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BELLATOR 74
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
WELTERWEIGHT TOURNEY QUARTERFINALS
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY
FIGHT ONE: JORDAN SMITH VS. ANDREY KORESHKOV
ROUND ONE: Keith Peterson is the third man in the cage. Smith shoots, stuffed by Koreshkov. Nice straight punches by Koreshkov. Koreshkov caught a kick from Smith and made him pay with half a dozen punches and kicks. Koreshkov is landing some heavy shots, but Smith is handling them well. Koreshkov initiates a clinch, which Smith reverses into a Peruvian necktie attempt. He lost it, but winds up with a guillotine choke. Koreshkov pops his head out, and lands some hammerfists up against the cage. That guillotine was tight. Smith goes to the rubber guard, and is thinking triangle here. Full guard now. Koreshkov was able to raise up and land a few short elbows. Koreshkov gets to his feet and lands some big rights. Follows up with some giant lefts as the bell rings. 10-9 Koreshkov
ROUND TWO: Smith shoots immediately and gets Koreshkov’s back and gets him down fast. Smith is on his back with Koreshkov on top of him, looking for a choke. Koreshkov is punching blindly with his left, trying to land on Smith. Both fighters are bridging, and Smith has the choke. Koreshkov’s turning blue. Smith’s hands aren’t locked, and he lets go of the choke. Smith’s forearm is no longer under the chin, but across the jaw and nose smothering Koreshkov. Smith loosened up briefly and Koreshkov rolls over. Koreshkov in top in a loose full guard now. Rubber guard. Koreshkov trying to walk Smith into the wall, and he gets there. Koreshkov is trying to stack smith up, because he’s not able to get through here. Smith with a couple of upkicks that landed flush. Smith looking for an omaplata near the end of the round. 10-9 Smith. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Both fighters trade high kicks to open the round. Smith shoots, but gets stuffed. Koreshkov lands a couple of rights as they disengage. Koreshkov lands a nice combo, and follows up with a big right. Smith is feeling these punches, but is still throwing wildly himself. Smith got stuffed again. Koreshkov is doing a good job staying on the outside. Lands a spinning back kick, but it wasn’t strong. Pace is slowing as the fight nears its conclusion. Smith with a couple of kicks. Koreshkov wades in with a hook, and eats three punches for his efforts. Smith shoots, but gets stuffed again. He landed a short knee on the way out. Smith almost tripped and fell over his own feet. Fatigue is a bitch. Koreshkov lands a wild combo. And a head kick was blocked. Koreshkov lands a takedown against the cage with thirty seconds left. Nothing happens, fight ends. 10-9, Koreshkov. 29-28 Koreshkov
WINNER: Andrey Koreshkov by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) Meh. Askren isn’t losing any sleep here. He needed a fight like this since he’d never gone 15 minutes before, so there’s that, I guess.
FIGHT TWO: MICHAIL TSAREV VS. TIM WELCH
ROUND ONE: Big Dan Miragliotta is the referee for this fight. Tsarev possesses a six inch reach advantage over Welch. Welch comes out fast and gets Tsarev up against the cage. Tsarev goes for a trips and reverses position. Tsarev looking for a front facelock. Tsarev attempts a head kick as they disengage. Tsarev staggered Welch with a looping right hook, but wasn’t able to capitalize as his momentum took him away from Welch. Tsarev gets a takedown, and this is where he wants to fight this fight. Half guard for Tsarev. Rolls to the bottom, and gets a tight guillotine choke. Welch popped out after 20 seconds or so. Tsarev has wrist control. While going for a triangle Tsarev landed an upkick while Welch was down, and the fight clock is stopped. That was an illegal strike, and Miragliotta is explaining this to Tsarev’s translator. Tsarev claims ignorance, and worms his way out of a point deduction. We’re back with two minutes left. Welch misses a jump knee and ate a big punch. Tsarev working for a takedown, gets an inside trip and is on top against the wall. Another guillotine attempt. Welch is fighting, and pops out again. Tsarev has Welch’s arm, and is working for a triangle. Welch has to be very careful here. Tsarev releases the triangle as the round ends. 10-9 Tsarev
ROUND TWO: Tsarev starts out with two fast kicks. Welch gets a plum and lands a nice knee to the body. Tsarev is flopping, trying to bait Welch into a ground fight. Tsarev shoots a single behind a jab, gets the takedown, and goes straight to side control looking for a D’Arce. Rolls into a rear naked choke, and it’s over just that fast. That was slick. He looked very tired and then BAM.
WINNER: Michail Tsarev by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:57 of round two.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) Nothing special until the slick finishing sequence. Tsarev has some nice speed to his kicks, and he’s very good at changing levels. That said, he could fight at featherweight.
