SBNation.com User Blog: Jackie Maden

XFC 16 Photo Gallery

Jackie Maden — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:10:23 -0000

XFC 16 took place Friday night in Knoxville, TN (practically my backyard). I was there, but sadly I had a very poor view of the action from the seat I was given. However, my brother-in-law, armed with a camera, installed himself cageside and managed to get some great photos over the course of the evening. After the jump are some of the winners and losers from the event, some shots of the fights, and some random thoughts about the whole thing.

The biggest downside to attending an event in Knoxville, with local guys on the card, is that I had to hear Rockytop at least 3 times that night. I could have done without that. Also, it would have been nice to be able to see the fights a little better. But overall the evening was great, there were some nice finishes, and as a plus I got to chat with Schiavello for a bit. Doesn't get much better than that.

XFC 16: Undercard Results And Recap

Jackie Maden — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:48:00 -0000

I was fortunate enough to attend XFC 16: High Stakes in Knoxville, TN Friday night. It was a solid show, even if being crammed into the small Knoxville Civic Auditorium meant that the press were relegated to floor seats in the crowd. The view wasn't great, but the fights were still entertaining and the energy in the arena was fantastic.

We had three prelims fights before the main HDNet broadcast started. First of all, we had a 180 lb catchweight fight between Shane Machette and Daniel Crockett. Crockett came in heavy at just over 183, which didn't make him popular with the crowd. But he didn't let the boos affect him. The fight went the full 3 rounds, with Crockett getting several takedowns and controlling most of the fight on the ground.

Crockett wasn't able to finish his opponent, but he was dominant for most of the fight, leading the judges to award him the decision win. That takes the Bristol, Tennessee fighter's record to 4-0.

Next up was Chris Coggins vs. Jay Meneghello. This one was over pretty quick. The fighters spent a good bit of the first round on the cage, working for takedowns. When the fight finally went to the ground with Meneghello on top, Coggins was able to lock in an armbar and get the tap at just under 3 minutes into round one.

This was the third fight in a row the Clarksville, TN fighter has won by armbar. His record is now 5-1, and I'm willing to bet we'll see him on another XFC card pretty soon.

The last unaired prelim was the pro debut for both fighters. Local favorite Scott Holtzman took on Brandon Demastes of West Virginia in a short battle that ended with Holtzman's hand raised. It took less than 2 minutes for Holtzman to get the fight to the ground, take Demastes' back, and sink an RNC.

A small side note to this fight: I had the chance to talk with Brandon Demastes' father, who was actually sitting next to me. It was an interesting insight into a different viewpoint: that of someone who knows nothing about the sport, was generally bewildered for most of the event, can't understand why anyone would want to beat someone up for a living, and yet still went out of his way to support his son who just lost his first fight in front of about 10 family members who came to watch. With that kind of family behind him, we'll see this kid in the cage again, and when we do he's going to be winning.

So overall, not a bad undercard. Three fights, two finishes, and some local fighters got to show what they can do. Good stuff.

Bellator 59 Results: Dantas Earns Title Shot, Pellegrino Retires (Again), and Controversy Abounds

Jackie Maden — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:31:50 -0000

Bellator 59 is now officially history, and it certainly was memorable. With no UFC event taking place there were more eyes than usual on this broadcast, which took place in Atlantic City, NJ. And there was plenty to be seen.

The first fight of the live broadcast was Marcin Held vs. Phillipe Nover. The fight went for the full three rounds. Held was extremely active especially on the ground, pulling guard and going for submission after submission. However, he never really threatened Nover seriously. Nover was able to defend every sub attempt that Held threw at him, and had the upper hand in what little striking there was. However, the judges awarded Held a controversial split decision. As this was billed as a qualifier for the next featherweight tournament, Held should be guaranteed a spot. Perhaps Bjorn Rebney will also award Nover a place in the tourney after his performance tonight - he certainly earned it.

The next fight was the bantamweight tournament final, Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila. This one also went all three rounds. Vila spent most of the first round controlling Dantas against the cage, but Dantas, with a significant height/reach advantage, was better on the feet and took the second round. Third round saw Dantas taking Vila's back and working for a rear naked choke that he never quite got - but it was enough to give him the round and the fight. So Eduardo Dantas will challenge Zach Makovsky for the bantamweight title sometime in the spring of 2012.

SBN coverage of Bellator 59

Next, lightweight tournament runner-up Patricky Freire took on the un-retired Kurt Pellegrino. This one was short and bittersweet - Freire caught Pellegrino early with a left that dropped him, then when Freire moved in and was trying to finish the fight, the ref stepped in and stopped it. There was some controversy over this for the simple reason that Pellegrino wasn't out, wasn't turtled up, and was still trying to fight. In fact, he was in the middle of grabbing a single when the ref called a halt to the fight. While it's true that it was probably only a matter of time before Freire really did knock him out, Pellegrino certainly deserved the chance to turn things around and stay in the fight. He was very classy afterward, though, didn't complain about the stoppage, said many nice things about Freire, and then announced his retirement from MMA. Hats off to Batman.

Finally, the heavyweight tournament final was underway: Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos. This was another short and bittersweet bout. Santos got a couple of takedowns, as was expected. But when Prindle was on his back, Santos stood up to land some leg kicks... and kicked Prindle square in the cup. Santos argued that it was accidental, and perhaps it might have been, but it's really hard to see how. At any rate, Prindle took his 5 minutes but was still obviously in pain. He was heard to say that he felt like he was going to throw up. It was determined that he couldn't continue, so the fight was declared a No Contest. So we will have to wait until a rematch can be scheduled to find out who will go on to face champ Cole Konrad.

It was a strange night for Bellator, overall. But the fights were good even if the officiating and judging sometimes wasn't. And, again, it was certainly a memorable way to finish out season 5.

Bellator 59 Live Results and Play-By-Play

Jackie Maden — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:32:08 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary from Bellator 59. Our live blog will begin with the start of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. EST) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight's event includes the tournament finals in the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions, plus a welterweight tourney qualifier and a lightweight feature fight.

Heavyweights Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos will be battling for a $100,000 check and a title shot against current champ Cole Konrad. Prindle made it to the final with victories over Abe Wagner and Ron Sparks, while Santos earned his place here by defeating first Josh Burns and then Neil Grove.

The bantamweight final is set with Eduardo Dantas facing off against Alexis Vila. Both of these men won their quarterfinal fights with highlight reel knockouts: Dantas with a flying knee against Wilson Reis, and Vila with a solid left that laid Joe Warren out flat. In the semifinals Dantas took a decision over Ed West while Vila carried a spit decision over Marcos Galvao. The winner of this bout will take home the $100,000 check and earn their chance to take the belt away from current champ Zach Makovsky.

In a qualifier for the next featherweight tournament, Marcin Held will be facing Phillipe Nover. This is Held's second fight for Bellator and his first at 145 - he lost in the quarterfinal round of the lightweight tournament to Michael Chandler. Nover, after an unsuccessful stint in the UFC, is making his debut for Bellator tonight.

Finally we have a feature fight between season 4 lightweight tournament finalist Patricky Freire and UFC vet Kurt Pellegrino. Freire lost a decision to Michael Chandler in the final of last season's 155 tourney, leaving Chandler to challenge and ultimately defeat champ Eddie Alvarez. Pellegrino is making his Bellator debut with this fight and, if victorious, will likely secure a spot in the next lightweight tournament.

We'll be live when the action starts at 9 p.m, so join us then!

SBN coverage of Bellator 59

Marcin Held vs. Phillipe Nover

Round one: We get underway with a flurry from Held, then Nover almost drops him with a good shot but Held recovers quickly. Held misses with a head kick then shoots, and after a good scramble they're back up. Held tries a trip, and goes for a heel hook, Nover is trying one of his own but loses it.. Held goes for a kneebar, then a heel hook again, but Nover gets away. Held comes in for a kick but Nover catches him with a punch. Nover lands a solid body kick. Held moves in to clinch and gets Nover on the cage, trying to get a takedown. Held eats a knee to the body then pulls guard. Nover is landing some ground and pound, then stands up. Held rolls in for a kneebar but loses it. Nover tries an armbar, can't get it, and the round ends. 10-9 Held just for being more aggressive in my book.

Round two: Held gets Nover down quickly but it ends up with Nover in half guard. Held is trying to get up but can't. Nover is landing some elbows and is holding half guard. Held is landing a lot of shots to Nover's head from the bottom. Held tries for an armbar but Nover gets out and stands up. Held lands some upckicks but nothing damaging. Nover lets him up. Held shoots and gets a takedown. Nover goes for a kimura, then lets it go. Nover can't get full mount so he stands, then dives in with a solid punch. Nover landing good ground and pound and the round ends. 10-9 Nover that time.

Round three: Held comes forward immediately and gets a takedown. Held being very active in the ground, finally gets half guard. Held lands a bunch of little punches but Nover is trying to power his way out. Nover spins, and gets on top of Held against the cage. Back on their feet, then Held gets Nover down again and is going for an ankle but Nover gets loose. They're up, Nover lands a left then Held clinches him on the cage. Nover goes for a double and gets Held down. Nover in half guard now, landing shots to the body and legs. Held is trying to turn but Nover keeps him down. End of the fight. I give it to Nover, 2 rounds to 1.

Marcin Held def. Phillipe Nover via split decision ... somehow.

Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila

Round one: Vila comes forward immediately and gets a takedown. Dantas tries to turn as Vila tries a couple of submissions, then stands while Dantas throws upkicks. Back on the feet, and Dantas lands a jumping knee. Dantas with a head kick that glances. Vila comes in and clinches Dantas on the cage. Dantas lands some knees from the clinch, then Vila lands a few of his own. Dantas tries to trip Vila but can't. Vila keeps Dantas on the cage but can't get him down. Vila finally gets Dantas down. Dantas rolls and stands up, end of the round. 10-9 Vila for controlling Dantas almost the whole round.

Round two: Vila shoots immediately. He has a single but Dantas is defending the takedown very well. Dantas unloads on Vila until Vila lets go of the leg and backs off. Dantas lands a solid body kick. Vila lands a body shot, then eats a leg kick. Vila comes in with a good combo then goes for a single again. He lets go of the leg and clinches Dantas on the cage, but Dantas spins and moves away. Dantas lands a knee, then a body kick. Vila shoots again. Vila has a single, then Dantas goes for a guillotine. Vila gets loose. Dantas throws a push kick and eats some shots from Vila. Vila goes for a single and Dantas has a guillotine again. Dantas loses the guillotine. Now Dantas has Vila on the cage. They separate. Dantas with a jumping knee, then a right. End of the round. I think Dantas took it 10-9.

Round three: Solid body kick from Dantas, followed by a leg kick. Dantas landed a knee and Vila slips but is back up quickly. Vila dodges a punch then eats a knee. Vila shoots but Dantas takes his back. Trying for the rnc, he has both hooks in but can't sink the choke. Vila trying to spin out but can't get away. Dantas has a body triangle now but so far Vila is defending pretty well. Vila is throwing some backward punches but they're not really doing anything. Dantas still going for the rnc. He's not going to get it... end of the fight. I give it to Dantas 29-28.

Eduardo Dantas def. Alexis Vila via unanimous decision

Patricky Freire vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Round one: Pellegrino comes in swinging early, but Freire lands a right that staggers him. Pellegrino is down, Friere is landing shots, and the ref steps in. Early stoppage... Pellegrino was still in the fight, though it could possibly be argued that it was only a matter of time. Patricky Freire def. Kurt Pellegrino via TKO, :50 of round one

Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos

Round one: Prindle comes forward swinging, and Santos gets a takedown. Santos is landing some nasty shots from half guard. Prindle gets to his feet, but Santos gets him down quickly. Half guard again. Now Santos is landing gnp. He stands, then blatantly kicks Prindle in the crotch while Prindle is down. Time called. Prindle's corner is urging him to take the full 5 minutes. Ok, the fight has been called, Prindle can't continue. And the result is: The fight is ruled a No Contest at 1:41 of round one

Well, Bellator certainly ended season 5 on an interesting note. Wow. Thanks for hanging out, as always I had a blast!

Bellator 58 Recap: Chandler Takes the Belt, Lombard Dominates Prangley

Jackie Maden — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:12:25 -0000

Bellator 58 took place Saturday night at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. There were 4 fights on the televised card: Rafael Dias vs. Marlon Sandro, Jessica Aguilar vs. Lisa Ward, Trevor Prangley vs. Hector Lombard, and the lightweight title fight between champ Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler.

The first bout was Rafael Dias vs. Marlon Sandro. Dias came out strong and looked like he might make some trouble for Sandro early with a punch that put Sandro on his back. Dias was unable to keep his momentum going, however, and Sandro managed a takedown that quickly resulted in an arm triangle. Dias tapped with just over a minute left in the first round.

The next fight was one that was originally supposed to be on the undercard. Jessica Aguilar took on Lisa Ward in a rematch of a fight from 2006. Ward won their first fight, which was Aguilar's MMA debut. But this time around Aguilar left little doubt which fighter has evolved more. Ward was tough and persistent, but was content to stand and ignore her own wrestling background. Aguilar's striking was sharper, harder, and overall just better than anything Ward was bringing. After three rounds, the judges didn't hesitate to award Aguilar the unanimous decision victory.

Next, middleweight champ Hector Lombard went up against Trevor Prangley in a catchweight, non-title fight. Prangley managed to endure the first round and took some punishment, but early in the second Lombard finally unloaded a power left hand that left the South African fighter on the mat. A few more shots and the fight was over, and Lombard's hand was raised.

Finally, we had the lightweight title fight between champion Eddie Alvarez and tournament winner Michael Chandler. This was an amazing, back-and-forth battle that at some moments was moving too quickly to follow. Both fighters showed great standup skills and impressive power. Alvarez got off to a slow start and was in trouble early, but by the third round, was becoming clearly dominant. Chandler was hurt (and apparently beaten). But coming out for the fourth round Chandler pulled it together, then managed to land a right hand that put the champ on his back. Without hesitation Chandler moved in, took Alvarez' back, and almost before we knew it, Alvarez was tapping and we had a new champion.

Overall, Bellator delivered a fantastic card tonight. Marlon Sandro likely cemented a spot in the next featherweight tourney, Jessica Aguilar redeemed her first loss, Hector Lombard continued what is being called the longest win streak in MMA, and Michael Chandler handed Eddie Alvarez his first loss since 2008 and became only the second lightweight champion in Bellator history. An amazing night of fights.

Bellator 58 Live Results and Play-by-Play

Jackie Maden — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:44:53 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary from Bellator 58. Our live blog will begin with the start of the MTV2 broadcast (7 p.m. EST) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight brings us a title fight in the lightweight division. Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez will be facing tournament winner Michael Chandler to determine who will take home the lightweight belt. Chandler defeated Patricky Freire in the tournament final at Bellator 44 to become the latest challenger to try to take the title from Alvarez. Alvarez has held the belt since the first 155 tournament in 2009, but this will be only his second title defense.

