid the punishment. McNeil ends the round with hammerfists to the
side of the head. Utter domination by McNeil here. 10-8 McNeil.

Round 2

Mendoza begins the round with a leg kick, more offense than he
landed in the entire first stanza. McNeil bursts forward with
punches again, but Mendoza mostly evades them. Mendoza goes for
another leg kick, but McNeil counters him with punches which almost
land. Then, McNeil runs forward and scores on another very easy
single-leg. He is in half-guard now, with Mendoza showing more
resistance now. Eventually, Mendoza gets to full guard. However,
his guard isn’t very tight and he isn’t controlling McNeil’s
biceps, allowing McNeil to score with a series of punches to the
head. He continues working in bursts, alternating between body and
head, as Mendoza is simply stalling with a closed full guard,
little else. Halfway through the round, and McNeil is hammering
away with the occasional series of punches. Mendoza may be hoping
for a stand-up, but he is eating a steady diet of punches and
elbows, making that an unlikely proposition, especially for a
referee as experienced as Todd Anderson. With a minute left, McNeil
begins opening up more, throwing more punches, clearly bothering
Mendoza. Mendoza finally opens ups his guard with 20 seconds left,
but not for long, and without even trying for a hip escape. Another
one-sided round for McNeil, although this one was less dominant and
damaging. 10-9 McNeil.

Round 3

Both men come out tired to begin the final stanza. McNeil throws a
lousy head kick, but Mendoza easily blocks it. McNeil then goes for
a very slow, telegraphed 1-2 that isn’t remotely close to landing.
Mendoza goes for a leg kick, but thanks to countering, McNeil lands
with a 1-2. Mendoza goes for another leg kick and eats a left cross
that snaps his head back. Mendoza starts moving around the cage
more cautiously now, but as he walks forward, McNeil shoots a
double-leg takedown and once again gets him down easily. McNeil
immediately goes for ground-and-pound, even fully standing up and
continuing to throw. Mendoza doesn’t use the opportunity to try to
scramble up, accepting his position on the bottom. McNeil
eventually returns and takes side control. Then, with exactly half
a round left, he steps over easily to mount and begins hammering
away. Mendoza again turns his back. With both hooks in, McNeil sits
away and batters away at his hapless foe. Mendoza turns around
again, with McNeil in deep full mount. Mendoza’s defense is
relegated to covering up and switching between being mounted and
giving up his back. Eventually, he is too tired to even do that, and he
lays on his side, covering up, absorbing punches and elbows. Todd
Anderson warns him to move, and after he is ignored, the fight is
called off. Absolutely one-sided domination by McNeil.

The Official Result

Jonathan McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (Punches and Elbows)
at 3:57 of Round 3

Round 1

Moving on, Jeffrey Glossner (2-2) faces Sebastian Ruiz (2-3). Both
men are 0-1 in Bellator, but one will get their first victory
tonight. Venerable referee Mike Beltran will dwarf both fighters
and keep them honest. Glossner starts out jabbing. Ruiz responds
with a leg kick, and very nearly gets countered hard with a left
cross, just barely covering up in time. Ruiz begins circling a lot
on the outside, occasionally firing off kicks, sometimes to the
legs and once to the head. Glossner looks to counter and at one
point explodes with a nice combination of punches, partially
getting through. Glossner is stalking Ruiz and fires a head kick of
his own, blocked just in time. In a wild exchange, both men fire
punches and Glossner falls down, although it appears to be more of
a slip. Glossner then comes forward, firing off some powerful hooks
that Ruiz doesn’t like. Ruiz goes for a takedown, but Glossner uses
the opportunity to go for a guillotine. It looks deep, but Ruiz is
tough and guts it out. Glossner is not done attacking though, going
for an armbar. This one isn’t tight, but he keeps with it, until
Ruiz eventually changes the angle and gets out. There is little
time to rest, however, as Glossner soon throws up a triangle choke
and starts throwing hammerfists and elbows for good measure. Ruiz
changes the angle on the choke and starts pulling back, as Glossner
doesn’t have his leg secured, but he can’t fully get out. Against
the cage, Ruiz lands some nice hammerfists to a downed Glossner,
his best strikes of the round. However, he soon has to switch to
defending the triangle, which Glossner keeps on. Eventually, Ruiz
has to roll over, as Glossner adds more strikes. Ruiz, through an
effort of will, gets back up, and with 15 seconds left, he gets
out. Ruiz then unleashes a hellacious barrage of punches to
Glossner, who has his back turned, as Glossner simply eats all of
them. I had Glossner winning the round until the very end, but Ruiz
stole it there. 10-9 Ruiz.

