Bellator 16 4/29 Re-Cap

Bellator 16
Bellator Fighting Championships
Kansas City Power and Light District
Kansas City, Missouri
April 29, 2010
Fox Sports South

This is week four of the second season of the Bellator Fighting Championships. All of the Middleweight Quarterfinal fights will take place tonight. Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith are the announcers for the show. This weeks show is being fought outside!

Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Eric Schambari (11-1) vs. Luke Zachrich (10-1)

You probably remember Zachrich from season seven of The Ultimate Fighter. He was a member of Team Forrest. He lost in his first fight in the house to Dan Cramer by TKO in the second round. Schambari trains with Joe Stevenson. Zachrich has 10 wins and he has finished all of his fights. His only loss (the TUF fight does not count on his record) was by submission. The only time I've seen Schambari fight was on an episode of WEC Wreckage where he beat Logan Clark by way of a close decision. Schambari is a former power lifter. If I was a betting man I would go with Schambari (although I'm watching this about 5 days after it aired so I don't think they'd take my wager...unless I am wrong). Jason Herzog and his awesome purple gloves will be referring this fight.

R1- Schambari went for take downs early and got stuffed twice before he finally got Luke down. Luke tried to get a guillotine choke and avoided a slam because of it but ended up on the bottom. Schambari went for a guillotine and Luke swept him over and took half guard. Schambari got back to his feet and Luke pulled guard, possibly to avoid a slam or hard take down. Schambari looks like he going for an arm triangle and Luke tapped out of nowhere. In both fights I've seen of him Schambari is not exciting but he's an effective grinder.

Winner: Eric Schambari by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 3:34

Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Alexander Shlemenko (27-4) vs. Matt Major (6-1)

Schlemenko fought on the ShoXC Elite Challengers Series in October of 2008 and won a fight where he got controlled because he landed a big knee at the end of the first round. Major designed his own fights for this show. He did an interview where he talked about being into art and sewing. I'd make fun of him but he would beat me into a pulp. Major has only finished the fight in 2 of his 6 victories. Major did not find out until Tuesday that he was fighting Shlemenko. Give me Shlemenko in this one but I'm going to call him Alexander so I don't screw up his name.

R1- Alexander throws a lot of kicks early and caught Major with a left hand in the first minute. Alexander is coming at a lot of different angles and is throwing lots of spinning strikes. Major's nose has been busted open. Alexander finally caught Major with one of his spinning back fists but didn't hit it fully. Alexander 10-9.

R2- Alexander continues to throw spinning strikes. I think Alexander could finish if he just stopped with all the flashy stuff. Alexander landed a sinning back kick and Major landed a counter strike. Alexander landed a body shot, he does a good job changing levels when he's not trying a spinning strike. Alexander partially landed a spinning back kick to the head but fell down and Major jumped on top. Major is landing some minor strikes while in Alexander's guard. Alexander got back to his feet before the end of the round and then landed a low blow on Major. Alexander 20-18.

"Matt Major just took a shot and sprayed me with blood. It is all over my notes and everything"- Jimmy Smith

R3- Alexander landing some strikes early in the round. Alexander finally connected with a spinning back fist and then landed a couple more strikes and Major looked like he was stunned but Alexander couldn't finish. Alexander looked like he went for a take down with a minute and a half left but Major ended up on top. Alexander got back to his feet with 45 seconds left in the fight. Alexander hit a good left hand. They exchange spinning back fists in the last 10 seconds. Alexander takes this fight 30-27 on my score card but I think he's going to struggle in the next round with that type of offense unless he catches somebody early.

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards

Winner: Alexander Shlemenko by Decision (Unanimous)

Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Bryan Baker (11-1) vs. Sean Loeffler (18-4)

I saw Baker fight at MFC 23 back in December of last year on HDNet and he won a close decision against Art Santore. Baker's only loss came at the hands of Chael Sonnen and he's finished 7 of his 11 wins (5 by KO). Loeffler's striking coach was shot and killed last month so he will be fighting tonight with a lot on his mind. Loeffler has finished 17 of his 18 wins (10 by submission) and has won 6 straight. Loeffler is a former training partner of Bellator Color Commentator Jimmy Smith.

R1- Baker backed Loeffler into the cage early with some strikes but didn't land anything substantial. Baker got a take down at the one minute mark of the fight. Baker stood up so he could pass Loeffler's guard. Baker landed some strikes from the top and Loeffler covered up and then rolled over and this one is over. Impressive showing by Baker. Most impressive fighter so far in the Middleweight tournament.