Also on the televised card tonight are two feature fights: middleweight champ Hector Lombard will face Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight bout, and a featherweight contest between Marlon Sandro and Rafael Dias. We will also likely see what was originally and undercard fight between Jessica Aguilar and Lisa Ward.

Remember, the action starts at 7 p.m. EST tonight, so join us then!

SBN coverage of Bellator 58

Rafael Dias vs. Marlon Sandro

Round one: Slow start. Sandro gets in a good leg kick, and Dias misses with a head kick. Sandro comes in punching, Dias misses. Dias catches Sandro with a shot that knocks him down, but Sandro goes for a takedown. Sandro is in half guard now. He lands a couple of elbows followed up with some body shots. Dias is trying to get up, and finally manages it. Sandro tries to trip him and get him down again but can't. Dias' nose is busted and bleeding. Sandro gets a takedown, gets an arm triangle, and Dias taps!! Marlon Sandro def. Rafael Dias via submission (arm triangle choke), 3:56 of round one

Jessica Aguilar vs. Lisa Ward

Round one: Aguilar opens up with a good combo. Ward misses with a leg kick. Another combo from Aguilar. Ward with a spinning backfist that doesn't have much to it. They trade some good solid shots. Aguilar is being just a bit more effective in the standup so far. Ward lands a couple of decent body kicks. Aguilar with a right that Ward counters with a body kick. Combo from Aguilar, Ward clinches her on the cage and lands a knee to the head. End of the round. 10-9 Aguilar.

Round two: Apparently Aguilar's nose is broken. She is coming out swinging hard but a little wild. Ward is coming forward more now. She throws a leg kick, Aguilar catches it and lands a right. Ward is throwing a lot more punches but isn't connecting with much. Now both women are trading good solid shots. Ward comes in with a flying knee and slips, Aguilar follows up punching. Aguilar is going for an anaconda choke, Ward is on her feet and eating knees from Aguilar. Aguilar trips Ward and is unloading gnp. Now Aguilar in Ward's guard. Ward is trying to keep Aguilar tied up. Back on the feet. Ward is looking hesitant. End of the round. Wow... 10-9 Aguilar again.

Round three: Aguilar is landing good shots early. Ward is landing, but not as much or as well. Aguilar is landing combos. Ward throws a kick, Aguilar catches it. Ward lands a head kick but again, not much behind it. More of the same, they trade, Ward's shots aren't as accurate or powerful as Aguilar's. Now Ward comes forward with a flurry that backs Aguilar to the cage. Aguilar gets Ward down and is in side control. Aguilar is up and dropping gnp, Ward missing with upkicks. End of the fight. I see it for Aguilar with at least two rounds, possibly three.

Jessica Aguilar def. Lisa Ward via unanimous decision

Hector Lombard vs. Trevor Prangley

Round one: Lombard comes out strong with a body kick, then drives Prangley into the cage. Lombard is throwing some little knees, then tries to throw Prangley. Prangley stays up though. Lombard with a body kick, then a nasty left and a flurry of hard shots. Prangley gets a takedown but can't keep it, they're back up. Lombard has Prangley pressed on the cage again. Back to the center. Prangley is bleeding from the nose. Lombard lands a combo followed by a leg kick. Prangley lands a body kick then a leg kick. Lombard comes in for a body shot. Prangley comes forward with a punch but misses. End of the round. 10-9 Lombard.

Round two: Lombard throws a casual body kick that still looked nasty. Good combo from Lombard. Prangley comes forward with a combo, Lombard catches him with a counter left that rocks him badly. Lombard quickly follows up and the ref stops it. Hector Lombard def. Trevor Prangley via TKO, 1:06 of round two

Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler

Round one: Chandler is coming forward hard, and hitting Alvarez with a flurry of punches that has him rocked. He gets Alvarez down but Alvarez is back up pretty quick. Alvarez connects with a good right, but Chandler is comign forward and swinging hard. Another right from Alvarez. Chandler is still coming forward, and lands a combo. Alvarez lands another good shot. Chandler goes for a takedown but can't get it. They trade, then alvarez gets Chandler on the cage. Chandler goes for a takedown, gives up his back, but gets out and they're back up! Alvarez lands a good left, then another. Knee to the head from Alvarez. Chandler comes in with a combo that looks good, then another. Alvarez eats a right but comes forward and lands another combo. Chandler catches Alvarez again and he's rocked! Chandler comes in to try to finish but the round ends! I have no idea how to score that round. Fantastic. I would almost say 10-9 Chandler.

Round two: Chandler comes out strong again, swinging hard. Chandler gets Alvarez on the cage, and finally gets him down. Alvarez is back up, then Chandler gets him down again. Alvarez gives up his back but gets to his feet. Alvarez throws a left but misses. Chandler is throwing jabs and mostly missing. Chandler shoots but can't get a leg. Alvarez looks like he's working for a submission, maybe an anaconda. He gets up. Chandler swings and misses, then lands a jab. Alvarez lands a left, then a body kick that almost misses. Alvarez lands a body kick then a left. He comes in with a combo as the round ends. I think that one goes 10-9 Alvarez.

Round three: Alvarez lands a couple of little jabs. He is moving forward more now. Alvarez swings and misses, and ends up with Chandler on the cage briefly. Chandler lands a good left but eats one in the process. Alvarez with several body shots, then tries a guillotine briefly. Alvarez is coming forward with some good shots and Chandler looks hurt. Chandler is just hanging on the cage while Alvarez hits him. Chandler shoots but Alvarez gets out. Chandler looks bad now. Alvarez is unloading on him. Chandler throws a good right but misses. Now Chandler is taking shot after shot from Alvarez, he rallies enough to land some good shots then shoots. He can't get the takedown, but it keeps Alvarez from beating on him for a little bit and gives him time to recover if he can. Not sure what happened to Chandler this round. End of the round, 10-9 Alvarez.

Round four: Chandler is looking a little better now. He is swinging and missing though. Alvarez is landing some combos. Chandler lands a right and is coming forward again. He shoots but can't get a takedown. Now both guys are landing good shots. Chandler lands a great right that gets Alvarez down, and Chandler is going for gnp. Now in full mount and is trying to land elbows. Alvarez gives up his back, Chandler gets the choke, and Alvarez taps!! Wow!! Michael Chandler def. Eddie Alvarez via submission (rear naked choke), 3:06 of round four

Good lord, what a title fight. Thanks for joining us, everyone, this was a blast!

Bellator 57 Live Results and Play-by-Play

Jackie Maden — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:20:08 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary from Bellator 57. Our live blog will begin with the start of the MTV2 broadcast (7 p.m. EST) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight brings us the finals in both the welterweight and middleweight tournaments. Welterweights Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima will face off for $100,000 and a shot at champ Ben Askren's belt, while Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna will be fighting for the big check and a crack at middleweight champ Hector Lombard. Also on this card are two feature fights, one at 205 between John Hawk and Roger Hollett, and the other at featherweight between Doug Evans and Alexandre Bezerra.

Again, the event is starting earlier than normal tonight, at 7 p.m. EST. Don't miss what should be a great night of fights!

SBN coverage of Bellator 57

Doug Evans vs. Alexandre Bezerra

Round one: Bezerra opens with some good shots. Evans is throwing puches but not connecting quite as well. Bezerra's movement looks good. Now Evans is connecting. Bezerra shoots, and ends up with Evans on the cage. Now Bezerra gets the takedown, and is throwing lots of shots. Now Bezerra tries a guillotine but Evans slams him and is out. Now Bezerra is on the bottom and goes for an armbar. Evans slams his way out of it. Another armbar attempt from Bezerra but he loses it. Now Evans is in Bezerra's guard. Bezerra's right eye is almost completely closed. Now Bezerra tries for a heel hook. Evans taps!! Alexandre Bezerra def. Doug Evans via submission (heel hook), 4:04 of round one

John Hawk vs. Roger Hollett

Round one: Hollett opens with a head kick that's blocked. Hawk is throwing punches that don't connect, and throws a very awkward push kick that misses. Lots of punches thrown that miss. Hollett finally lands with a left. Then he lands a solid right that rocks Hawk. Hollett lands a leg kick. Hawk just keeps punching and not quite connecting. Hollett with a spinning back kick. And another. Now Hawk gets Hollett against the cage and is landing knees. They separate, and the round ends. 10-9 Hollett.

Round two: Hollett is already landing leg kicks. Hawk finally connects with a left. Now he has Hollett on the cage again, and is landing knees. The refs separates them. Hollett lands a good shot, then lands a couple of leg kicks. Hawk gets Hollett on the cage and starts landing knees. Hollett is just standing there and taking them. Finally, Hollett throws a knee. He gets off the cage. Hawk comes in swinging but isn't connecting with anything solid. Hollettt lands a good shot followed by a leg kick. And again, Hawk gets him on the cage and throws knees. He adds a few foot stomps in as well before the ref restarts them. Hollett lands a left which means Hawk puts him against the cage yet again, landing knees. End of the round. I guess I'd have to say 10-9 Hawk, just because he had Hollett on the cage and helpless so much.

Round three: Hawk comes forward immediately and clinches Hollett on the cage. They don't stay there long, but they end up right back there almost immediately. Back to the center, a few punches thrown, and back to the cage. This time at least Hollett is throwing a knee or two of his own. Hawk throws a punch and Hollett loses his mouthpiece. As soon as they restart, Hawk gets Hollett back on the cage and is landing knees. Crowd is not happy. Ref restarts them, Hollett lands a kick, Hawk lands a punch or two, and they are back on the cage. This time Hawk is landing punches and elbows on the cage. Hollett is cut. Now Hawk lands some punches that look more effective. Hollett lands a great left, then eats a couple of easy shots before getting put on the fence again. Hawk looks gassed but is still landing knees. Back to the center. Hollett throws a spinning back fist that misses. Now Hawk is acting like this is a real fight. Hollett lands a spinning back kick as the bell sounds. I would say the fight goes to Hawk for control and for the damage in the last round.

Roger Hollett def. John Hawk via split decision

Vitor Vianna vs. Alexander Shlemenko

Round one: Slow start, Shlemenko feints a couple of times before coming in and connecting. Vianna has Shlemenko clinched up going for a takedown, but he can't hold him. Vianna lands a great shot and Shlemenko slips but recovers. Now Shlemenko is landing good shots, Vianna returns some as well. Spinning back fist from Shlemenko followed by another shot that ends with Vianna on the cage. Shlemenko lands a left as they separate. Shlemenko is being very aggressive. Vianna lands a great leg kick, then dodges a spinning back kick. Both fighters are landing hard punches. Shlemenko misses with another spinning back fist. End of the round. I give the edge to Shlemenko 10-9.

Round two: Shlemenko lands a body kick first thing. He keeps moving forward, and lands a good left then misses with a spinning back kick. Shlemenko connects with a combo and Vianna answers right back. Shlemenko coming forward with punches and a kick. Vianna doing a good job dodging and countering. Vianna throws a kick to the body and Shlemenko answers with some nasty shots. Vianna needs to stop countering and go after Shlemenko. Shlemenko throws a kick, Vianna almost catches it. And we have an accidental groin shot by Shlemenko but they're back fighting almost immediately. Shlemenko is throwing a lot, and when he connects it looks great. End of the round. 10-9 Shlemenko.

Round three: Vianna lands a leg kick. Shlemenko is coming forward swinging and Vianna is just backing up. Another flurry by Shlemenko. Now Vianna starts throwing and looking better, but Shlemenko is coming right back at him. Now Vianna shoots and gets Shlemenko down. He has Shelmenko's back, but Shlemenko turns and gets back to his feet. Vianna lands a left that kinda makes Shlemenko back up. Shlemenko lands several body shots. Vianna lands another good left but Shlemenko just comes forward with body shots. Vianna goes for a spinning back fist but slips. End of the fight. I give it to Shlemenko. Vianna just didn't do much.

Alexander Shlemenko def. Vitor Vianna via unanimous decision

Ben Saunders vs. Douglas Lima

Round one: Saunders opens with a head kick that's blocked easily. Lima gets Saunders clinched on the cage, then Saunders turns and starts landing knees to Lima's legs. The ref stops them and resets. Saunders throws a couple of kicks that barely miss, then they clinch on the cage again. Saunders is landing brutal knees. Lima reverses but doesn't do anything, and the ref separates them again. Saunders is landing decent kicks. Lima lands a nasty leg kick, then another. They clinch on the cage again but Lima isn't doing much. And another separation. Saunders throws a head kick, Lima catches it and takes him down, Saunders reverses and ends up in full mount. Saunders with some good gnp now, but Lima is doing a pretty good job of defending. End of the round, I call it 10-9 Saunders.

Round two: Lima opens with a leg kick. He gets Saunders on the cage again and tries to get a takedown but can't. Ref separates them. Saunders lands a couple of kicks, then goes in to swing and gets caught by a right. He's down, Lima moves in for some more shots, and the ref stops it! Douglas Lima def Ben Saunders via TKO, 1:21 of round two

So there you have it. Alexander Shlemenko will be facing Hector Lombard (again) for the middleweight belt, and Douglas Lima will take on Ben Askren to try to take the welterweight championship. Great fights tonight! Thanks guys, it was fun!

Bellator 56 Recap: Prindle, Santos Advance to Heavyweight Final, Askren Retains Title

Jackie Maden — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:28:31 -0000

Bellator 56 took place Saturday evening at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, MO. There were three fights on the televised card: Eric Prindle vs. Ron Sparks, Thiago Santos vs. Neil Grove, and Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron.

First we had the semifinal fights in the heavyweight tournament. Eric Prindle came out with some very heavy hands and dispatched Ron Sparks with a left hook only 40 seconds into the first round, barely giving Sparks a chance to connect with even a single punch. This cemented Prindle's place in the tournament final.

Joining Prindle in the final will be Brazilian Thiago Santos. Santos faced off against Neil Grove, and took only a few seconds to land a right hand that put Grove on his back. Santos was quick to follow up and try to finish the fight with some ground and pound. Grove gave up his back, which gave Santos the opportunity to sink a rear naked choke. Grove tapped a scant 38 seconds into the fight, and Santos is on to the final.

More results after the jump.

SBN coverage of Bellator 56

The main event was the welterweight title fight between Ben Askren and Jay Hieron. The fight went the distance, and was characterized by Askren's fairly sloppy standup but still stellar groundwork. Hieron was the better striker by far, but never really let go with enough power to threaten to end the fight. But whenever Askren was able to get Hieron on the ground, he stuck to the challenger like a burr and still managed to bloody Hieron up with ground and pound. The fight went back and forth pretty regularly, but at the end the judges awarded a split decision victory to Ben Askren.