Round 2

Ruiz begins the round aggressively, landing a right cross and then
a head kick that partially gets through. However, he is too
reckless in coming forward, allowing Glossner to clinch and then
hit a hip throw to get a takedown. Glossner works well from the
top, landing some hard elbows. Ruiz tries to scramble out, but
Glossner is looking for the brabo. However, he isn’t able to roll,
and Ruiz makes his way back up to his feet, as the two men clinch
along the fence. Glossner eventually gets a tight body lock and
then hits a nice outside trip to get back on top. Glossner is in
half-guard, and tries to move his way up, neglecting GNP. Halfway
through the round, and the pace has finally slowed down, after an
electric pace. Glossner postures up to throw some punches, but Ruiz
scrambles. Glossner is ready now, and he takes Ruiz’s back, going
for a RNC. He then gets both hooks in, and suddenly, matters look
grim for Ruiz. Glossner has the choking arm on tight, as Ruiz
fights the supporting one. Ruiz keeps scrambles, and as Glossner
gets lazy, Ruiz turns into him. With Glossner appearing tired, Ruiz
lands a nice knee to the body of his opponent, after which they
return to grappling along the fence. Glossner drops levels to go
for a double-leg pick-up and slam, but he is unsuccessful. Ruiz
goes for a guillotine, but it’s not too tight, and time runs out.
Ruiz gets up at the end and stands over Glossner, not letting him
up, very much a bush league move. Poor sportsmanship aside, this
was a very close round. 10-9 Glossner.

Round 3

Glossner looks visibly tired to begin the final round. Ruiz
measures him with kicks, but they’re noticeably slower too, and
miss. Glossner throws a left hand that is only partially blocked.
Ruiz goes for another head kick, but Glossner is out of range. Ruiz
makes a strange decision to shoot for a takedown. Glossner goes for
a brabo choke that has Ruiz’s head at a horrible angle for a while,
but Ruiz again scrambles away. Neverthelesss, in doing so, Glossner
has top position and side control. Both men stall for a while in
this position, the furious energy of this fight finally getting to
them. Ruiz tries to push against the fence with his feet and
scramble, but he doesn’t have the strength for it anymore. With
half a round left, Glossner still has him in side control, but
doing very little. Ruiz then begins turning, looking for a hip.
It’s a slow movement, though, and Glossner stays on top,
controlling the head. Ruiz tries to sneak his legs out, and
eventually, with a minute and a half left, he finally gets back up,
with Glossner draped around his waist. Glossner is grinding for a
double-leg pick-up, but is unsuccessful. With a minute left,
referee Mike Beltran urges them to action. Glossner goes for
another takedown, but is again unsuccessful. However, then Ruiz
makes a poor decision to go for a guillotine, and that gives
Glossner the leverage necessary to pick him up and slam him to the
canvas. He is again in half-guard, but this time in the middle of
the cage. He lands a little GNP, but Ruiz scrambles up with 7
seconds left. Glossner lands a knee as the fight end. This round
was clear, but how the judges will see the whole fight certainly
isn’t. 10-9 Glossner (29-28 Glossner).