FIGHT THREE: NORDINE TALEB VS. MARIUS ZAROMSKIS
ROUND ONE: The referee for this fight is once again Big Dan. Taleb comes in with a five inch reach advantage here. Taleb starts off fast, landing a couple of head kicks. Taleb is trying to land from the outside here, and it’s working so far as Zaromskis has a mouse under his left eye already. Taleb is landing a variety of different kicks. Zaromskis with a spinning back fist out of nowhere and Taleb is down. Zaromskis gets on top nut is unable to land hard. That was… unexpected. Zaromski spins to get Taleb’s back. He’s got one hook in, but can’t do anything with it, and we’re back to standing. Nice head kick again by Taleb. Fighters are clinching against the cage, and Taleb is landing well from the clinch before they separate. These guys are throwing hard. Zaromskis is constantly pressing forward, and is eating a ton of kicks for his efforts. Zaromskis shoots for the first takedown of his career (not really), and of course gets stuffed. The round ends with the fighters clinching against the cage. That was a fun round. 10-9 Taleb
ROUND TWO: Zaromskis continues to plow forward, and Taleb landed a nice three-punch combo. Zaromski landed a big straight left hand, and Taleb is down. Zaromskis jumps on top and almost got triangled! He bails fast to get side mount. Taleb went down like a ton of bricks there. Zaromskis has done nothing from side mount and finds himself in half-guard now. Big Dan just stood them up. Taleb is firing the jab like crazy. Looks like he’s fully recovered. Exchange of head kicks there. Taleb is really picking Zaromskis apart, but the two biggest shots of the fight belong to Zaromskis. The second knockdown clearly hurt Taleb more than the one in the first. Zaromskis got a takedown up against the fence, but Taleb was up in less than a second. Zaromskis still pushing Taleb into the cage here. Big Dan breaks them apart. Taleb lands several kicks as the round ends. 10-9 Zaronskis. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Taleb with the kicks to start off the third. Zaromskis still pressing forward like a terminator. Flurry of punches against the cage, and both fighters are jockeying for dominant position. Taleb lands a knee. Zaromskis presses Taleb into the fence until Big Dan separates them. Taleb’s jab is turning Zaromskis’ right eye very red. Both fighters are slowing down here, but their MO’s are still the same. Taleb dropped to one knee to try a takedown, but Zaromskis wound up taking Taleb’s back and putting him into the cage. Zaromski threw Taleb down with a belly to back suplex. Well done. Zaromskis is in side control, and ten seconds later Big Dan told Zaromskis to do something. Don’t get me started. Zaromskis is doing nothing but shoulder strikes, Taleb is too tired to get out, and Bog dan stood em up. Zaromskis with a big head kick that rocked Taleb. Got him with the foot, not the shin. Zaronskis goes for a spinning back fist, but Taleb ducked under and got a takedown. That was a stupid decision. 10-9 Zaromskis. 29-28 Zaromskis
WINNER: Marius Zaromski by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 29-28)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) Ben Askren is giggling heartily. Taleb is the better fighter and better talent, but Zaromskis had the best moment of each round. Taleb’s better, but Zaromskis did the most damage, and landed the biggest strikes. They got it right.
FIGHT FOUR: LYMAN GOOD VS. JIM WALLHEAD
ROUND ONE: Even more Big Dan! Quick clinch work against the cage. And to the middle of the cage as well. After a minute they puch apart. Nice uppercut by Good, and back to another clinch. Good is landing nice uppercuts and hooks from this clinch. Wallhead is cut. Another clinch, another uppercut. Wallhead pushes Good off. Good’s jab is really finding a home, and he’s using it to set up everything else he wants to do. Really hard for Judo Jim to throw anyone when his back is against the cage so much. 10-9 Good
ROUND TWO: Good working the jab consistently, Wallhead comes in, gets clinched, and gets pressed into the fence. Judo jim needs to defend the jab better, or he’s going to be seeing quadruple for a week. Good with a big right hand and charges Wallhead into the cage. Wallhead rotates out, but is still eating jabs and uppercuts like crazy. It’s not a Nick Diaz volume of jabs, but it’s high volume, and power as well. Good hasn’t been rattled for even one second so far. Nice jab followed by an even nicer right cross that snapped Judo Jim’s head back like it was on a spring. I think Good would land 50 jabs even if blindfolded. And whenever Wallhead moves his head, he eats an uppercut. 10-9 Good, 20-18 Good
ROUND THREE: good is starting to work the kicks a little more to start the third. Big uppercut and a hard right. And a knee from Good. Wallhead just took a kick to the general crotchal region, and Wallhead has five minutes to recover. Man, Wallhead’s left eye is a mess. We’re back. Wallhead didn’t milk the clock. Clinch. Cage. Uppercut. Knee. Separate. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Uppercut. Jab. All Good, but, well, you know. Good delivered another ball shot with 3 seconds left. That will cost him a point, and will cost Wallhead a couple dozen Advils. 9-9, 29-27 Good
WINNER: Lyman Good by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) Now that got the good Mister Askren’s attention.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_PPVs_8/article_14505.shtml
Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko
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