So the heavyweight final will be Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos. The winner of that fight will take home a check for $100,000 and will earn a title shot against the champ Cole Konrad. And Ben Askren managed to hang on to his belt, though it was a close fight and could have easily gone to Hieron. Overall, the main card was hugely entertaining and a great example of just how exciting this sport can be.

Full event results:

Undercard

Daniel Gallimore def. Derrick Ruffin via retirement, 5:00 of round two

Aaron Ely def. Owen Evinger via submission (RNC) at 3:45 of round one

Jacob Akin def. Jeimeson Saudino via submission (RNC) at 3:26 of round one

Emanual Brooks def. Willan de Souza via unanimous decision

Kelvin Tiller def. Dan Spohn via split decision

Marcio Navarro def. Rudy Bears via split decision

Eric Prindle def. Ron Sparks via KO, :40 of round one

Thiago Santos def. Neil Grove via submission (RNC), :38 of round one

Ben Askren def. Jay Hieron via split decision

Bellator 56 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:30:19 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 56. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight brings the semifinal fights in the heavyweight tournament. Eric Prindle will take on Ron Sparks, and Thiago Santos will be fighting Neil Grove. Both Santos and Grove are actually replacements for Mike Hayes and Blagoi Ivanov, respectively. Hayes suffered a broken orbital in his quarterfinal win over Grove that took him out of the tournament, then Ivanov was injured earlier this month and forced to withdraw from the fight. The winners of the semifinal fights will face each other in the final for $100,000 and the chance to go up against champ Cole Konrad for the belt.

The main event tonight is the long-awaited welterweight world championship battle between current champ Ben Askren and tournament winner Jay Hieron. Hieron comes to this fight having defeated Anthony Lapsley, Brent Weedman, and winning a controversial split decision over Olympic Judoka Rick Hawn in the tournament final. Askren has had only one fight since winning the belt, taking a unanimous decision over Nick Thompson in April of this year.

Join us at 9 p.m. ET tonight when the action gets underway!

SBN coverage of Bellator 56

Eric Prindle vs. Ron Sparks

Round one: Sparks comes out swinging hard but doesn't connect. Prindle throws a couple of good leg kicks. Sparks throws a leg kick, then Prindle lands a left that puts Sparks down. He's out! Fight is over! Eric Prindle def. Ron Sparks via KO, :40 of round one

Thiago Santos vs. Neil Grove

Round one: Grove opens with an overhand right. And Santos throws a right that puts Grove on his back. Santos follows him down and tries to finish with ground and pound, Grove gives up his back and Santos sinks an RNC. Grove taps!! Thiago Santos def. Neil Grove via submission (rear naked choke), :38 of round one

Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron

Round one: Hieron opens with a punch but misses. Askren throws a punch but almost overbalances. And he does it again, Hieron catches him with an uppercut on his way down. Hieron holds side control for a second but they're back up quick. Askren lands a right, then shoots. Hieron stuffs the takedown but eats a knee. Askren's striking is looking a little clumsy but he is connecting with some shots. Askren comes forward with some wild punches, Hieron weathers it though. Askren misses with a punch and Hieron catches him with a combo. Askren shoots but can't get the takedown. Hieron misses with a superman punch. Askren lands a kick but slips as he throws it. End of the round, I think I would give it to Hieron 10-9 just for more accurate striking.

Round two: Hieron lands a couple of good shots, then misses with a head kick. Askren shoots, and finally manages to get Hieron down. Hieron lands some upkicks before Askren ends up in half guard. Askren doing a good job of holding Hieron and landing a little gnp. Hieron is landing some strikes from the bottom but not many. Askren lands some body shots. Still in half guard. Askren lands some more nasty body shots. Hieron gets full guard. Askren stands up and Hieron lands an upkick. Askren moves into side control. Hieron tries to spin but Askren holds him still and lands knee after knee to the body. End of the round. No doubt that one goes to Askren, 10-9.

Round three: Hieron just misses with a head kick. Then he lands a right that connects pretty solid, followed by a left hook. Askren doesn't look rocked but those can't be fun. Askren throws a crazy left that misses by a mile. He throws another left that misses, but turns the miss into a takedown. Askren in full guard, moves to half guard. Now we're back to where the last round left off. Hieron manages to spin and get up. Askren is throwing slow punches and missing. Hieron lands a good leg kick, then misses with a spinning back kick. Again, Hieron's punches are landing even if there's not much behind them. End of the round. I think I'd give that one to Hieron, 10-9.

Round four: Askren opens with a decent right, but Hieron follows up with a good combo. And Askren shoots. He ends up on Hieron's back landing knees to the body. He's also hitting Hieron in the head almost at will. And still landing those knees. Hieron tries to stand but Askren is stuck to him. Hieron manages to roll and finally escapes and stands up. Hieron is landing several punches now, but they're not really doing much. Now time is called - looks like Hieron caught a finger in the eye. It's back on pretty quick though. Just in time for the end of the round. I'd have to say that one goes to Askren 10-9.

Round five: Hieron lands a left that actually rocks Askren a bit. Askren shoots but Hieron gets out. Hieron misses with a kick. He then lands some good leg kicks, and follows with a left. Askren is connecting with a few shots but not as many or as good as Hieron. Hieron has Askren backing up now. Askren misses with a wild looping shot. Hieron puts Askren on his back with a spinning back kick, and is kicking and waiting for Askren to stand. Another good left by Hieron, then he misses with a head kick. He lands a sharp right, then a leg kick. End of the fight. I give that round to Hieron 10-9, which should give him the fight. We'll see what the judges think, though.

Ben Askren def. Jay Hieron via split decision

So we have Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos for the heavyweight final, and Ben Askren just barely hangs on to his belt. Not a bad night of fights!

Bellator 55 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:07:19 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 55. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight's MTV2 card brings us the semifinals of the bantamweight tournament. Eduardo Dantas, after his nice flying knee KO of Wilson Reis in the quarterfinals, will be taking on Ed West. West comes out of the quarterfinals riding a decision win over Luis Alberto Nogueira. Also, Alexis Vila, triumphant after his KO of Joe Warren, will be taking on Marcos Galvao, who is coming off a split decision win over Chase Beebe. The winners of these two fights will move on to the final and will compete for $100,000 and a chance to take the Bellator bantamweight belt away from champ Zach Makovsky.

Rounding out the broadcast portion of the event is a light heavyweight superfight between Travis Wiuff and Bellator 205 champion Christian M'Pumbu, and a feature fight between Steve Gable and Ricardo Tirloni.

We'll be live at 9 p.m. ET, so join us then!

SBN coverage of Bellator 55

Steve Gable vs. Ricardo Tirloni

Round one: Tirlonli opens up with a mean leg kick. Gabel rushes in and clinches, he eats a knee but lands a good body shot. He goes for a single but lets it go. Tirloni lands another mean kick and a knee to the body before Gable clinches him on the cage again. Gable with some knees to the thigh. Gable shoots, but Tirloni spins and ends up on top in half guard. Tirloni almost gets a D'arce choke but can't lock it up. They get up, Gable is going for a double but can't get it. Gable lands a good right hand as they separate. Gable gets Tirloni back on the cage and is landing knees to the body. End of the round. Ugh... I would give that one to Tirloni 10-9, but could easily see it 10-9 Gable.

Round two: Gable wastes no time getting Tirloni back on the cage. Too bad Tirloni trips him and almost gets him down. They trade knees to the legs and body. Tirloni gets a few punches in before they separate. Gable goes for a takedown and Tirloni again ends up on top, in half guard. Tirloni with some decent gnp. Gable holding closed guard now. Tirloni stands up, avoids an upkick, then dives into full mount. Gable gives up his back, Tirloni drops some nasty shots, Tirloni going for the RNC, and Gable taps! Ricardo Tirloni def. Steve Gable via submission (rear naked choke), 3:54 of round two

Christian M'Pumbu vs. Travis Wiuff

Round one: Wiuff shoots first thing, and gets the takedown. M'Pumbu holds butterfly guard for a bit, Wiuff moves to half guard. M'Pumbu is doing pretty good keeping Wiuff's arms tied up but Wiuff still manages some short hammerfists. M'Pumbu is cut already. Wiuff gets his hands free and slams M'Pumbu in the face, then M'Pumbu almost gets an armbar. He lets it go. They lay there a bit longer and the ref stands them up. Wiuff swings a couple of times then pins M'Pumbu on the cage and starts landing knees to the legs. End of the round. I give it to Wiuff, 10-9.

Round two: M'Pumbu swings and misses, Wiuff lands a good shot then eats one. They clinch, M'Pumbu lands a knee to Wiuff's face that staggers him. Wiuff goes for a takedown. M'Pumbu sprawls and lands some nice shots to Wiuff's head before Wiuff finally gets the takedown. Wiuff in half guard. He lands some elbows to M'Pumbu's face. M'Pumbu is trying to get an arm but can't. Wiuff lands some heavy gnp. M'Pumbu is working on a triangle, Wiuff picks him up and slams him. M'Pumbu holding full guard now, and Wiuff is still getting him with short elbows and hammerfists. M'Pumbu is pretty helpless at this point. Wiuff continues some gnp. End of the round, I gotta give it to Wiuff 10-9.

Round three: Wiuff moves forward with some little punches that miss. M'Pumbu is doing a lot of bakcing up, then lands a nice shot that has Wiuff thinking about another takedown. They clinch, Wiuff with an uppercut that is answered by a knee. M'Pumbu with another uppercut, and several more good shots. Wiuff trying to taunt, and M'Pumbu is landing. Wiuff clinches up on the cage, but M'Pumbu moves away. m'Pumbu lands a right that really staggers Wiuff. M'Pumbu moves in to finish, some nasty gnp, but Wiuff stands up and gets a single immediately. M'Pumbu holding half guard. Wiuff looks exhausted but is still trying to finish. He lands short hammerfists and some body shots. End of the fight. I think I'd give it to Wiuff 29-28...

Travis Wiuff def. Christian M'Pumbu via unanimous decision

Eduardo Dantas vs. Ed West

Round one: West opens up with a leg kick, then another. Dantas comes in with a combo that backs West up a bit. Dantas then lands another right, West clinches up briefly. Dantas lands another combo and tries a head kick but misses. Dantas with another combo, backing West up. Dantas clips West again, he's down and hurt, Dantas comes in to finish but West closes guard. West goes for an armbar but Dantas gets out. They're up and clinched up on the cage. They separate, and West throws some little leg kicks. Dantas lands another left, West answers with an uppercut that puts Dantas down briefly. They clinch on the fence again, then separate. West lands a good leg kick but Dantas answers with a combo that puts West back on the cage. Dantas gets a takedown but West is back up immediately. West lands a headkick, then the round is over. Pretty close but I give it to Dantas 10-9.

Round two: West starts right out with a leg kick, and another. He goes for a head kick but barely misses. They're on the cage momentarily, then back out. Dantas lands a head kick, West misses with a superman punch. West gets a solid push kick in. Dantas catches him with a right. West comes forward with several kicks, Dantas answers with a combo. They clinch and trade knees. West is trying for a trip but can't get it. Dantas does, however. West gives up his back, Dantas is going for an rnc but West is defending well. West spins and ends up in Dantas' guard. Dantas goes for an armbar but West gets out. West back to full guard. Dantas is keeping him tied up. Dantas tries for rubber guard but West starts landing body shots. End of the round. Wow. I think Dantas took that one too, 10-9. Great round though.

Round three: West with the leg kicks again. Dantas comes forward swinging, but West moves away. West lands a push kick, Dantas goes for a single but can't get it. West has him against the cage now. West lands a few little body shots, and they trade knees. Dantas goes for a single but gives up. Back to the center. West is landing kicks but eating punches in the process. Both fighters swinging, and then it looks like Dantas gets a thumb in his eye. Time is called, then resumed. Twas an accident. Dantas comes in with a good shot, then another. West is landing kick after kick but they don't look like they're doing much. West is finally coming forward with some good punches, but the fight is over. I give it to Dantas, at least 29-28 if not 30-27.

Eduardo Dantas def. Ed West via split decision

Alexis Vila vs. Marcos Galvao

Round one: Slow start, but Galvao throws the first punch and misses. He lands a leg kick that just barely connects. Lots of circling. Vila throws a right that misses. Galvao with another leg kick. Galvao comes in with a knee and Vila takes him down. They get up quickly. Vila comes in with a head/body combo then backs off. Galvao swinging and missing. Galvao lands a leg kick that almost trips Vila. Galvao slipped but Vila lets him up. Both guys being pretty hesitant this round. Vila throws an uppercut that would have been wicked if it connected. End of the round. No idea how to score this one, since neither guy did much.

Round two: Vila comes in swinging but misses. Vila goes for a takedown, Galvao gets out if it. Vila with a nasty leg kick, followed by a combo that doesn't really connect. Another slow round so far. Vila throws a head kick that Galvao blocks. Vila lands a couple more kicks. Galvao is threatening with punches but not throwing. He does land a good knee. Vila shoots, can't get the takedown, then throws another head kick that Galvao blocks easily. Vila lands a hard body kick but eats a punch for it. Galvao connects with a body kick. They trade some kicks and punches but nothing is doing much damage. End of the round. I give it to Vila 10-9. Probably the first round would be the same.

Round three: Galvao comes out with a leg kick that looks like it hurts Vila. Vila gets a takedown, but Galvao is up quickly. Galvao almost catches a kick from Vila, but Vila spins out. Galvao misses with a head kick, then connects with a combo. Vila answers with a good right. Galvao misses with another kick, then eats a left. And again. Vila goes for a single, but Galvao gets away quickly. Galvao lands another good outside leg kick. Vila is swinging and connecting, but Galvao is landing a lot of good kicks. And more of the same. Vila can't even shoot, Galvao is stuffing the takedowns almost before they happen. End of the fight. Galvao took the third round, the fight will likely go to whoever the judges thought took the first.

Alexis Vila def. Marcos Galvao via split decision

So there we have it, the bantamweight tourney final will be Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila. Should be interesting, at any rate.

Bellator 54 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:11:38 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 54. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight's card features the semifinal fights in the middleweight tournament: Bryan Baker vs. Vitor Vianna and Brian Rogers vs. Alexander Shlemenko. The eventual winner of this tournament will take home $100,000 and earn a fight with champ Hector Lombard for the middleweight belt. Also on the card tonight, we'll see current bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky in a non-title super fight with Ryan Roberts, and a feature fight between Rene Nazare and Jacob Kirwan. This will be Kirwan's Bellator debut. Roberts and Nazare, however, have fought for the promotion previously, and Nazare will likely be taking part in the next lightweight tournament.