The Official Result

Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Our next fight is very interesting, as Pam Sorenson (8-3), who left
Invicta as their featherweight champion, opened as a massive -400
favorite against Roberta Samad (5-1). However, heavy betting action
on Samad now have this match dead even, with Sorenson and Samad
each at -110. Were the gamblers correct to believe in the
Brazilian, who has fought just once since losing to Julia Budd in
2015, a decision win in 2019 over 3-8 journeywoman Moriel
Charneski? We as well as referee Kevin MacDonald will have to wait
and see. Sorenson starts aggressively, firing a jab that misses but
then connecting with an overhand right that lands flush, but not
very hard. Samad fires a right cross, but Sorenson jumps back out
of range, bouncing on her feet. Samad goes for a leg kick that is
dodged, and Sorenson throws a 1-2 that is only partially blocked.
Sorenson throws a cross that misses, but connects on a nice leg
kick, and a while later, lands another one. Samad gets her first
connection with a solid cross that bothers Sorenson. A while later,
she gets another right cross through, and this one hurts Sorenson a
little. Strangely, Samad decides to clinch against the cage now.
The two women trade knees to the body, and despite being
significantly shorter, Sorenson is doing better here. Samad has
double underhooks, but isn’t going for any takedowns, instead going
for little shoulder strikes that seem to have little effect.
Sorenson eventually frames and gets off the cage. Samad lands
another cross that hurts Sorenson as they get off the cage.
Sorenson gets back to work with a leg kick, as both miss punches.
Sorenson lands another leg kick. Samad is purely looking for the
cross or 1-2 here, but Sorenson is looking for it. Samad wisely
changes tactics and lands a leg kick. She then lands a second leg
kick that briefly forces Sorenson to her knees. Sorenson throws a
lazy jab and gets partially countered by a left hook. Samad misses
a leg kick and Sorenson comes forward, but is only able to land a
jab. They then clinch again, and Samad again presses Sorenson to
the cage, with double underhooks. Sorenson partially throws her off
and then lands a few knees to the head as the round expires. Close
round, and Sorenson landed more, but Samad’s blows did far more
damage. 10-9 Samad.

Round 2

Sorenson comes forward with clumsy, reaching punches, and Samad
evades. Samad throws a spinning backfist, and while it’s slow and
telegraphed, Sorenson simply stands there, eating the blow.
Sorenson tries to come forward, but she is predictable and reaching
here. Sorenson lands a leg kick, arguably her most successful
strike. Samad responds with one of her own. Sorenson comes forward
and eats a jab that snaps her head back badly. Soresnon comes
forward and lands a 1-2, but it does little damage. Sorenson lands
another jab, but again, it doesn’t have the impact of Samad’s
blows. A lazy jab by Samad is countered by a Sorenson right hand.
Sorenson lands another leg kick. A Samad leg kick is countered by a
Sorenson right cross as well. Sorenson adds a few leg kicks,
although they lack the starch they had in the first round. Samad is
badly slowing down herself though, and Sorenson lands a leg kick
and then comes forward with a jab. Sorenson hits Samad with a right
cross. Samad finally lands a leg kick of her own, but she is
looking too slow here. Sorenson adds a leg kick and then a clean
jab gets through. Finally, Samad decides she has had enough and
clinches with Sorenson. Sorenson does a good job getting away and
pushes her off. Samad fires a jab, but Sorenson easily backs away.
Sorenson goes forward and lands another solid jab. With 30 seconds
left, Samad again clinches. She is digging for a hip now, clearly
wanting a takedown, but Sorenson defends well and stays upright.
She lands a knee to the body, and then defends a single-leg well to
end the round. Nice comeback stanza for Sorenson. 10-9
Sorenson.

Round 3

Samad starts the final round firing her jab, but Sorenson gets out
of range. Samad comes forward and lands that same right cross.
Sorenson is able to get away, though. Sorenson counters a leg kick
with an overhand right. Samad goes for another spinning backfist,
and again, Sorenson just eats it, not getting out of range. Samad
then lands a light leg kick and a jab, before Sorenson lands a leg
kick of her own. Sorenson throws a leg kick, but Samad throws a
1-2, and the right cross snaps Sorenson’s head back again. Sorenson
lands a leg kick and this time evades the receipt that Samad goes
for. Sorenson then comes forward and lands a very clean jab that
bothers Samad. Sorenson comes forwad again with a barrage of
punches and they bother Samad, who gets out. Samad lands a jab but
eats a leg kick. Sorenson throws a lazy kick and Samad decides to
grab it, using it to take her down. Sorenson has an opportunity to
scramble back up, but doesn’t use it, as Samad simply kneels to get
on top. Samad postures up, and Sorenson keeps a closed guard on,
for whatever reason, locking herself on the bottom. Sorenson is
throwing the occasional elbow from the bottom, while Samad is
landing a few hammerfists. Sorenson is content to be on her back,
though, going for elbow strikes. Samad lands a punch. After
posturing fully back, Sorenson still doesn’t get up, and Samad
simply kneels down, this time in side-control. Samad then works for
a guillotine from deep half-guard, but the round ends. Close
stanza, but I have the Brazilian taking it. The gamblers were
correct on this one! 10-9 Samad (29-28 Samad)