Winner: Bryan Baker by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:43

Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Jared Hess (9-1-1) vs. Ryan McGivern (13-6)

McGivern was an IFL Middleweight Champion and Hess made the Bellator Middleweight Finals last season where he lost to the current Bellator champ Hector Lombard. MiGivern was a former D-1 Wrestler at Iowa and is also a black belt in taekwondo. McGivern has Pat Militech in his corner. Hess has finished all of his wins, 6 by submission and 3 by KO. Hess is also a wrestler and currently trains with Roger Huerta.

R1- McGivern grabbed a headlock up against the cage when they clinched and Hess slammed him to the mat. Hess controlled on top but McGivern used an active guard to minimize damage. Hess 10-9. Not real exciting but Hess controlled the round.

R2- Hess grabs a single-leg early and uses second effort to complete the take down. McGivern got to his feet but Hess immediately grabbed a guillotine choke and pulled guard and this fight is over.

Winner: Jared Hess by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 1:54

Catchweight Fight (162 lbs)- Eric Marriott vs. Demi Deeds

This is a pre-show fight. Marriott previously fought on this season of Bellator in a Featherweight fight against Joe Warren.

R1- Deeds grabbed an early guillotine and almost finished but he was in half guard and couldn't get enough behind it. Marriott got to his feet and slammed Deeds to the mat and changed positions to get out of the guillotine. Deeds got back to his feet and landed a good head kick. Marriott grabbed a leg so he could recover. Marriott is busted open. Deeds tried to get the guillotine again but once again could not finish. Deeds went for a leg lock and Marriott grabbed one of his own. Deeds got out of the hold and went for a knee bar but could not finish. Marriott finished the round on top and landed a few strikes. Deeds 10-9. Really good first round.

R2- Deeds landed a strike early but Marriott ended up with a take down. Marriott took his back but couldn't hold it and Deeds spun on top. Marriott went for an arm bar and then transitioned to a triangle. Deeds was able to power out of the submission. Marriott went for the triangle again and turned over onto his back for leverage and Deeds tapped out. Best fight of the night.

Winner: Eric Marriott by Submission (Triangle Choke) R2 3:02

In the first round fights I thought Jard Hess and Bryan Baker had the best two performances. On Thursday Roger Huerta will be in action against Pat Curran in a Lightweight Semi-Final fight. There will be a big fight between Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and former UFC slugger Josh Neer in a catchweight fight. Toby Imada will also fight Carey Vanier in a Lightweight Semi-Final fight. Brock Lesnar's training partner Cole Konrad will also make his Bellator debut.

MFC 23: Unstoppable 12/14/09 Re-Cap

Maximum Fighting Championships 23: Unstoppable
12/14/09
River Cree Casino
Enoch, Alberta

Kenny Rice and Guy Mezger are the announcers for this show.

Welterweight Fight: Joe Christopher (9-2) vs. Jesse Juarez (14-4-1)

Christopher is a BJJ fighter. The only time I’ve seen Juarez fight was on a Strikeforce show where he got stopped at the end of the first round via Submission by Luke Stewart. That fight was pretty even until Stewart got the fight to the ground. Christopher comes out to AC/DC. Juarez comes out to a rap song with a lot of expletives.

R1- Christopher rushed in early but got taken down by Juarez. Juarez is landing some strikes and Christopher has attempted a couple of submissions. Christopher did not throw a strike in the first round. Juarez 10-9.

R2- Christopher went for a quick take down but Juarez was able to stuff it and take top position. Juarez got a couple more take downs. Christopher was able to get a guillotine choke but Juarez picked him up in almost a fireman’s carry and slammed him down and took Christopher’s guard. Juarez 20-18.

R3- Overall this was a lackluster fight. I’ve got Juarez winning by decision.

Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all cards.

Winner: Jesse Juarez by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight: Dwayne Lewis (9-4) vs. Marvin Eastman (17-11)

At MFC 22 Eastman lost a split decision to Ryan Jimmo in a very close fight that could have gone either way. Lewis has won his last 5 fights and has won them all by TKO/KO. He has a win over Marcus Hicks and a loss to Ryan Jimmo. Eastman is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Lewis has a 4” height advantage and a slight 2” reach advantage.

R1- Eastman got a quick slam/take down to start the fight and then stayed on top for the first three and a half minutes before getting stood up. Lewis got a quick KO almost right at the end of the round in surprising fashion. Eastman had him in a clinch and Lewis nailed him with a big right hand uppercut.

Winner: Dwayne Lewis by KO R1 4:58

Middleweight Fight- Art Santore (18-6) vs. Bryan Baker (11-1)

Santore is a Team Quest fighter and has won 4 straight fights. Baker has also won his last 4 fights and his only loss was to UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen. Thomas Denny is in Baker’s corner.