SBN coverage of Bellator 54

Rene Nazare vs. Jacob Kirwan

Round one: Nazare opens with some nasty leg kicks and is being way more aggressive with his striking. Kirwan shoots, but Nazare sprawls. Kirwan manages a trip and gets Nazare down. Nazare sweeps him. Kirwan can't do much with Nazare on him, but Nazare isn't doing much while he's there. Nazare in half guard. Kirwan gets full guard, and still Nazare isn't doing much but holding him down. Now we see some body shots from Nazare. Now the ref stands them up. Nazare again being the aggressor on the feet. He throws a body kick that Kirwan catches, and gets Nazare down again. Kirwan is cut and bleeding, and attempts to isolate an arm but can't. End of the round. I score it 10-9 Nazare.

Round two: Nazare lands a couple of good shots, Kirwan throws a couple of his own before shooting again. He gets the takedown pretty easily. Kirwan in half guard, and is keeping Nazare from doing much. But he's not doing doing much himself at this point. He flirts with trying to get an arm but gives up. Kirwan lands a couple of shots, but is mainly concerned with keeping Nazare helpless. The ref finally stands it up. Nazare lands some leg kicks, then Kirwan shoots again and is back in half guard. Kirwan lands a few punches, then Nazare stands up... only to shoot and get Kirwan down. Kirwan is holding full guard and tries to get Nazare in a guillotine. Nazare gets out of it. End of the round. Gotta give that one to Kirwan, 10-9.

Round three: Kirwan waits for almost 30 seconds before shooting. He ends up with Nazare holding half guard and working for a guillotine, but he lets it go. Kirwan is actually trying to do more damage from the top this time, lots of head and body shots. Nazare isn't able to do much but try to tie Kirwan up and get the standup. Kirwan moves to side control for a little bit, then back to half guard. Kirwan lands some decent elbows to Nazare's head. Nazare needs to really pull something out or he's lost this one. Now Nazare is landing some elbows from the bottom. He manages to spin to his feet... and shoots immediately. That's the fight. I have to score that one 29-28 for Kirwan.

Jacob Kirwan def. Rene Nazare via unanimous decision

Zach Makovsky vs. Ryan Roberts

Round one: Roberts lands a leg kick, Makovsky catches it and gets him down. Makovsky moves easily to side control, then briefly north/south. Roberts catches Makovsky in a head scissors and is holding him there. They stand up, and Makovsky lands a leg kick. He comes in and lands one punch, then backs off. Roberts throws a kick but Makovsky moves away. Makovsky lands a combo, then a leg kick. He moves in and Roberts catches him with a right. Makovsky catches Roberts with a left and looks like he staggered Roberts a bit. Another good shot from the champ. Roberts throws a kick, Makovsky catches it and gets the takedown. He moves quickly to side control, then north/south again. Makovsky locks in a north/south choke, and Roberts taps. Zach Makovsky def. Ryan Roberts via submission (north/south choke) at 4:48 of round one

Vitor Vianna vs. Bryan Baker

Round one: Baker comes out swinging, and Vianna is just kind of backing up and only throwing a couple of punches. Baker rushes in and catches a right from Vianna that puts him down. Vianna comes in with hammerfists and the ref stops it. Vitor Vianna def. Bryan Baker via TKO at :54 of round one

Brian Rogers vs. Alexander Shlemenko

Round one: Shlemenko lands a body kick, Rogers misses a leg kick. Shlemenko comes in with a flurry and catches Rogers. Now Rogers has Shlemenko against the cage, then they break. Shlemenko lands a spinning back kick, then Rogers comes in and eats a shot in order to land a couple. Rogers lands a good combo, and Shlemenko gets in a body kick. Rogers lands a right that rocks Alex a little bit. Rogers comes in to clinch Shlemenko on the cage. Rogers throws Alex and ends up in closed guard. Shlemenko gets to his feet. Rogers lands several punches, Shlemenko gets him with a knee. Rogers might just be landing the more accurate strikes here. End of the round, I dunno. Looked to me like Rogers edged Alex in the striking game. 10-9 Rogers but I could almost see a 10-10.

Round two: Shlemenko coming forward a little more this time. He throws a spinning back fist, but Rogers ducks and gets a takedown. They stand up and Rogers lands some nasty body shots. Another spinning back fist from Shlemenko, he follows it up with some solid punches and knees. Rogers is in trouble. Rogers ducks another spinning back fist and lands a good shot but Shlemenko comes forward and is landing knees to the head over and over. The ref stops it! Alexander Shlemenko def. Brian Rogers via TKO, 2:30 of round two

So the middleweight final is going to be Vitor Vianna vs. Alexander Shlemenko. And whoever wins that fight will go up against Hector Lombard for the belt. Ought to be a great fight!

Thanks for being here, guys. As always, it was a blast!

Bellator 52 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 20:21:07 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 52. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight is the quarterfinals in the season 5 heavyweight tournament. The eventual winner of the tournament will receive $100,000 and a shot at the Bellator heavyweight championship belt, currently held by Cole Konrad.

The card for this event is as follows: Mike Hayes vs. Neil Grove, Abe Wagner vs. Eric Prindle, Blagoi Ivanov vs. Zak Jensen, and Mark Holata vs. Ron Sparks. Blagoi was originally scheduled to fight Thiago Santos, but Santos had to withdraw from this fight due to visa issues. Hayes, Grove, and Sparks all took part in the first Bellator heavyweight tourney, while Wagner and Jensen will be familiar from their stints on The Ultimate Fighter. Prindle and Ivanov have fought previously in Bellator non-tournament fights as well.

SBN coverage of Bellator 52

Mark Holata vs Ron Sparks

Round one: Sparks lands a hard left early, Holata comes back strong and gets Sparks on the cage. They move back to the center quickly, though. Holata lands a good left followed by a solid kick. Sparks fires back with a right, then a left, Holata is down, Sparks moves in to finish and the ref stops it. Ron Sparks def. Mark Holata via KO, 1:24 of round one

Abe Wagner vs. Eric Prindle

Round one: Prindle is swinging but not connecting. They clinch, each lands some glancing blows. Prindle kicks, Wagner catches it and gets Prindle down. Wagner moves to side control but quickly moves to full mount. Prindle trying to keep him tied up, but Wagner lands some horrendous gnp. Prindle spins and manages to end up on top in Wagner's guard. He isn't doing much with the position, he lands a couple of shots to the body. Prindle is up waiting for Wagner to get up. He moves back to Wagner's guard. Now Prindle is landing some hammerfists while Wagner is working for an armbar. Prindle gets his arm out, and they stand up. They trade some halfhearted kicks. Prindle is swinging hard but missing. Now Wagner lands some shots that rock Prindle but he just won't go down. Prindle moves in with a punch, Abe clinches and lands some knees, and the round is over. I give it to Wagner 10-9.

Round two: Prindle again swining hard but missing. He clinches Wagner on the cage, then tries to take him down. He lands a knee to Wagner's face before they separate. Now Prindle is landing shots and Wagner is rocked. Prindle gets in a liver shot, and Wagner answers with a right that moves Prindle back. They clinch on the cage again and Prindle is landing good body shots. Prindle looks tired now but Wagner isn't much better. Prindle is unloading on Wagner who is staggering. Wagner goes for a desperate single that Prindle turns into an americana attempt. Wagner gets his arm loose. Prindle goes for an anaconda, but lets go. Wagner tries to stand but Prindle gets him back down. Wagner goes for an ankle lock, Prindle has one too but lets it go. Wagner is cranking it but the round ends. Holy crap, crazy round. I think that one goes to Prindle 10-9.

Round three: Wagner lands a flurry, and Prindle is coming back with leg kicks. Prindle lands a push kick then tries to get Wagner down. Doesn't work, and Wagner lands a weak uppercut. Prindle is exhausted but Wagner isn't exactly fresh. Wagner goes for a single but instead Prindle ends up on him in side control. Prindle lands a good shot and Wagner is trying to spin out but can't get up. Prindle is back to side control and landing hammerfists on Wagner's face. Wagner is trying to keep Prindle tied up but can't keep him from landing elbows to his face. Prindle gets full mount and unloads the gnp. Wagner tries to turn out of it and Prindle tries to lock in a chin lock. He can't keep it so goes back to gnp. Wagner finally reverses and lands a few shots before the round ends. Wow. I give that one to Prindle 29-28 but it was a hell of a fight.

Eric Prindle def. Abe Wagner via unanimous decision

Blagoi Ivanov vs. Zak Jensen

Round one: Jensen with a head kick right away, but it's blocked. Ivanov throws Jensen and goes straight to full mount. Jensen scrambles and Ivanov goes to half guard. Jensen keeping Ivanov tied up pretty well, and then reverses and ends up on top with ivanov on the cage. They stand up. They're both swinging and landing huge shots. Jensen tries to take Ivanov down but can't do it. Ivanov lands a nasty right, then several more shots, and Jensen answers back with just a couple. Jense lands a leg kick then eats some more shots. Ivanov lands a knee to Jensen's face. Jensen keeps moving forward and lands the occasional shot, but he's eating punch after punch from Ivanov. Round is over. 10-9 Ivanov.

Round two: Jensen throws a head kick but misses. They clinch, and Ivanov trips Jensen and goes to side control. Ivanov has an arm and is working a keylock but doesn't seem like he's going to get it. Ivanov is cranking the submission but eventually lets it go. Ivanov is in full mount, and Jensen is trying to hold him down. Jensen manages to spin and they stand, but Ivanov is trying for a guillotine. Jensen is out! Blagoi Ivanov def. Zak Jensen via technical submission (guillotine), 2:35 of round two

Mike Hayes vs. Neil Grove

Round one: Hayes opens with several leg kicks. Grove answers with one of his own that staggers Hayes. Hayes keeps landing little leg kicks that aren't landing with any force. Grove lands another nasty leg kick. Hayes dodges a right hand and keeps moving back away from Grove's power. Grove is landing some serious leg kicks while Hayes lands lighter ones again and again. Hayes throws a kick and eats a jab on the way in. Grove moves in, Hayes trips him, Grove is back up immediately. End of the round. 10-9 Grove for more power in his punches/kicks. Kind of a boring round, though.

Round two: Hayes comes in swinging but missing, and Grove fails to connect with a counter. Hayes is looking tentative and twitchy, and has no power behind what few shots/kicks are landing. Grove lands a right, then a great leg kick followed by a little flurry that doesn't do much. Grove lands a kick to the body then backs off. Hayes is kicking and throwing punches but just not managing to connect with anything meaningful. Grove is mostly content to let Hayes come forward and not hit him. Grove does try to trip Hayes but can't do it. Hayes finally comes in with a couple of shots, Grove counters but there's not much there. End of the round. 10-9 Hayes, at least he was active if not effective.

Round three: Hayes immediately throwing kicks but again they just aren't very powerful. Grove finally shows some aggression and comes after Hayes, swinging some horrible shots. Hayes takes him down though and is in side control. They scramble and Hayes is in north/south. Grove turns and Hayes tries to take his back. For a second Grove almost had a kneebar on Hayes. Hayes has one hook in and is trying to get the rnc, but can't from where he's at. Grove turns and ends up in Hayes' guard. Grove is landing some body shots and a few hammerfists. Grove goes for Hayes' leg, Hayes sweeps him and locks up a keylock but Grove gets loose. Now Hayes is landing body shots from side control. Fight is over! I score it 29-28 for Hayes.

Mike Hayes def. Neil Grove via split decision

That gives us Mike Hayes, Ron Sparks, Blagoi Ivanov, and Eric Prindle for the semifinal fights. Ought to be pretty interesting.

Well, thanks for hanging out, guys (both of you, lol). It was fun!

Bellator 51 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:36:06 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 51. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight Bellator brings us the quarterfinal fights in the season 5 bantamweight tournament. The eventual winner of the tournament will win $100,000 and a shot at taking the belt from champ Zach Makovsky.

An interesting twist for this tourney is that featherweight champ Joe Warren is participating, in a determined attempt to hold two belts in the promotion. He has a potentially tough first fight tonight, though, going up against Alexis Vila. Vila is an Olympic wrestler with an MMA record of 9-0 and should give Warren a real run for his money.

For the rest of the card, we have several veterans of this tourney back again for another try. We'll see Wilson Reis vs. Eduardo Dantas, Marcos Galvao vs. Chase Beebe, and Luis Alberto Nogueira vs. Ed West.

Bloody Elbow's own Dallas Winston has a good in-depth look at the card here. I highly recommend checking it out.

SBN coverage of Bellator 51

Luis Alberto Nogueira vs. Ed West

Round one: West comes out kicking. Nogueira comes in and lands a quick combo. West is mainly throwing kicks so far. Nogueira lands a great left, they clinch, and West gets a takedown. Nogueira is keeping him tied up though, not allowing West to work. West manages a little gnp but Nogueira is holding him pretty effectively. They stand up, and Nogueira lands a great left hook followed by a body shot. Nogueira clinches and lands several ugly knees. And the round ends. I give it to Nogueira for better striking, and for West not doing anything with his takedown. 10-9.

Round two: Nogueira being a little more agressive this time around. West clinches up, but Nogueira gets several knees and body shots in before they separate. West is throwing some good looking kicks but there's not much behind them. He then makes me a liar with a good solid leg kick. They clinch, and Nogueira has West against the cage. They separate, then Nogueira gets West down and is landing solid body shots. Back on their feet. Nogueira is landing some good punches, then they clinch on the cage again. Nogueira channels his inner Leben and is breaking out the foot stomps. West is trying to get out of the clinch, but Nogueira keeps him pushed into the cage. West gets away, and lands a jumping knee that doesn't seem to do much damage, but it's a flashy way to end the round. Again, I'm going 10-9 Nogueira.

Round three: West comes out kicking again. They trade some good punches, but Nogueira is moving forward more. West lands a good body kick, then Nogueira comes in with a knee that misses and they clinch on the cage. They trade knees as Nogueira keeps West pushed into the fence. They separate, and West is trying to land kicks but is spending a lot of time backing up. Nogueira is landing some solid shots but West is landing more. West lands a good head kick, then gets Nogueira on the cage. Nogueira is trying to get a takedown. West goes for a kimura but Nogueira rolls out. Nogueira lands a great left, West answers with a great shot of his own. End of the fight. West took the last round in my book, but I give the fight to Nogueira 29-28.