The Official Result

Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28)

Round 1

Kicking off the main card, Ty Gwerder (5-2), all of whose victories
have come by knockout, is heavily favored against 6′ 6″
Khadzhimurat Bestaev (10-4), perhaps best known for an unsuccessful
appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series last year against Phil
Hawes. Referee Kevin MacDonald gets this assignment. Gwerder
springs forward with a head kick, but he loses his balance, and
Bestaev punishes him with a few punches. Bestaev goes for a head
kick of his own, but it’s blocked. Gwerder lands a left hand and
leg kick and nicely bobs and weaves to avoid Bestaev’s counters.
They get a little more cautious now. Gwerder lands a body punch,
and as Bestaev throws a punch, Gwerder counters him with a huge
left hand that floors Bestaev. Gwerder swarms over him, blasting
him with ground-and-pound. Bestaev desperately tries to survive and
tie up his opponent. Gwerder decides to get up and stand. Gwerder
scores with a hard knee to the body that hurts Bestaev, and while
Gwerder almost falls from another head kick, it forces Bestaev to
the canvas again. Bestaev goes for a possible armbar from his back,
and Gwerder again stands up and waves him on. Gwerder swarms
forward, hurting Bestaev with another knee to the body. Then, in
the clinch, he picks up Bestaev and slams him to the canvas,
drawing appreciative oohs and aahs from the crowd. Yet again,
Gwerder lands some ground-and-pound, but when the pace slows, waves
Bestaev back up. Gwerder scroes with a few kicks, including to the
legs. Gwerder comes forward, landing some nice punches. However, he
is too aggressive, and Bestaev unleashes a flurry of punches from
close range that now hurt Gwerder, who appears tired! Gwerder gets
out and catches his breath. As he comes forward again with strikes,
Bestaev clinches, practically crumpling to the canvas, and eats
more strikes as the round ends. A very energetic, action-packed
round! 10-8 Gwerder.

Round 2

Both men are breathing hard to begin the second round. Bestaev goes
for a fast head kick, but it’s solidly blocked. Gwerder is too
reckles coming forward and Bestaev scores with an uppercut that
wobbles his opponent. Gwerder scores with a body punch, and
Bestaev’s combination to respond is evaded. Gwerder lands several
hard leg kicks. Gwerder partially lands a left hook. Bestaev
lurches forward with a punch, but Gwerder ducks, although his own
punch misses. Gwerder lands a few more hard leg kicks. Bestaev
comes forward with straight punches and they land, as Gwerder looks
too exhausted to get off the center line. Gwerder is still bobbing
and weaving, though, and revades a few Bestaev punches, although he
eats a big knee to the head in the process while ducking. Bestaev
goes for the same technique, but this time, Gwerder blocks the knee
with his forearms. Gwerder lands a few more leg kicks. Halfway
throught he round, the pace has slowed. Gwerder lands a punch to
the body, and then Bestaev lands a few punches to the head. Bestaev
throws a few front-kicks to the body, and slow as they are, they’re
touching Gwerder. Gwerder throws a lazy leg kick, but it’s slow
enough that Bestaev is able to lift his leg to evade. Bestaev
partially lands a head kick. As Gwerder is utterly gassed, Bestaev
scores with another nice short uppercut. With 45 seconds left, an
exhausted Gwerder lumbers forward and gets a takedown. Bestaev,
goes for a triangle guard, which commentator Big John McCarthy
dislikes as much as I do. Gwerder is too tired to do anything on
top for the final 45 seconds, and the round ends. 10-9 Bestaev.