R1- Santore hit a good left early and then hit another good combo around the one minute mark. Brown hit a good left that knocked Santore down. Santoro grabbed a knee bar at the one minute mark but Baker broke free by pelting Santore with heels. A good bit of blood on the mat. Baker then went for an arm triangle and then an arm bar but could not finish with either. Baker finishes the round with some Ground and Pound. Baker 10-9. Good first round.

R2- Some good back and forth stand up in the first half of this round. Santore is wearing a crimson mask. Ref stops the fight with 30 seconds left in the round to check Santore’s cuts. This round was really even and could have gone either way. Baker landed 52 strikes to Santore’s 38 in that round and has done more physical damage in the fight so I’ve got Baker 20-18 right now.

R3- Even striking in the first part of the round. Baker slipped going for a kick and Santore jumped on top. Baker went for a triangle choke and started landing some good elbows to Santore’s head. Really good fight. I’ve got Baker 30-27 but rounds two and three were really close.

Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27, 29-28

Winner: Bryan Baker by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Ryan Jimmo (11-1) vs. Emanuel Newton (18-5-1)

Jimmo has won 11 straight fights including a split decision victory over Marvin Eastman at MFC 22. He was a contestant on Season 8 of TUF but was eliminated in the entry round by Atwain Britt by Decision. Newton is a former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion but is 0-2 in 2009.

R1- Not a very exciting round. Kenny Rice tells me Jimmo landed 17 of 19 strikes. Newton got 2 take downs and landed 26 of 57 strikes. Guy says he give the round to Newton. I have to admit that I was too bored to have an opinion.

R2- Man this is tough to watch. Both fighters landed about the same amount of rounds. Guy says that Jimmo landed cleaner shots and thinks that he took that round making it 19-19. The first guy to make this remotely exciting should be declared the winner.

R3- Jimmo landed 72 of 90 strikes in the fight with Newton landing 67 of 152. Very close fight.

Judges score cards say: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28

Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Decision (Unanimous)

Middleweight Fight- Jason MacDonald (21-13) vs. Soloman Hutcherson (11-5)

Hutcherson has won 4 of his last 5 fights. He was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 and lost to Rory Singer on Episode 5 by KO in the second round. MacDonald has a 4” height and a huge “11” reach advantage.

R1- Hutcherson came in swinging wildly and MacDonald got an easy take down. MacDonald mounted and then went for a triangle and Hutcherson picked him up and dropped him on his head to get out of the hold. MacDonald got another take down about a minute and a half into the round. MacDonald went for a Rear Naked Choke but Hutcherson was able to hold him off. MacDonald transitioned from a Rear Naked attempt to an arm bar attempt but the bell sounded. MacDonald clearly looks like the better fighter so far and took the round easily.

R2- Hutcherson got a take down and then laid on top of MacDonald for a couple of minutes. MacDonald was able to reverse position and take Hutcherson’s back. MacDonald tried to an arm triangle but Hutcherson was able to power out of it. MacDonald is up 20-18 as he did far more to try and finish the fight in this round then Hutcherson did.

R3- The stood up for the first thirty seconds of the round and Hutcherson followed MacDonald to the ground. Not sure if Hutcherson hit him or MacDonald baited him down. MacDonald quickly switched positions and took Hutcherson’s back and then moved to the mount position. MacDonald takes this fight 30-27. Not a great fight but MacDonald was easily in a class above Hutcherson.

Judges score cards say: 28-28, 29-28 Hutcherson and 29-28 MacDonald

All Three of these judges should be immediately fired and banned from ever judging Mixed Martial Arts again. Seriously, who the fuck is judging this stuff? Embarrassing.

Decision: Draw

After the first round of the Lister/Leites fight they go backstage and say that they have a change to the scoring of the MacDonald/Hutcherson fight. MacDonald actually got a split decision victory over Hutcherson. Amazing, they have judges that can’t even count to 30.

Winner: Jason MacDonald by Decision (Split)

Middleweight Fight: Dean Lister (11-6) vs. Thales Leites (14-3)

Lister has lost all of his 6 fights by decision and has lost to the likes of Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and Ricardo Arona. Leites is 7-3 in his last 10 fights and has also lost all of his fights by decision. Both guys need this win.

R1- Lister went for an early take down but got stuffed and Leites took top position. They got back to their feet about half way through the round and Leites is the aggressor on their feet. Leites wins round one 10-9.

R2- Leites hit a good leg kick to start the round and then got a take down. Leites stood back up and then got another take down. Lister looks pretty gassed. Not a real exciting fight but Leites is clearly winning this fight so far. Leites 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- Lister went for a quick take down but Leites stuffed him again. The last three fights on this show have been really lackluster. Leites is going to take this fight.

Judges score cards say: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27.

Winner: Thales Leites by Decision (Unanimous)