Ed West def. Luis Alberto Nogueira via unanimous decision

Marcos Galvao vs. Chase Beebe

Round one: Beebe wastes no time moving forward. Galvao takes him down, Beebe rolls to get away, but Galvao hangs on. Beebe stands up and is trying to sink a guillotine. Galvao gets out, they're on the ground with Galvao on top. He gets an arm but Beebe is out, and tries another guillotine. Galvao tries to get loose, finally he does. Galvao is on top now and lands some good shots. Beebe is trying to keep Galvao away with upkicks but Galvao punches right past them. Now they're up. Galvao is landing knees in the clinch. Beebe gets away, and looks rough. They clinch again and are trading knees. Beebe breaks loose, Galvao goes for a jumping knee but misses. Galvao rocks Beebe with a punch, then lands a leg kick that almost puts Beebe on the canvas. End of the round. I have 10-9 Galvao.

Round two: Galvao lands a good right, then clinches Beebe on the cage. He trips him, gets the takedown, and now Galvao has a weird side control up against the fence. Beebe spins out and stands up. Beebe looks bad, and eats a solid leg kick. You can tell it hurt him. Galvao is landing nasty rights , but Beebe has some success moving forward and throwing punches. Galvao lands another leg kick that Beebe doesn't check. Beebe is trying to get Galvao down, but can't. Galvao trips him and gets the takedown instead. Galvao is in Beebe's guard and trying to pass. Beebe lands an illegal upkick, but without doing any damage. Galvao moves to side control and is landing elbows to Beebe's leg. They stand up. Galvao ends the round with another nasty leg kick. Again, 10-9 Galvao. Beebe is looking worn out.

Round three: Galvao lands a good punch that seems to rock Beebe. Beebe comes back with a solid shot that doesn't keep Galvao from moving forward. Beebe's shots don't have a lot behind them anymore, while Galvao is connecting with some heat. Beebe keeps backing up, but he's still swinging. He attempts to shoot but ends up clinched on the cage. They separate, and Galvao lands a punch that knocks Beebe's mouthpiece out. Beebe is trying to turn it up at the end of the round but still doesn't have much behind his shots. He is moving forward, though. They clinch and Beebe goes for a takedown, but the round and the fight is over. I score it 30-27 Galvao.

Marcos Galvao def. Chase Beebe via split decision

Wilson Reis vs. Eduardo Dantas

Round one: Dantas lands a kick that almost knocks Reis down. Reis is looking very twitchy in his standup. They're exchanging punches but without a lot of power so far. Reis is crazy fast. Reis is trying for a single, but can't get it. Reis lands a good leg kick. Dantas throws a punch, misses, and Reis shoots. They end up with Reis pushing Dantas into the cage, landing knees to Dantas' legs. The ref breaks them up. Dantas lands a great kick and follows with a knee to the body. They trade punches, Dantas gets a good uppercut in then lands a jumping knee to the body. End of the round. I give it to Reis, 10-9.

Round two: Reis is moving forward but is missing with a lot of punches. Dantas isn't swinging as much but is connecting when he does. Dantas comes forward with a great flying knee, catches Reis and knocks him down. Dantas follows up with vicious gnp and the ref steps in! Eduardo Dantas def. Wilson Reis via TKO, 1:02 of round two

Joe Warren vs. Alexis Vila

Round one: Vila opens with a head kick that's blocked. Warren is swinging hard but Vila is out of reach. Vila connects and staggers Warren, then lands a beautiful right that knocks Warren out cold!! Holy crap, that was a fantastic punch! Alexis Vila def. Joe Warren via KO, 1:04 of round one

So, we have Alexis Vila, Eduardo Dantas, Marcos Galvao, and Ed West moving on to the semifinals in the bantamweight tournament. Good times! Thanks for hanging out, guys, as usual it was a blast!

Bellator 50 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:08:41 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 50. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (7 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

The Midge from Gals Guide to MMA is covering the event live from cageside, and will have play by play of the preliminary fights beginning at 5 p.m. here. He will also be attending the post-fight presser, so if you have any questions for the fighters or for Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, be sure to post them in the comments section of that thread.

Tonight's main card will feature the quarterfinal fights in the middleweight tournament. Bryan Baker vs. Jared Hess, Zelg Galesic vs. Alexander Shlemenko, Sam Alvey vs. Vitor Vianna, and Victor O'Donnell vs. Brian Rogers are the fights scheduled for the MTV2 broadcast. These fighters will be competing for $100,000 and a chance to take on Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard for the belt.

Remember, the event is getting started a little earlier than normal tonight, 7 p.m. ET. Join us then!

Sam Alvey vs. Vitor Vianna

Round one: Alvey opens with a leg kick. Vianna is more hesitant so far. Alvey with a body kick but it's blocked. Another leg kick from Alvey. Now Vianna lands a good left. Alvey staggers Vianna just a little with a left, and Vianna is finally starting to show a little aggression by moving forward. Vianna lands a good leg kick and backs off. Neither fighter is really doing much overall this round. Vianna shoots, gets Alvey against the cage but can't quite get Alvey to the ground. End of the round, Alvey takes it 10-9 in my book just for landing a couple more shots.

Round two: Alvey again showing a little more aggression, such as it is. He isn't landing a lot but he's swinging. Vianna finally goes for another takedown but doesn't have much luck. They trade knees in the clinch. Finally, Vianna gets the takedown. He goes straight into side control. Alvey spins and almost ends up on top, then manages to get up. Vianna has him in a waist lock and lands some nasty knees to Alvey's leg. They separate. Alvey lands a few more good leg kicks. Vianna finally comes in with a 1-2 combo, Alvey answers, and Vianna takes him down with a suplex. Vianna gets Alvey's back and sinks an RNC, but not enough time. End of round, 10-9 Alvey to me, but I can see it going to Vianna.

Round three: Alvey lands a decent left. Vianna shoots again, they clinch on the cage. Vianna is working hard for the takedown. Alvey looks like he's having a hard time breathing around his mouthpiece. Alvey comes forward with a right then a kick, but he falls back. Vianna shoots again, Alvey defends it. Vianna has him around the waist again. They separate. Alvey lands more leg kicks, then a good left. Vianna finally starts answering back with some shots... then goes for a single. Can't get the takedown. Alvey starts to open up with punches, Vianna lands a couple, and the fight is over. I give it to Alvey but it's probably going to be pretty close.

Vitor Vianna def. Sam Alvey via split decision

Zelg Galesic vs. Alexander Shlemenko

Round one: Shlemenko goes for a takedown immediately, and he gets it. Galesic lands a great upkick that catches Shlemenko in the face. And another. Now Galesic is up. Shlemenko lands a kick and eats a punch in the process. Shlemenko clinches Galesic on the cage. Some knees are traded. Now Shlemenko goes for a standing guillotine, and Galesic taps! Alexander Shlemenko def. Zelg Galesic via submission (guillotine) in 1:55 of round one

Victor O'Donnell vs. Brian Rogers

Round one: Rogers with a leg kick first thing. O'Donnell comes in punching, Rogers catches him with a knee on the way in. They clinch on the cage trading knees. Rogers is pressuring O'Donnell into the cage, O'Donnell reverses and they separate. O'Donnell throws a head kick that misses. Rogers lands a shot, throws a head kick, then swarms on O'Donnell. O'Donnell goes down, Rogers comes at him punching, and the ref stops it! It's controversial, but Brian Rogers def. Victor O'Donnell via TKO, 1:56 of round one

Jared Hess vs. Bryan Baker

Round one: Hess comes forward punching but missing. He shoots and finally gets Baker down. Hess takes Baker's back and sinks and RNC but doesn't quite have it. Baker sinks it deeper and he has it... but Baker gets out if it. They're back up and Hess tries again for a takedown. Can't get it. Hess is down and Baker almost has his back now. They stand back up. Hess looks tired already... Baker lands a knee to the body. Hess shoots again, Baker has him around the neck and is going for an anaconda choke. Hess defends it and is now on top of Baker in side control. Baker rolls to his feet. Hess shoots again, Baker sprawls and goes for the choke again but the round ends. 10-9 Hess.

Round two: Hess looks like he can hardly stand up. Hess shoots, Baker sprawls. Baker tries to scramble and Hess is trying to take his back. Baker is trying to get an arm but gives up, and ends up in another sprawl. They stand and Baker has Hess' back but he's too high to threaten with anything. He's holding on, though. Hess can't shake him. Baker is controlling this round and Hess is just kind of sitting there. I'm surprised the fight hasn't been stood up. Hess gets to his feet and finally gets away from Baker. Hess shoots again but it's really worthless. Baker turns him and gets a takedown of his own. Baker has Hess' back again, Hess is just covering up. Hess is out of this fight, whether it's over or not. End of the round. 10-9 (8?) Baker.

Round three: Hess comes forward, Baker blasts him with a couple of punches, and again we end up with Baker having Hess' back. Baker has one hook in, and Hess has just enough awareness still to keep him from getting the second hook. Baker is landing punch after punch to Hess' head. Finally Baker gets both hooks in. He flattens Hess, and is landing punch after punch again. And finally the ref stops it. Bryan Baker def. Jared Hess via TKO, 2:52 of round three

So that's it for the quarterfinals in the middleweight tournament. The semifinals will feature Bryan Baker, Brian Rogers, Vitor Vianna, and Alexander Shlemenko. Thanks for joining me tonight, it was fun as always!

Bellator 49 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:03:09 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 49. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

Tonight's event kicks off Bellator season 5, and brings us all four welterweight tournament quarterfinal fights. The winner of the tournament will pick up a $100,000 check and will eventually face welterweight champ Ben Askren for the belt.

The tourney quarterfinal fights will be Steve Carl vs. Douglas Lima, Ben Saunders vs. Chris Cisneros, Luis Santos vs. Dan Hornbuckle, and Chris Lozano vs. Brent Weedman.

And we're live! Play-by-play and results after the jump.

SBN coverage of Bellator 49

Steve Carl vs. Douglas Lima

Round one: They start slow, then Carl lands a shot to Lima's chin that wobbles him. Lima goes down but lands an upkick when Carl tries to finish him. Lima ends up in Carl's guard, and trying to keep Carl tied up. Now they're up and LIma lands a kick to the head. They trade single shots, no combos. Lima is landing some good kicks. He trips Carl and moves to side control. Carl gets half guard for a second then Lima is back to side control. They're back up. Lima lands a nasty body kick. Carl has been landing just single punches, but they have power. Carl shoots, can't get a takedown, and the round is over. I'll have to call it 10-9 for Carl, but I could see it either way honestly.

Round two: Carl lands a shot that puts Lima down, but they end up with Lima on top and in half guard. He's not doing much more than holding Carl down, though. Carl goes for an arm, but Lima is out and up. Lima's standup is really not looking as good as Carl's. Carl shoots, Lima sprawls and ends up back in Carl's half guard. Carl is trying for a kimura but can't do it. Lima back in side control now. He lands a good left while Carl is down. Carl tries for a kimura again. Lima isn't concerned, Carl lets it go. End of the round, I give that one 10-9 Lima.

Round three: Lima lands a nasty body kick, then another, followed by a good combo. Now he lands a leg kick than seems to have hurt Carl. Lima lands another good leg kick. Carl shoots, and once again they end up with Lima in half guard. Side control now, but again Lima isn't doing much with it other than holding Carl down. Carl tries for a kimura again. And again it's not happening. Lima gets full mount, Carl spins and Lima takes his back. He spins again and Carl is on top now. Lima lands a good upkick. Carl gets some ground and pound in, then ends up in half guard, but Lima keeps him pretty tied up. End of the fight. I give it to Lima, 29-28.

Douglas Lima def. Steve Carl via unanimous decision

Luis Santos vs. Dan Hornbuckle

Round one: Santos opens with a solid leg kick. He tries for a head kick that just misses. Hornbuckle tries a kick, Santos catches it and lands a punch. Santos connects with a shot. Hornbuckle seems to be having trouble finding his range. Santos lands a combo to the body. Hornbuckle answers with a series of jabs that don't have much behind them. Hornbuckle moving forward now, but not connecting with anything. Santos lands a good headkick. Hornbuckle moves in, but Santos takes him down. They're back up now. Another leg kick from Santos, then another. End of the round. I call it for Santos, 10-9.

Round two: Hornbuckle opens with several weak jabs. He throws a head kick that misses. Santos wearing out the leg kicks again. Santos gets Hornbuckle down and is in full guard. Hornbuckle doing a good job of keeping him tied up, and the ref stands them up. Hornbuckle is looking more uncertain than I've ever seen. Santos' kicks are landing almost every time. Hornbuckle comes forward with jabs, but they don't connect. Hornbuckle lands a headkick, then a kick to the body. He goes for another kick but Santos catches it. They clinch on the cage, Santos pressing Hornbuckle in. End of the round. Another one for Santos, 10-9.

Round three: Hornbuckle comes out a little more aggressive this time, but so does Santos. Santos throws a headkick but misses, and falls. Hornbuckle doesn't try to follow him to the ground. Santos throws a kick from the bottom and stands up with it. He takes Hornbuckle down and is in full guard. Hornbuckle it trying to get back up. Santos is just holding him down. And the ref stands it up. More vicious leg kicks from Santos. He lands a couple of good strikes. Hornbuckle is just not looking like himself tonight, his striking is way worse than I've ever seen it. He has no answer for Santos' kicks or power shots. Now Santos is opening up, he lands several shots that almost put Hornbuckle down. End of the fight. I give it to Santos, 30-27.

Luis Santos def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision, 30-27

Ben Saunders vs. Chris Cisneros

Round one: Saunders opens with two headkicks in a row. Now he has Cisneros against the cage, and takes him down. Saunders in side control. Cisneros is trying to get up but Saunders has him pinned. Now Saunders is in full mount. Cisneros turns, and gives up his back. Saunders is landing strikes to Cisneros' head at will. Cisneros trying to get back up, he spins, but Saunders gets back on top and is trying for a kimura. He lets it go. Cisneros sweeps Saunders, ends up in full guard. Cisneros stands up and kicks at Saunders' legs. Saunders lands some good upkicks and leg kicks from the ground. Cisneros ends up back in Saunders' guard, and the round ends. That one goes to Saunders, 10-9.

Round two: Cisneros lands a nice leg kick, then gets Saunders down. But Saunders ends up on top in side control. He's trying for the kimura again. Cisneros spins and Saunders ends up in north-south. Now back to side control, then Cisneros tries to get back up. Saunders gets back to side control and is working on the kimura again. Cisneros gets out of it but is eating knees to the body. Saunders lands several shots, and is working on the crucifix. Cisneros is doing his best to avoid it though. More gnp from Saunders. He gets the arm again but lets it go. Saunders is dominating this round. Round ends, I give it to Saunders 10-8.

Round three: Saunders comes out kicking. Cisneros is throwing punches but mostly missing. Saunders lands some vicious knees to the face, Cisneros is down, Saunders lands a couple of punches and the ref steps in to stop it! Ben Saunders def. Chris Cisneros via TKO, :29 of round 3.