Round 3

Bestaev’s corner is furiously yelling that Gwerder is badly tired
and it’s his match to win. Gwerder’s corner, meanwhile, tells him
to go for a takedown. Bestaev begins the round with front kicks to
the body. Bestaev lands a jab, a hook, and then a head kick that
drops Gwerder and has him badly, badly hurt. He goes for a finish
but Gwerder just barely manages to evade and clinches. Gwerder gets
the desperation takedown. Gwerder is bleeding profusely now as
Bestaev locks on a triangle. It’s loose, but Gwerder is doing
little to avoid it. They turn over one full rotation, and Gwerder
gets out. Gwerder is blatantly stalling now, too tired to do much
on top. Unfortunately, Bestaev is doing little to hinder him, going
back to a triangle guard, which John McCarthy criticizes as well.
Finally, he opens up the guard and attacks with another triangle
choke with about 2 minutes left. Gwerder cuts the angle and gets
out. Finally, with 90 seconds left, Gwerder throws his first strike
from the top, and it’s a hard elbow that lands flush on Bestaev. He
adds a few more, and as Bestaev covers up, Gwerder moves to side
control. He goes for a knee on belly, but Bestaev defends. Gwerder
postures up and lands a few hammerfists and then punches. Bestaev
then works back to full guard, but again goes for a triangle guard.
Gwerder throws a few half-hearted punches from the top, and Bestaev
answer with a few elbows from his back to end the bout. Due to
getting a knockdown and almost finishing Gwerder, I still have to
give the round to Bestaev. 10-9 Bestaev (28-28 Draw)

The Official Result

Khadzhimurat Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Next up we have unbeaten heavwyeights, as Everett Cummings (15-0)
takes on Davion Franklin (3-0). Despite Cummings’ glossy record,
most of his opponents were very weak opposition from Gladiator
Challenge, which I didn’t even realize was still around. Davion
Franklin is a legitimate prospect with a decorated amateur
wrestling career, and reflecting this, Franklin is currently a
large -400 favorite. Logically, to keep order among heavyweights,
heavyweight ref Dan Miragliotta presides. Cummings tries to touch
gloves, but Franklin wants none of it. Cummings lands a leg kick to
start. Davion Franklin lands a nice side-kick to the legs, and as
Cummings stumbles, clearly hurt, Franklin fires off a big head kick
that is barely blocked. He then snakes through a straight right that drops
Cummings. As Franklin rips follow-up punches, Cummings is inert,
and the referee has no choice but to stop it. A nice
performance by Franklin, but this fight answers any questions about
Cumming’ previously glossy 15-0 record.

The Official Result

Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via KO (Punch) at 0:21 of
Round 1

Round 1

In an excellent bantamweight affair, we have the supremely talented
Magomed Magomedov (18-1), who holds a victory over Petr Yan and
whose only loss was in a rematch to the former UFC bantamweight
kingpin, seeks to go 3-0 in Bellator against Raufeon Stots (16-1),
who is 4-0 in Bellator and whose only loss was to Merab Dvalishvili
over 4 years ago. In terms of skill, this should be a beauty.
Referee Todd Anderson will have the closest view for this contest.
They begin cautiously, testing out the range. Magomedov throws a
leg kick that Stots evades, and then Magomedov goes for a spinning
backfist that misses, too. Stots, however, fires a lightning-quick
head kick that partially gets through, getting Magomedov’s
attention. Stots fires another kick, this one unsuccessful, and
Magomedov grabs the foot, but is unable to get a takedown.
Magomedov goes for a head kick of his own, but it’s unsuccessful.
Magomedov drops levels for a takedown, but Stots is ready, and
Magomedov doesn’t even go through with it. A left cross from Stots
forces Magomedov to back up. Magomedov soon answers with a gorgeous
spinning back-kick that lands. Another spinning back-fist doesn’t
work, however. Magomedov evades a Stots 1-2. Stots does, however,
land a jab. Stots then touches Magomedov with a cross. Magomedov
partially gets a leg kick through. Magomedov comes forward with
punches for the first time, but they’re a little telegraphed, and
Stots easily gets out of range. A body kick by Stots gives
Magomedov the opportunity he wants, though, and he goes for a
single-leg, pushing Stots against the cage. He tries to lift the
leg, but Stots has terrific balance, staying upright. Stots lands a
few elbows to the side of the head against the cage as Magomedov
continues grinding. Stots defends well, and manages to get off the
cage. In response to a Magomedov kick, it’s Stots who beautifully
times a takedown and gets him down. Very impressive round for the
underdog. 10-9 Stots.

Round 2

Stots opens the stanza with a beautiful jab that gets through.
Magomedov goes for a fast head kick, but Stots blocks well. He
evades a few Magomedov punches, and then blocks a left hook.
Magomedov bursts forward with strikes and then goes for a takedown,
but Stots defends against all of it. With Stots close the cage,
Magomedov goes for another single-leg, grinding for it against the
clinch. Stots then hits a beautiful right hand that stumbles
Magomedov. However, Magemedov is tough, and eventually clinches his
hands together and takes Stots down. Stots is tough, however, and
finds a hip and scrambles back up in gorgeous fashion. Stots gains
separation and with half the round remaining, we are back at range.
Stots fires a jab and head kick, which Magomedov retreats from in
time. Magomedov goes for another head kick, but this is also
blocked. Another attempt meets the same fate. Magomedov goes for a
1-2 which misses, but Stots scores with another jab. Stots scores
with a front-kick to the body and then a straight punch. Magomedov
shoots for a takedown, but Stots defends and then punishes him with
a punch on the break. Magomedov then immediately goes for a
takedown again and is stuffed again. Magomedov eventually rises and
separates. Magomedov lands a short overhand right that is his best
punch of the round. A spinning backfist attempt is blocked. Stots
lands another jab with 10 seconds remaining. Magomedov scores with
a light body kick. Much closer round, but I again have it for the
underdog. 10-9 Stots.

Round 3

Magomedov begins the final stanza with a leg kick. He goes for a
nice 1-2, but Stots is steady, and blocks the cross. Stots pops
Magomedov with a jab. Magomedov shows off his athleticism with a
switch kick, but it’s blocked. Magomedov shoots again, but is
neatly stuffed. Stots then hits a gorgeous switch to take top
position himself. Magomedov scrambles, but Stots takes his back,
and Stots is attacking with the RNC, with the choking arm very
tight! Magomedov, being such a superlative grappler, refuses to
give up, and handfights the supporting arm, as he guts out the
choking arm. He also starts moving his hips away, seeking to break
Stots’ hooks. Stots moves with him, although he is much looser now.
Finally, Magomedov gets out of both hooks. He keeps working, and
then Magomedov turns into him, taking top position himself!
Magomedov is in half-guard now, and time is of the essence for him.
He continues working, but has to stop periodically to block off
attempts by Stots to scramble and hip-escape. Stots tries to get
up, and Magomedov keeps him down with headlock with a little less
than a minute remaining. They stay in this position for a while, as
Magomedov keeps Stots’ arm trapped. Stots looks like he might get
out, but Magomedov ends up taking his back! He has little time to
work for, and with 10 seconds left, he goes for an armbar! Stots is
far too good, though, and survives until the end. Great comeback
round by Magomedov, especially since he was nearly submitted, but I
don’t think it was enough. Fantastic, high-level performance by
Stots. 10-9 Magomedov (29-28 Stots)

The Official Result

Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

In the co-main event, former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey
Koreshkov (23-4) returns to the organization to face exciting
striker Sabah “The Sleek Sheik” Homasi (15-9). Koreshkov may be the
biggest favorite on the card, but Homasi has at least a puncher’s
chance. Referee Mike Beltran will see if it happens. Both men touch
gloves to begin. Homasi fires a leg kick 20 seconds in to start,
but Koreshkov dodges it. Koreshkov then lands one of his own, and
Homasi returns it. Koreshkov then lands a solid leg kick. As
Koreshkov comes forward, Homasi lands a very hard leg kick that
that has the Russian out of position. Homasi then lands another
hard one for good measure. Koreshkov throws a 1-2 that get him into
a clinch, as they wrestle against the cage. Homasi is surprisingly
holding his own, and throwing a few short punches to the body and
landing knees to the thighs. Homasi eventually spins out, and they
return at range. Koreshkov throws his patented spinning back-kick,
but Homasi reads it perfectly, and gets a rear waistlock, as they
resume wrestling. Koreshkov eventually turns around and gets to a
more neutral position. Koreshkov breaks away, and Homasi stalks him
with punches that Koreshkov just barely blocks. Koreshkov throws a
big head kick that Homasi blocks, and he is now moving forward. Out
of nowhere, as Homasi dips down, Koreshkov hits him with a huge
flying knee. Homasi is hurt, and Koreshkov throws a barrage of
punches that are getting through. Homasi manages to clinch,
however, and recovers. On the break, with 30 seconds left, Homasi
lands a nice elbow. They clinch again, and Koreshkov lands an
uppercut and a cross to end the round. It was much closer than the
lines would suggest, but I have it for the former welterweight
champion. 10-9 Koreshkov.