Chris Lozano vs. Brent Weedman

Round one: Lozano opens with a blitz of punches and knees. Weedman takes him down and gets him on the cage. Weedman has Lozano's back and they stand up. Lozano turns into Weedman and is pushing him into the cage now. Lozano throws Weedman but he's back up quickly. Weedman clinches and throws a knee, then throws Lozano and takes his back. Weedman has one hook in and tries to sink an RNC. Lozano is trying to stand but can't. He's defending the RNC well, though. Weedman is trying to flatten Lozano out. Lozano trying to stand again. Weedman has a body triangle tight, and is still working for the RNC. End of the round, Weedman dominated most of that round and I give it to him 10-9.

Round two: Lozano trying to come out aggressive again, but Weedman is answering him strike for strike. Lozano lands a couple of good shots and Weedman might be rocked a bit. Lozano's striking is more effective this round. Weedman shoots, but they're back up quick. Lozano catches Weedman again, no doubt he's hurt. He's still throwing and moving forward, though. Lozano is landing shot after shot. He lands an uppercut that looks like it staggered Weedman. Weedman just keeps moving forward. He's throwing but not landing as much as Lozano is. Weedman goes for a takedown but the round ends. That one went to Lozano, 10-9.

Round three: Lozano opens with a leg kick, then comes after Weedman with knees and punches, backing him up. Lozano lands a spinning back kick, He tries for another but Weedman shoots for a single. Lozano defends it well but Weedman will not let it go. Lozano gets up and throws Weedman, then tries to sink a D'arce choke. He gives it up and gets half guard. Lozano landing lots of good body shots. Weedman gives up his back but Lozano only has one hook in. Weedman spins but Lozano is back on top. Weedman has Lozano's leg but Lozano gets up. Weedman has Lozano around the waist and takes him down, but the fight is over. I call it for Lozano, 29-28.

Chris Lozano def. Brent Weedman via unanimous decision, 29-28.

Bellator 47 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:06:29 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 47. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

I will be posting live play-by-play and results here as well as at my usual home, Gals Guide to MMA.

Tonight brings us the semi-finals in the featherweight Summer Series tournament. The two semi-final fights are Pat Curran vs. Ronnie Mann, and Marlon Sandro vs. Nazareno Malegarie. The winners of those fights will face each other for a chance at the featherweight belt. Rounding out the televised portion of the event is a heavyweight bout between Zak Jensen and Neil Grove, and Chris Saunders vs. Chris Horodecki in lightweight action.

SBN coverage of Bellator 47

Zak Jensen vs. Neil Grove

Round one: They open with some vicious punches from both men, and Jensen has Grove down quick. Grove ends up on top of Jensen with some nasty nasty gnp. Grove grabs Jensen's leg and goes for an ankle lock but can't quite get it. Both guys are throwing shots and Grove finally lets the leg go. Jensen goes for a triangle but Grove is out of it. Now Grove is destroying Jensen with gnp, and finally the ref stops it! Neil Grove def. Zak Jensen via TKO, 2:00 of round one.

Chris Saunders vs. Chris Horodecki

Round one: Saunders opens with a kick and a spinning backfist that connects. He lands another kick but Horodecki lands a combo at the same time. They clinch up on the cage, with Horodecki trying to take Saunders down. He gets the takedown, and Saunders fails to get rubber guard. Horodecki gets side control and tries a guillotine, but Saunders is out of it. Horodecki back on top, but Saunders is up and against the cage again. They trade knees and Horodecki gets the takedown again. Saunders gets an arm to try for a kimura, but loses it. Horodecki is landing some shots to the body but is mostly just keeping Saunders down. End of the round. I give it to Horodecki for control, probably 10-9.

Round two: Saunders gets Horodecki on the cage and lands a knee, but Horodecki moves forward and gets a takedown. Saunders gets a guillotine but Horodecki is out of it quickly. Horodecki on top again, keeping Saunders down and landing some body shots. And the ref stands them up. Saunders lands a leg kick, Horodecki answers with one of his own. Horodecki lands a kick and follows with a decent punch. They clinch, and trade knees. Horodecki gets a takedown again, and he's back on top landing shots to the body. Horodecki manages to get half guard, but isn't doing much more than controlling Saunders on the ground and landing the occasional punch. End of the round. Another for Horodecki, for the same reason. 10-9.

Round three: Horodecki opens with leg kicks, Saunders answers with a combo followed by a kick to the body. Horodecki takes Saunders down again. Saunders tries briefly for an armbar but can't get it. Saunders is up now, Horodecki holding on to him and keeping him on the cage. The ref separates them finally. Saunders runs in, Horodecki takes him down but Saunders has a guillotine. He lets it go pretty quickly, and Horodecki is back on top in Saunders' guard. Saunders tries for an arm again but can't get it. Horodecki in half guard again. Now Horodecki gets the mount, Saunders is trying to keep him tied up as much as he can. Horodecki moves to half guard and is landing punches to the body as the round ends. I give the fight to Horodecki 30-27.

Chris Horodecki def. Chris Saunders via unanimous decision, 30-27.

Marlon Sandro vs. Nazareno Malegarie

Round one: Malegarie comes out swinging first but isn't connecting with anything. He finally connects but Sandro answers back. Sandro clinches Malegarie but they move apart quickly. Sandro lands a good body shot, then a right then another. Malegarie shoots but can't get the takedown. Sandro is landing nasty punches and Malegarie looks like he might be cut already. Malegarie shoots for a single but Sandro gets clear. Malegarie lands a left but Sandro keeps mving forward. Malegarie misses with a head kick. Sandro is landing combos, and is just looking more effective in the standup than Malegarie. End of the round, 10-9 Sandro.

Round two: Sandro is already landing more and better punches than Malegarie. Malegarie shoots, doesn't get the takedown. Sandro's combos are landing more accurately than Malegarie's shots. Malegarie is swinging wild now. He's landing, but not as well as he needs to. Sandro gets a takedown and is in half guard, then they're back up. More of the same, Malegarie is landing punches but Sandro is landing better. Sandro gets Malegarie against the cage, then takes him down. Malegarie is up. Sandro lands a jumping knee to the head, then gets a single and takes Malegarie down quickly. They're back up, and the round ends. Another for Sandro, 10-9.

Round three: Malegarie opens swinging wild. Sandro connects with a left. Sandro lands a leg kick that puts Malegarie down briefly. Sandro clinches up, they trade some knees then separate. Malegarie still swinging wild and not connecting like he needs to. Sandro is just better on the feet than Malegarie. Malegarie is still in the fight and still moving forward. Sandro clinches him on the cage. Malegarie tries to trip Sandro but can't do it. Back to the center of the cage. Another jumping knee from Sandro, and that's the fight. I give that one to Sandro, 30-27, but that was a great fight from both guys.

Marlon Sandro def. Nazareno Malegarie via unanimous decision, 30-27.

Pat Curran vs. Ronnie Mann

Round one: Curran opens with a leg kick. Mann answers back with a combo. Curran lands some good punches, Mann connects with a leg kick. Both guys are throwing heavy shots that aren't quite connecting yet. Curran is moving forward, but neither fighter is really landing yet. Curran lands a good left, and has Mann against the cage. Mann lands a knee while Curran gets the takedown. Mann is working rubber guard. Curran twists out and stands up, then is back to half guard. End of the round. I give it to Curran for the control at the end, 10-9.

Round two: Mann lands a leg kick, Curran misses with a flying knee. Mann throws a combo followed by a leg kick, and eats a punch in the process. Curran tries another flying knee but doesn't quite connect. Mann lands a left then a kick to the body. Another jumping knee from Curran that doesn't land. Several swings and misses from both men. Curran lands two body kicks, Mann with a good right. Curran tries the flying knee again. Mann with a good leg kick, and Curran tries the flying knee again. Curran tries a takedown, Mann gets a guillotine, but the round is over. I give it to Curran 10-9.

Round three: Mann comes out a little more aggressive this round. Curran misses with the flying knee. Mann connects with a good left, then a leg kick followed by a kick to the body. Curran is now feinting, and throwing single punches, while Mann is throwing combos. Mann is looking better this round but still not quite good enough. Another flying knee attempt by Curran. Folks, we're going to see Curran vs. Sandro in the final. Mann isn't letting go like he needs to. Mann gets a takedown, tries a guillotine, but the fight is over. Curran, 30-27 in my book.

Pat Curran def. Ronnie Mann via unanimous decision, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27.

So there we go, Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro for the featherweight final.

MMA You Want to Watch This Week 5/31 - 6/5

Jackie Maden — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:37:25 -0000

Happy Memorial Day! It's Monday again, and time for another round of great MMA to help you through this week. Bellator is still taking a break, but there are plenty of fights for you to think about. I know, you're still busy being glad we didn't see Roy Nelson drop dead of a heart attack in the cage Saturday night, but that's over and done. We have other things to think about today. So shake off the weekend, have a seat, grab a beer/iced tea/Coke and a hot dog or whatever traditional-type cookout fare you've chosen to dine upon today, and check out the MMA offerings we have for you this time around.

Read the full post at Gals Guide!

Gals Guide to MMA Betting Fix: UFC 130 Fight Lines

Jackie Maden — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:15:47 -0000

(Original post by The Midge)

You may not know, but there is a pandemic in America that is about to become an epidemic. I assume the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic is the "epic". Yes an epic demic. This is no ordinary pan demic (which I assume has something to do with bread).

People- be worried. Alligators have infested the borders of Minnesota. Their forces have been aligned perfectly with the imaginary lines produced by society... for now. The Dakotas are safe....for now.

I hear your frantic concerns. "But how could Gators survive the frigid landscape that is the Sota borders, my beautiful little man???" The answer is simple- robotics. Not to mention the fact that dead alligators don't need the swamp. That's right people! There's a pandemic of robotic zombie alligators out there, and they are gonna getcha! Just ask faithful GG2MMA read RachelofHearts. She fought off a congregation of these unholy beasts but a fortnight ago using nothing but a spork and her laser vision eyeballs.

Once again, I hear your frantic concerns. "Thank you so much for the warning! But what does this have to do with betting on MMA??? And is there even time to bet?" People, this has EVERYTHING to do with MMA. People often call those who collect our losses "loan sharks" but in reality this is just wordplay put on by the man. Lies and propaganda. Anyone in the in knows that robotic zombie alligators reap the benefits of our betting mistakes.

The only way to save Sota and most likely the rest of the Western Hemisphere is simple- bet. Bet bet bet like you've never bet before....wait...scratch that. Bet like you know what you are doing! Together we can bankrupt "loan sharks"and take back Sunday! (and Monday-Saturday too I suppose).

The rest of The Midge's post can be read at Gals Guide to MMA!

(Original post by The Midge)

The rest of The Midge's post can be read at Gals Guide to MMA!

Bellator 44 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:41:40 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 44: Lombard vs. Vitale. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

I will be posting live play-by-play and results here as well as at my usual home, Gals Guide to MMA.

Tonight we will see the lightweight tournament final between Patricky Freire and Michael Chandler, a super fight featurning middleweight champ Hector Lombard and MMA vet Falaniko Vitale, and two season five tournament qualifiers: Alexander Shlemenko taking on Brett Cooper at middleweight and Bryan Goldsby facing Anthony Morrison at bantamweight. The winner of Freire/Chandler will go on to face lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez for the title.

UPDATE: Looks like Morrison vs. Goldsby is off. Morrison failed to make weight. And by failed I mean didn't even come close - he was 11.5 lbs over. The fight has since been canceled.

We're live, so let's get started!

SBN coverage of Bellator 44: Lombard vs. Vitale

~~Bryan Goldsby vs. Anthony Morrison~~

Brett Cooper vs. Alexander Shlemenko

Round 1 - Cooper looks intense before they get started. Shlemenko looks serious. Cooper comes out throwing several kicks, Shlemenko catches one and trips him. Cooper is right back up though. Shlemenko lands one of his spinning back fists, and clinches up for a minute and lands several punches. Cooper's eye is messed up. Cooper throws another kick, Shlemenko catches it again and drops him. Shlemenko connects with a spinning back kick to the body. Cooper is landing leg kicks. Another spinning back kick, and a spinning back fist that rocks Cooper. Cooper comes back with a good shot to Shlemenko's face, now his eye is swollen. Shlemenko gets a takedown but Cooper tries to take Shlemenko down. He can't quite do it, though. Another exchange, then the round is over. I give it to Shlemenko 10-9.

Round 2 - Cooper shoots, can't get the TD and eats some shots for his trouble. Cooper is moving forward more, but he's taking a lot of damage in the process. Cooper will land a kick or a punch, and Shlemenko responds with combos. Cooper drops Shlemenko with a right, Shlemenko gets up and Cooper gets his back trying to take him down. Cooper is holding him on the cage, landing knees. Cooper tries a suplex but has no luck with it. He's still got hold of Shlemenko though. Again tries a suplex and can't get it. Shlemenko is just waiting for the standup. Now Shlemenko spins and is on top, he backs up to let Cooper stand. Shlemenko lands another spinning back fist. He tries another, Cooper ducks and shoots but once again can't quite get the takedown. The round ends with Shlemenko getting free and a quick exchange of shots. Close round, I'd have to say Cooper 10-9.

Round 3 - Shlemenko with another spinning back fist, and kick. He has some nice combos and is now making Cooper back up. Cooper it throwing some lazy kicks and punches. Shlemenko with yet another spinning back fist, and another. Cooper is looking tired. He shoots, can't get the takedown. Now Cooper is turning up his striking a bit. Shlemenko lands a fantastic right, then a spinning back fist again. Shlemenko with a knee that rocks Cooper, then another. Shlemenko connects again with the spinning back fist. Cooper is trying to rally but isn't hitting as hard. Most of his shots have nothing behind them, but he's definitely taking a lot of punishment. I'm amazed he's on his feet. The round ends with some heavy shots traded, both fighters are bloodied. Great fight, that round I give to Shlemenko 10-9, and the fight to him 29-28.

Alexander Shlemenko def. Brett Cooper via unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-28, 29-28.

Giedrius Karavackas vs. Sam Oropeza

Round 1 - Oropeza opens with some body kicks, Karavackas answers with a flurry of punches and follows with a good kick. Oropeza is throwing several head kicks that don't connect. Oropeza lands a head kick, then unloads a combo that backs Karavackas up to the cage. Karavackas ends up hanging on to Oropeza's back but can't get him down for a good while. When he does, Oropeza is right back up. He finally gets Oropeza down and has his back, then Oropeza spins and ends up in Karavackas' guard. Oropeza lands some nasty ground and pound as the round ends. I give it to Oropeza 10-9 just for doing more actual damage.