Round 2

Homasi comes out aggressively, missing with a cross and then going
for a big hook that misses, too. Koreshkov lands a few nice leg
kicks, and then follows it up with a couple of stinging jabs.
Homasi is looking for jabs of his own, but he is reaching, and
Koreshkov evades well. Koreshkov scores with a nice body kick, but
Homasi partially counters with an overhand right. Koreshkov is
undeterred, and nails Homasi with an awesome left hook to the
liver, doubling over Homasi, and then blasting him with punches and
knees to the body. He makes a curious decision to go for a reap of
the legs to get a takedown, slowing the action. Homasi soon
wall-walks back up, and they are back in a clinch. Homasi lands a
knee to the body. Koreshkov opens up with a nice short uppercut and
series of punches, but Homasi partially responds. Koreshkov comes
forward and again Homasi dips down, and again Koreshkov blasts him
with a flying knee. Homasi holds on to the leg, but Koreshkov gets
out and hits him with hammerfists, as Homasi is looking to stall.
Homasi gets to the cage and again Koreshkov makes the curious
decision to wrestle. He does, however, pick Homasi up, marches him
closer to the center of the cage, and slams him to the canvas,
shades of Matt Hughes. Koreshkov moves to mount and is looking for
an arm triangle choke, ass Homasi turns on his hip. Homasi turns
his back, as Koreshkov is draped around him, now looking for the
RNC and hammering away with his free hand. With a minute left, this
fight has suddenly become very one-sided for the Russian. Koreshkov
stands up and blasts Homasi with knees to the body. Homasi tries to
get out, but it’s to no avail. Koreshkov utilizes excellent
wrist-control as he pummels him with punches. Homasi finally stands
to end the round, and eats another big knee for his efforts. 10-8
Koreshkov.

Round 3

Koreshkov is energetic to begin the round, while Homasi is tired.
Homasi goes for a wild, overhand right haymaker, but when he
misses, he loses his balance, and Koreshkov immediately gets on
top. He starts landing punches to the body, and an attempt to
scramble by Homasi is unsuccessful. As Homasi tries to shrimp to
the cage, Koreshkov lands several monster knees to the body. Homasi
is hurt, and switches to his back, with Koreshkov now in full
guard. Koreshkov continues punishing Homasi with big punches to the
body, and occasionally gets a few to the head. Homasi’s head is
pressed against the cage, as he eats punches and elbows, albeit in
spurts. Koreshkov’s GNP is very technical and hard, utilizing his
body very well into the strikes. Finally Homasi tries to scramble
out, but Koreshkov shows off his jits, taking the back and
re-asserting the wrist control that worked so well in Round 2. He
gets both hooks in. However, Homasi shows his toughness, turning
into the loose hooks, ending up on top of Koreshkov. Koreshkov is
holding on to a closed full guard, but soon opens it up, looking to
wall-walk. Homasi is simply holding on, taking the occasional short
punch from the Russian. Homasi musters the energy to drag
Koreshkov’s body back down, and with 50 seconds left, even lands a
solid forearm, perhaps the first connect of the round. With 30
seconds left, Koreshkov shows off his flexibility with a rubber
guard. Homasi lands a few arm punches as the fight ends. With the
exception of a slight hiccup at the end, that was an excellent
performance by Koreshkov against a tough, game fighter. 10-9
Koreshkov (30-26 Koreshkov).