Round 2 - Karavackas is backing up and looking hesitant this round. He's bleeding from the nose pretty badly. He finally comes forward, connecting with several punches and getting Oropeza clinched on the cage. Karavackas lands a couple of knees before they separate. Oropeza lands a loud leg kick, then a body kick. Karavackas clinches up and lands about 4 good knees, then trips Oropeza and gets the takedown. Oropeza finally gets up, only to be pushed into the cage again. He gets enough space to land a good left, then he gets Karavackas down and lands several hard punches/elbows as the round ends. That one was really close, I think I might have to score it 10-10...

Round 3 - Karavackas comes forward and gets a takedown immediately. Oropeza can't get up, now Karavackas is in side control and landing really good ground and pound. Now he's working a submission and is punching Oropeza's face and head at will. Oropeza is just trapped there eating shots an trying to work his way out. Finally Karavackas cranks the arm and gets the tap. Giedruis Karavackas def. Sam Oropeza via submission, 3:59 of round 3.

Hector Lombard vs. Falaniko Vitale

Round 1 - Lombard lands a good body kick early. He throws a couple of his nasty rights, but they miss. He throws again, Vitale clinches him and lands a knee before they separate. Vitale is doing a good job of staying away from Lombard's hands. Vitale throws a kick that catches Lombard in the groin. Owie. And back to the action. Lombard manages to land a good right, and Vitale is attempting kicks but can't connect. Both fighters are holding off until the end of the round, drawing some boos from the crowd. Round ends. I score it 10-9 Lombard, I think he was being more aggressive.

Round 2 - Lombard has decided to fight now, and runs Vitale back to the cage with punches. He clinches and lands a knee. Vitale is hesitating to come in on Lombard, who lands a punch/hook kick combo that sounds painful. Lombard lands some body kicks, and Vitale comes in with a couple of punches that connect. He lands another right, then Lombard takes him down. He stands back up pretty quickly. Lombard so far is out-striking Vitale, just landing a lot more. That's the round. I give it to Lombard again, 10-9.

Round 3 - Vitale comes forward aggressively to start the round. Now we have a really good exchange, but Lombard lands a perfect right and Vitale is out! Hector Lombard def. Falaniko Vitale via KO, 0:54 of round 3.

Michael Chandler vs. Patricky Freire

Round 1 - Chandler opens up just a bit more aggressively, but Freire is answering back punch for punch. Neither fighter has an advantage so far. And Chandler lands an inadvertent groin kick, Patricky is walking it off. Back to the action. Chandler clinches up then lets go. Chandler finally shoots but Freire gets away. Chandler goes for a couple of shots, and backs Freire up, but misses. End of the round. Not sure, I think Freire landed just a little bit better. 10-9 Patricky.

Round 2 - Chandler lands a good shot to Freire, and Freire comes back hard. Chandler comes forward with a crazy flying kick that just misses. They clinch and Chandler gets Freire with a really bad knee to the groin. Freire just crumbles. And we're back. Freire comes back in throwing kicks but they don't really connect. He lands a nice uppercut and follows up with a kick. Chandler shoots, Freire escapes. They're trading pretty evenly now. Both fighters bleeding from the nose now. Freire lands several lefts in a row, then throws a kick that Chandler catches and gets a takedown. He lands one good elbow. He manages a couple more shots before the round ends. Have to give that one to Chandler, 10-9.

Round 3 - Chandler manages another groin shot to start the round, and that one looked BAD. Surely the ref will take a point - yep, he does. Ok, finally back to the fight. Now both guys are trading some great punches, then Chandler shoots again. Patricky stays up but Chandler keeps trying. He picks Freire up and slams him, ending up on top. Chandler picks him up again and moves him away from the cage. Now Chandler lands some nasty elbows. Freire is trying to get up again, lands some elbows of his own. Freire gets up with Chandler still trying to get him down. He picks Freire up again and slams him. Now he lands some nice ground and pound. And even more gnp. And the fight is over. That round was Chandler 10-9 to me, but he lost a point early on. I guess we'll see...

Michael Chandler def. Patricky Freire by unanimous decision, 29-27.

Gals Guide to MMA Betting Fix: Bellator 44 Fight Lines

Jackie Maden — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:05:12 -0000

Our beloved Midge is otherwise occupied today, so it falls to me to bring you the GG2MMA betting game for Bellator 44. Midge will return to do the math after the event. That's a good thing, because math hates me and I'm afraid the feeling is mutual. But anyway, come wager theoretical money and see if you do better than we do! That's generally not too hard. Really. So bet away, and if you win you will receive our hearty congratulations, and if you lose, we'll commiserate together and promise that next time, we'll be more careful how we wager our fake money...

SBN coverage of Bellator 44: Lombard vs. Vitale

Continue reading at Gals Guide to MMA!

SBN coverage of Bellator 44: Lombard vs. Vitale

Continue reading at Gals Guide to MMA!

MMA You Want to Watch This Week 5/9 - 5/15

Jackie Maden — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:37:47 -0000

Another Monday, another look at upcoming MMA events that you want to see this week. We've got a our usual offering of MMA plus a special event on Saturday that you will most definitely want to watch.

Those of you who, despite me preaching about it, have never watched a kickboxing match are going to get another chance. And the biggest reason you should spend money to watch kickboxing is that the Golden Boy himself, Badr Hari, is set to make his return to the ring at It's Showtime this Saturday. If you need to know who that is, or if you just need a reminder, then take a quick little trip over to Head Kick Legend, where they have all the Hari info you could ask for. I can't say this enough: all of you who hate wrestling in MMA, you need to watch kickboxing. And if you like kickboxing, then you will love Badr Hari.

Check out the week's upcoming MMA at Gals Guide!

Another Monday, another look at upcoming MMA events that you want to see this week. We've got a our usual offering of MMA plus a special event on Saturday that you will most definitely want to watch.

Check out the week's upcoming MMA at Gals Guide!

Bellator 43 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:20:05 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 43. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

I will be posting live play-by-play and results here as well as at my usual home, Gals Guide to MMA.

Tonight will feature the welterweight tournament final fight, Rick Hawn vs. Jay Hieron. We will also see Joe "Diesel" Riggs making his Bellator debut against middleweight tournament finalist Bryan Baker, featherweight action with Jose Vega taking on Chase Beebe, and a heavyweight fight between Vince Lucero and Ron Sparks.

The winner of the Hawn vs. Hieron fight will win $100,000 and go on to face champ Ben Askren for the welterweight belt.

SBN coverage of Bellator 43

We're now live, and ready to see some fights!

Vince Lucero vs. Ron Sparks

Round 1: Lucero opens with a good right, and Sparks didn't like it. Sparks comes back with some heavy strikes of his own. They clinch and Sparks lands a knee, Lucero with a decent combo as they separate. Sparks puts Lucero down with a leg kick, then gets side control and is working for an keylock. Lucero taps, and Sparks wins! Ron Sparks def. Vince Lucero via submission (keylock), 2:18 of round 1.

Jose Vega vs. Chase Beebe

Round 1: Vega opens with a little more aggression, with Beebe backing up more at first. They clinch up, and Beebe has a guillotine briefly. Vega escapes, they scramble, and Beebe goes for a standing guillotine again. He finally lets it go, and they separate. Vega is a little more cautious now. Beebe clinches up again, Vega lands some good shots and they're apart. Now Vega is swinging hard, Beebe answers by shooting for the TD. He has to work for it but finally gets it. Vega manages to get to his feet and is grinding Beebe into the cage. Beebe goes for the standing guillotine again, they hit the ground, and Vega taps! Chase Beebe def. Jose Vega via submission (guillotine), 4:06 of round 1.

Joe Riggs vs. Bryan Baker

Round 1: Baker looks eager, Riggs looks calm. Baker lands a couple of kicks that don't do much. Baker lands another kick as Riggs finally moves in to strike, and boom! accidental groin kick. Riggs is back in quickly, though. Baker lands another kick to the body, then goes for a head kick that misses. Riggs throws a right that doesn't connect. Riggs finally lets go with a combo but does little damage. Baker lands a flying knee to Riggs' chin. Riggs is now throwing combos when he moves in, but that's not often. Baker is being way more aggressive so far. Riggs clinches up and Baker lands some knees, then another as they separate. Round is over. I give it to Baker 10-9 for aggression.

Round 2: Slow start to this round, Baker throws a kick that Riggs catches... and they both back off. Both fighters seem hesitant this round. Baker finally moves in with a couple of rights, Riggs counters. Baker goes for another flying knee, and Riggs catches him with a right. They clinch again and Baker is landing knee after knee. Riggs answers with a knee of his own. Now Riggs is landing good punches, but Baker is landing more, and then lands a left that puts Riggs out! Bryan Baker def. Joe Riggs via TKO, 3:53 of round 2.

Rick Hawn vs. Jay Hieron

Round 1: Hawn moves in with a combo and eats a couple of shots in the process. Hieron lands a good leg kick, then misses with another, and misses with a spinning back kick. Hawn is moving forward now, eating a couple of kicks but keeps coming. Hieron misses with a flying knee, catches Hawn with another leg kick and eats a punch for it. Hawn is landing more shots now but there's not much behind them. End of the round. 10-9 Hieron.

Round 2: Hieron is a little more aggressive this round. He lands a leg kick, Hawn lands one of his own. Hieron keeps landing one punch or one kick and that's all. Hawn back to moving forward but not doing a whole lot. Hieron is staying out of his way and countering here and there. Hawn isn't checking the leg kicks at all now. He lands a good left, then misses with another . Now Hawn lands a decent combo, then another, as Hieron looks like he's just running away. Hieron gets a last second takedown, and the round ends. 10-9 Hawn that time, he just landed more shots.

Round 3: Both guys look more serious now, and are throwing like they mean it. Hawn lands a mean combo but Hieron answers with a kick to the body. Hieron looks like he might be cut under one eye. Hawn is moving forward more aggressively this round, and it landing more strikes than either of the first two rounds. He lands a leg kick that almost puts Hieron down. Hieron is mostly just backing up now, not countering as much or as well as he has been. Hieron tries to turn it up at the end, but I don't think it's enough. End of the fight. That round, and the fight, I give to Hawn. 10-9, total 29-28.

Jay Hieron def. Rick Hawn by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Oh well.

Thanks for hanging, guys, it was fun as always!

MMA You Want to Watch This Week 5/2 - 5/8

Jackie Maden — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:50:52 -0000

We're still dealing with the fallout of UFC 129 from this past Saturday, whether it's more complaining about Georges St. Pierre fighting 'safe', or how Jose Aldo isn't really as good as he's been hyped up to be, how John Makdessi makes Tae Kwon Do work in MMA, how most everyone figured the Vladimir Matyushenko fight was the one to miss while grabbing a beer, or how Steven Seagal is the new god of MMA coaches (and people seem to really buy that one, somehow). Oh yeah, and don't forget the grapefruit Aldo planted on Mark Hominick's head and how Rory MacDonald threw Nate Diaz around like a kid with a new action figure. Lots of craziness still swirling around from both media and fans alike, which just proves that UFC 129 was a great show and worth every penny of the PPV cost.

But, it's time to let the dust from Saturday settle, and start thinking about this week and the great fights we've got coming up. Bellator is back with the welterweight tournament final, and we have three other events streaming online (one of them for free) to fill out the weekend. As usual, if you see that I've missed any event scheduled to be broadcast in some way this week, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Continue reading this post at Gals Guide to MMA!

MMA You Want to Watch This Week 4/25 - 5/1

Jackie Maden — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:18:48 -0000

The month of April has almost passed us by already, and it's been packed with MMA. Even on the slow weeks, Bellator has been there to see us through. I know that for some people, weekly MMA is proving to be more than they can handle, but for others there is no such thing as too much. And it is for those people that this feature was introduced in the first place. You, Mr./Ms./Mrs. Hardcore MMA Fan, you are the reason that this is posted every week. You should be proud.

This week is a good one for MMA fans. We've got around 4 events happening, and one of them is completely free. We're also witnessing history this Saturday: every single fight from UFC 129: GSP vs. Shields is going to be available to watch live. It's the first time every prelim is going to be broadcast live. Are you tingly yet?

Read the rest of this post at Gals Guide to MMA!

Gal's Guide to MMA Betting Fix for UFC 129: GSP vs. Shields

Jackie Maden — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:46:35 -0000

(Original post by The Midge)

Fear not children! It's not Friday yet. I know, I know. Seeing the Betting Fix up is enough to convince anyone that they've lapsed into a four day coma and woke up just in time to place their theoretical bets for the oh so very real fights. But alas, it is just a Monday. Perhaps it is manic, this I do not know.

But what I do know is that UFC 129 is going down this weekend in the great land of Canada. Are you giddy like a school girl? You should be... perhaps we need to cue the GSP Moments of Zen....

Join us in this week's betting game at Gals Guide to MMA!

(Original post by The Midge)

But what I do know is that UFC 129 is going down this weekend in the great land of Canada. Are you giddy like a school girl? You should be... perhaps we need to cue the GSP Moments of Zen....

Join us in this week's betting game at Gals Guide to MMA!

Bellator 42 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:06:51 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 42. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

I will be posting live play-by-play and results here as well as at my usual home, Gals Guide to MMA.

Tonight brings us the tournament semi finals in the light heavyweight division: Tim Carpenter vs. Christian M'Pumbu and Richard Hale vs. D.J. Linderman. The winners of those fights will move on to the finals, and fight for the brand new Bellator light heavyweight belt. We will also see action in the 135 lb. division, with Luiz Nogueira vs. Jerod Spoon, and a fight between Sengoku and Shark Fights vet Ronnie Mann and Josh Arocho.

We are now live, and the fights are getting underway. Let's do it!

Luiz Nogueira vs. Jerod Spoon

Round 1 - Nogueira looks confident, Spoon looks intense. Spoon lands a good shot that rocks Nogueira. Nogueira is landing a lot of kicks. Now Spoon is landing a couple of leg kicks himself. Nogueira opens up with a flurry and follows it up with a spinning back kick. Spoon is mostly on the defensive now, but he's staying calm. Spoon is landing one kick or punch to every 4 or 5 of Nogueira's. Now Nogueira shoots and gets a takedown, but Spoon is up pretty quick. Spoon goes for a takedown to end the round, and gets it. The round ends. I score it Nogueira 10-9.

Round 2 - Spoon shoots and can't quite get a td. Spoon throws a kick that Nogueira catches, then he swarms on Spoon and drives him back to the cage. Spoon finally recovers. Spoon gets in a good right, but Nogueira answers back with one as well. They're trading more power shots now, then Nogueira clinches Spoon on the cage. Now Nogueira lands a couple of hard punches. Spoon connects with a right, but Nogueira hit him twice in the process. Nogueira keeps unloading combos but Spoon just throws one punch and backs off. Over and over. Nogueira shoots and gets the takedown, unloads some ground and pound, as the round ends. Again, I give it to Nogueira 10-9.

Round 3 - Nogueira again with the combos, following kicks with punches. Nogueira shoots, finally gets the takedown. Spoon gets up though. Nogueira catches him with a left to the head on the way out. Nogueira follows a flying knee with several solid punches. Hard right from Spoon but Nogueira acted like he didn't feel it. Spoon shoots but Nogueira gets right back up. Nogueira gets a takedown, but Spoon is up quickly. Spoon looks tired now. Nogueira ends the round eating a shot from Spoon, but too little too late. I give that round to Nogueira 10-9.

Luiz Nogueira def. Jerod Spoon by unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Tim Carpenter vs. Christian M'Pumbu

Round 1 - M'Pumbu opens with several leg kicks. Carpenter moves forward and lands some decent shots. They trade for a bit. M'Pumbu lands a great shot that drops Carpenter, and it's over! M'Pumbu is moving on to the final. Christian M'Pumbu def. Tim Carpenter by TKO, 2:08 of round one.

Ronnie Mann vs. Josh Arocho

Round 1 - They start out trading, Mann catches a shot and almost goes down. Mann lands a good left, then Arocho shoots and gets the takedown. Mann sweeps him easily. Mann is getting him with short elbows from the top. Now raining down right hands. The discrepancy in experience is so evident here - Arocho is just surviving while Mann is landing ground and pound at will. Mann continues with the elbows. Arocho is landing some shots of his own off his back, but they have little power. Arocho is just holding Mann in his guard, not really trying to get up. He can't keep Mann tied up enough to get the standup. Mann's gnp is getting nasty. End of the round. Mann, 10-8.

Round 2 - Arocho comes out swinging, and lands two good punches. Mann throws a head kick that just misses. Arocho then does the same. Arocho looks brutalized after the last round. Arocho shoots, eats a knee on the way in, then ends up with Mann on top of him. Mann doesn't look like he's trying to pass guard, he's just landing elbows and body shots at will. Arocho is again landing some punches off his back but they aren't effective. Arocho tries briefly to get his legs up for a triangle but gives up quickly. This round looks like it's ending like the last one did, with Mann on top beating Arocho bloody. Yep, that's exactly what happened. Another round to Mann, 10-8.

Round 3 - Arocho is still in the fight, he's throwing but not connecting much. He shoots again, and again ends up with Mann on top of him. Mann in side control now, still using elbows extensively and is opening up new cuts on Arocho's face. Mann moves to north-south, and is trying for an inverted triangle. Arocho gets out of it and Mann is back to side control. More elbows from Mann, more blood from Arocho. Mann moves to half guard. Now Mann has an arm, but he lets it go. Back to full guard. Arocho still landing a few shots but Mann is just unloading on him. And the fight is over. That round to Mann, 10-8 in my opinion.

Ronnie Mann def. Josh Arocho by unanimous decision, 30-25, 30-27, 30-27.

Richard Hale vs. D.J. Linderman

Round 1 - Hale opens up with a leg kick, then another. Linderman seems to be moving better than he was in his last fight. Now Linderman is landing good combos, following up leg kicks with two punches. Hale lands a left that staggers Linderman, but he's back up quick. Linderman is being more cautious now. Hale throws a head kick that barely misses. Hale is making good use of his reach, but Linderman is still able to get in and land on him. Hale is bleeding from under one eye. Both fighters are showing some powerful striking when they connect. Hale unloads on Linderman, he's rocked but still up. That's the round. I think I give it to Hale 10-9 just for actually staggering Linderman a couple of times.

Round 2 - Linderman lands a spinning back fist that rocks Hale, then he clinches Hale on the cage. Linderman gets a takedown but Hale is right back up. They clinch and trade knees. Accidental low blow by Hale. They get back to it after giving Linderman a minute to recover. Both guys are landing some power shots. Hale is keeping up the leg kicks. Linderman comes back with a body kick, then a leg kick, but eats a shot coming in. Hale is catching a lot of punches to the face and isn't doing as good a job of moving out of the way now. End of the round. 10-9 Linderman that time.

Round 3 - Hale is trying to open strong with leg kicks. Linderman shoots and gets Hale against the cage, but can't get him down. Hale is too tall for it. They trade some knees, but Linderman still cant' get the takedown. Linderman falls backward holding Hale, and Hale ends up in full mount. Linderman gives up his back and Hale goes for the rear naked but Linderman gets loose. He gives his back again, Hale again goes for the rear naked, this time sitting against the cage. Linderman is defending well, but Hale is being persistent. Linderman rolls over and Hale is still on his back. Linderman can't shake him and looks exhausted now. The round ends. Hale won that one, 10-9. I'd give him the fight, but who knows?

Richard Hale def. D.J. Linderman by split decision - 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

Richard Hale will meet Christian M'Pumbu in the light heavyweight final, to determine the first Bellator 205 champ.

Thanks for hanging, guys. It was a blast (as always!)

MMA You Want To Watch This Week 4/18 - 4/24

Jackie Maden — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:07:51 -0000

It's amazing to me the number of MMA events that happen every week. I've looked at close to 20 already for this coming Friday and Saturday, and that's not counting the scores of smaller, local shows without web pages. Of course, not many of them are broadcast on television or even streamed online, but the shows that do have that option are the ones we look at here each week. And the beauty of that is, even on weeks where there aren't any big shows, there is usually at least one smaller promotion streaming an event. This means that most of the time, we shouldn't have to go more than 6 days without an MMA fix. That is a beautiful thing for a fan. And for those of you who ignore the small shows, and only watch the big boys, keep in mind that almost every star you pay $50 to see on PPV got their start fighting in a tiny little local promotion.

Read the rest of this post at Gals Guide!

Gal's Guide to MMA Betting Fix: Bellator 41

Jackie Maden — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:40:45 -0000

Original post by Chris Toffer, Gals Guide to MMA

It's slim pickin's this week kiddies. I feel like a heroin junkie sitting by a dumpster off of Sunset Blvd, searching the ground for a needle, any needle, with ANYTHING in it. Hand me some starbursts and a spoon man, I don't care! You've got some Smarties? Maaaaaaan???

Luckily Bellator 41 is here to keep me straight with a handful of theoretic bets! So saddle up, buckle down, and tell me where you found a saddle with a buckle on it. That just seems safe! No way you could make a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad bet when buckled into your saddle!

Check out the rest of Chris' post at Gals Guide to MMA, and be sure to place your bets for Bellator 41 there!

Original post by Chris Toffer, Gals Guide to MMA

Check out the rest of Chris' post at Gals Guide to MMA, and be sure to place your bets for Bellator 41 there!

The Gals' Bellator 41 Predictions, Featuring Featherweight Semi-finalist Daniel Straus

Jackie Maden — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:29:56 -0000

Yes, it's time again for Gals Guide to share with you our thoughts on how tomorrow's Bellator 41 fights are going to go. Four fights, as usual. This time we have both featherweight tournament semifinals and two super fights. Featherweight champ Joe Warren will be facing Marcos Galvao, and bantamweight champ Zach Makovsky is fighting Chad Robichaux. Also, in a rematch from the last fw tournament final, we have Wilson Reis vs. Patricio Freire, and our other semifinal fight brings us Kenny Foster vs. Daniel Straus.

What makes this set of fight picks special is that Daniel Straus himself was sweet enough to send us his own predictions for tomorrow night. We really appreciate Daniel's input, especially since he's right in the middle of prepping to beat up The Tooth Fairy. Thank you for taking time for us, Daniel!

Check out Daniel's picks in the full post at Gals Guide to MMA

Bellator 40 Live Play-by-Play and Results

Jackie Maden — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:44:36 -0000

As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results and commentary for Bellator 40. Our live blog will start with the beginning of the MTV2 broadcast (9 p.m. ET) so be sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

I will be posting live play-by-play and results here as well as at my usual home, Gals Guide to MMA.

Tonights fights include a welterweight semifinal fight between Jay Hieron and Brent Weedman, a lightweight semifinal between Lloyd Woodard and Michael Chandler, and a non-title super fight featuring welterweight champ Ben Askren taking on Nick Thompson. The winner of Hieron-Weedman will go on to meet Rick Hawn in the ww tournament final, and the winner of Woodard-Chandler will face Patricky Freire in the lightweight final.

Quick results:
Ben Askren def. Nick Thompson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Jay Hieron def. Brent Weedman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Michael Chandler def. Lloyd Woodard via unanimous (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bellator 40 coverage

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Lloyd Woodard vs. Michael Chandler

Round 1 - Chandler opens up swinging like crazy. Woodard gets him with a knee to the face, but Chandler throws him and slams him to the canvas. Chandler now with some ground and pound, then Woodard gets up. Chandler throws him down again, and is trying to pass but Woodard is keeping him tied up really well. Woodard gets up again. They're back to striking, and Chandler goes for a single. He finally gets it and moves to half guard easily. Chandler can't pass, and Woodard gets up. Chandler swings, then goes for another takedown and gets it. That's the round. 10-9 Chandler.

Round 2 - Chandler comes out a little slower here, and Woodard is just backing up. Woodard finally starts landing a couple of shots, and then Chandler shoots. Woodard gets him with a good knee, and they're standing again. Chandler gets a takedown, but he's not nearly as active on the ground this round. He's controlling but that's about it. Woodard manages to stand but Chandler is still holding on. Woodard gets loose and lands an uppercut. Chandler takes him down again. Woodard is going for a kimura and sweeps Chandler with it. Now he has Chandler's back. Chandler is turning and going for a single, but Woodard is still on him. Woodard has both hooks in and Chandler can't shake him. Woodard goes for the rnc but can't sink it. And the round ends... tough one. I'd say 10-9 Woodard.

Round 3 - Woodard is landing leg kicks, but Chandler rocks him with a bit with a punch. Chandler clinches Woodard on the cage going for a takedown, and finally gets it but Woodard is back up. Chandler picks him up and slams him. Chandler is throwing more shots on the ground now, and both fighters look tired. Finally the ref stands them up. Woodard goes for a head kick, and Chandler takes him down. Woodard almost takes Chandler's back but can't get it. They're back on the ground. Chandler doing a great job of smothering and occasionally punching on the ground. That's the fight. I'd give it to Chandler, 29-28.

Michael Chandler def. Lloyd Woodard by unanimous decision, 29-28.

Josh Burns vs. Eric Prindle

Round 1 - They opens with some heavy strikes. Oof.. low blow early on. Prindle caught Burns with an accidental kick. And they're back. Prindle catches Burns and staggers him, but he's back up quick. Burns lands some heavy shots but Prindle comes right back with better ones. Burns is looking beat up now. Prindle mixes it up some with a leg kick, then follows up with hard shots. Burns is bleeding. He is landing punches, but not as many or as accurate as Prindle. Burns looks tired, but staggers Prindle with a left. They clinch, and Prindle lands a great knee. Burns comes forward with strikes and drives Prindle back. They swing wild at the end of the round. I call that one for Prindle 10-9, but it was close.

Round 2 - Prindle lands another low blow on Burns right away, and loses a point for it. They're back at it now. Burns is coming forward again, and presses Prindle against the cage briefly. Prindle lands some good kicks. Now some really sloppy boxing, and Burns goes for a takedown but can't get it. Prindle catches him with a right as Burns stands up, and Burns answers with a combo that rocks Prindle. He goes for another takedow, but Prindle shrugs it off. Now Prindle is catching Burns with jab after jab, almost at will. Burns rallies with a good shot, then goes for another takedown he can't get. Burns is tired, and is letting Prindle hit him. Burns does come back for a second but then goes back to standing and letting Prindle hit him. End of the round, even with the point taken, that could be 10-9 Prindle. Nope, the doc is stopping it now. Eric Prindle def. Josh Burns by TKO (doctor stoppage), 5:00 of round 2.

Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman

Round 1 - Weedman lands a punch that knocks Hieron down early, and is in half guard. He gets full mount quickly. Now he has Hieron's back, but Hieron turns ans is trying for a d'arce. Weedman is doing his best to get out but is caught pretty well. Hieron lets the choke go, then moves into Weedman's guard. Weedman tries to get up but Hieron isn't letting go. Weedman back to full guard. Both guys are throwing on the ground. Weedman catches Hieron with an upkick, then they're on their feet. Hieron clinches Weedman on the cage, and the round is over. 10-9 Hieron.

Round 2 - They trade a bit, clinch on the cage, then Weedman throws a couple of shots that just miss. Lots of throwing, not much connecting so far this round. Hieron gets in a decent uppercut, Weedman gets in a few hard knees in the clinch. More strikes traded, but nothing solid is landing. Weedman gets in a good leg kick, then Hieron comes in with a combo that moves Weedman back but doesn't land all that well. Weedman catches Hieron's leg again. That's the round... I think 10-9 Weedman just for moving forward.

Round 3 - Hieron opens up with a good combo. Weedman continues to move forward, then Hieron comes in with a takedown attempt. Weedman goes for a guillotine but can't get it. Weedman is working Hieron's leg with kicks. Hieron is still backing up constantly. He lands a flurry but Weedman still moves in. Hieron catches Weedman with a left and he stumbles, but is back up quick. Weedman with another leg kick and Hieron goes down. Weedman is trying to take Hieron's back, but Hieron turns and Weedman ends up in side control, then full mount. It's awfully high, though. Hieron escapes and moves to Weedman's guard. But the fight is over. I give it to Weedman, 29-28.

Oh wow... Jay Hieron def Brent Weedman via unanimous decision, 29-28.

Ben Askren vs. Nick Thompson

Round 1 - Askren opens up with a spinning backfist that glances. He throws a kick that Thompson catches, they end up on the ground and Askren is on top. He's in side control and lands a couple of elbows. Askren drives several knees into Thompson's side, then moves to half guard. Thompson is going for a leg lock but Askren gets out easily. Back to side control for Askren, and more knees to Thompson's ribs. Askren is warned about blows to the back of the head. Askren with more elbows to Thompson's head. They're busy on the ground, but Thompson can't shake Askren off of him. Thompson gets up and Askren gets him back down. End of the round. 10-9 Askren. Who's surprised?

Round 2 - Askren shoots, and gets the takedown. And we're back on the ground with Askren on top. Askren lands a couple of actually nasty punches, and Thompson tries for a leg lock. Askren takes his back and almost gets a rear naked, but lets it go. Thompson ends up on top briefly. Then back to Askren in half guard. Thompson is still moving on the ground, but Askren is staying on him. Askren in side control and landing knees to the ribs again. End of the round. 10-9 Askren.

Round 3 - Askren with a glancing spinning backfist. Thompson lands a couple of little shots before Askren shoots. Side control, knees to ribs. He does land some decent gnp for a second. Thompson is still active on the ground, but can't shake Askren. More of the same. Fight's over. Askren took it, the only question is if anyone gave a 10-8 round.

Ben Askren def. Nick Thompson via unanimous decision.