The Official Result

Andrey Koreshkov def. Sabah Homasi via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-26, 30-26)

Bellator Middleweight Title Fight:
Gegard
Mousasi (185) vs. John Salter
(185)

Round 1

In the main event, Bellator middleweight champion, the legendary
Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2), incredibly now 36 years old, takes on a
stern test in master grappler John Salter (18-4). Amusingly, both
Salter and Mousasi are 10-1 in their last 11 bouts. Their only
loss? To undefeated, now retired Rafael Lovato Jr., who submitted
Salter in round 3 and won a debatable majority decision over
Mousasi. Referee Dan Miragliotta gets the final assignment of the
night. Mousasi begins stalking Salter. Salter fires a leg kick, but
Mousasi dodges it. Mousasi backs Salter into the cage. Salter
throws a left cross, but Mousasi easily avoids it. Mousasi then
evades another leg kick. Mousasi comes forward with strikes
himself, and scores with a 1-2. Salter partially gets him back with
a leg kick. Salter fakes a few punches, and then shoots for the
legs. He drives Mousasi into the cage, and then finishes with a
nice outside trip. However, Mousasi is merely on his butt, not on
his back, threatening to wall-walk at any time. Salter has to focus
on blocking off Mousasi’s attempts to get up, and tries to suck his
hips away from the fence. They trade short punches, more annoying
than anything. Halfway through the round, Mousasi is getting up,
but Salter is going for an ankle pick to keep him down. Salter is
attacking Mousasi’s base, firing knees to the back of the legs.
Salter fires a knee to the head, which is illegal, as Mousasi’s
hands are touching the ground. He gets a warning from the referee.
Mousasi stands back up, but Salter has the rear waistlock. Mousasi
turns into him, and just barely blocks an attempt at a pick-up and
slam. Mousasi now fires short knees to the body, and they’re
starting to have an effect on Salter, who is changing position.
Mousasi lands a good elbows to the side of the head as the round
ends. While Salter had “control”, he didn’t even cleanly take
Mousasi down, and Mousasi had the edge in terms of damage, which,
as Big John McCarthy, who wrote the Unified Rules reminds us, is
the main criteria for judging. 10-9 Mousasi.

Round 2

Mousasi throws a jab, but Salter avoids it. Salter lands an
overhand left that Mousasi is surprised by. Mousasi retaliates with
a solid right cross that backs Salter up. Mousasi comes forward
with punches, and Salter gets away, although his own punches are
mostly blocked. Mousasi throws a 1-2 that partially gets through,
and Salter barely blocks a head kick, although a jab by Mousasi
gets through. Mousasi is using feints well, and he partially gets
another jab through. Mousasi continues to stalk Salter against the
cage. Mousasi lands another jab, and then a more solid left hand.
He lands another straight left, and then throws a head kick that is
blocked. Salter shoots for a takedown. Mousasi intially defends
very well, but Salter continues chain wrestling and eventually gets
Mousasi down. Yet again, Mousasi is on his butt but not on his
back. Mousasi throws a few short punches to the body, as Salter
tries to keep him down. With 90 seconds left, Mousasi stands back
up against the cage, as Salter continues grinding. Mousasi lands an
elbow to the side of the head. Salter reaches for the legs, but
Mousasi angles off and now Salter is on his back. Mousasi fires off
his patented ground-and-pound now, punishing Salter with beautiful
straight punches. Salter is covering up well, but many are getting
through, and Salter is hurt. With 20 seconds left, Mousasi is in
half-guard, blasting away with punches and elbows, one after the
other, as Salter is in pure defense mode, absorbing many hard
blows. Salter is badly bloodied to end the round. Almost a 10-8,
but not quite. 10-9 Mousasi.

Round 3

Salter looks a little unsteady to begin the round. He throws a leg
kick, which Mousasi easily moves out of range of. Mousasi pops him
with a jab and then adds a nice cross. Salter comes with another
overhand left, but he is unsuccessful. Salter shoots earlier now,
less than a minute in, but he is now easily stuffed, and doesn’t
have the energy to chain-wrestle. Mousasi is coming forward, being
cautious with his strikes. Salter shoots, but Mousasi sniffs it
out, and Mousasi pushes him down, ending up on top again. Mousasi blasts Salter with punches in half-guard,
as Salter is just eating punch after punch, one after another.
Referee Dan Miragliotta warns John Salter, but he is unable to
move, continuing to eat blow after blow. Dan has no choice but to
stop it. An impressive stoppage win for Gegard Mousasi, as John
Salter was exactly the type of elite grappler, with high-level
wrestling and BJJ that traditionally gives him trouble.

The Official Result

Gegard Mousasi def. John Salter via TKO (Punches) at 2:07 of Round
3