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By: Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist
BELLATOR 78
OCTOBER 26, 2012
LIVE FROM DAYTON, OHIO
Finalists for Bellator's seventh season welterweight will be determined tonight, as the semifinals in the 170 lb. division will head up a four fight main card on MTV2 from Dayton, Ohio. Additionally, a featherweight feature bout will see waiting title challenger Daniel Straus take on UFC vet Alvin Robinson, and middleweights Brian Rogers and Dominique Steele will square off. We'll have live round by round coverage of all the action as it airs tonight, so join us right here as the MTV2 main card begins at 8PM ET!
FIGHT ONE: BRIAN ROGERS VS. DOMINIQUE STEELE (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
- Interesting stat; all of Brian Rogers’ victories are first-round stoppages
ROUND ONE: Rogers lands a short right from a clinch which staggered Steele momentarily. Steele managed to regroup without any further harm. Steele lands a nice right uppercut which landed on Rogers’ chin. The feeling out process seems to have kicked in after an initial flurry. Steele with another nice right hand. Rogers seems tentative, which could be described as patient if he lands. Rogers with a nice flurry, a non-tentative flurry thank you, ending with a head kick upon a retreating Steele. Steele with a nice stiff jab that backed Rogers off. Steele’s doing well with the jab. There’s been a lot of circling so far, with brief exchanges. Nice exchange of kicks there from both men. Steele is trying to land to the body, and almost ate and uppercut as a result. Entering the final minute. Rogers engages for the first time, doesn’t land hard, and almost gets taken down by Steele. Rogers lands a nice standing knee and a standing elbow. 10-9 Steele
ROUND TWO: Not a lot of action in the first minute of this round. Lots of circling, but Rogers is determined to be the counter striker here. Steele comes forward and eats a couple of punches, but he drives through and pushed Rogers into the fence. Rogers pushes him off, and lands an elbow as well. Steele is bleeding from the mouth. I may have missed some power shots from Rogers in the first, because Steele’s lip and left eye are swelling up. Steele comes forward, and eats another big knee. Rogers is pawing at his own right eye now. Maybe a poke? He’s certainly got blood on his right cheek, but it might be Steele’s. Steele tries to land a lead right to the body, but retreats fast to evade an uppercut. Lots of circling in this fight. Steele’s engaging first, but not successfully at all this round. Rogers lands a leg kick. Steele throws a flying knee, but it didn’t land flush. Rogers is wiping at the blood under his right eye again. It might not be Steele’s after all. 10-9 Rogers And to be fair he might’ve won the first, as well.
ROUND THREE: Steele’s left eye is almost a mess. Rogers does have an abrasion under his right eye. Steele going to the boy again, and quickly backs off to avoid the uppercut. Steele catches a body kick and presses Rogers into the cage, but can’t do anything with it and eats an over the top elbow as they separate. Steele pressing forward, and eats a counter right. Rogers is unloading heavily, and Steele lost his mouthpiece. Steele on his bike, eating a ton of punches to the chin. Surprising to see him still on his feet. The referee handed him the mouthpiece and the fight was only paused for half a second. Steele’s got his wits back, but he’s not far away from being finished here. Steele presses Rogers into the cage. Steele’s spitting up blood onto Rogers’ shoulder. They separate uneventfully. Steele got battered in the beginning of this round. Big left hook by Rogers, and Steele landed a big right of his own. Oneminute left. Steele ducks under a wild hook and throws a jump knee that missed. He’s still coming forward despite the damage Rogers has inflicted. Clinching in the middle, and Steele landed a nice elbow. The fight ends with them clinched on the fence. 10-9 Rogers. 29-28 Rogers I’ll bet if I rewatch the first round I’d give it to Rogers.
WINNER: Brian Rogers by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**+) Rogers was as aggressive as ever, but he fought as an aggressive counter striker this time. When he hit, he was really effective. Steele ate a ton of shots in the third round, and bunch in the second. Once Rogers found his range, it was all over for Steele.
FIGHT TWO: ALVIN ROBINSON VS. DANIEL STRAUS (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Straus catches a kick and gets a fast takedown, but Robinson caught his neck and is working for a guillotine. He won’t get it. Straus has Robinson down against the fence. Robinson gets back up, and is again fishing for the guillotine. It’s still not there, and Straus threw him to the mat by the neck. That was pretty. Straus is working a standing kimura or straight armbar here. He lost it, and Robinson is on top in full guard now. Straus isn’t down here much, so this will be interesting. Straus powers out, but Robinson adjusts and keeps a dominant position. Straus is on all fours, and Robinson is trying to take his back. He’s not getting it, but he’s velcroed to Straus nonetheless. Straus back to his feet, and gets a lateral drop takedown. Side control for Straus. Straus landing short elbows to the ear of Robinson. He’s trying to slide his knee across Robinson’s stomach in an attempt to get to mount. He almost got it, but Robinson scrambled out. Robinson caught Straus’ neck again, but there was no guillotine happening there. Straus rolls for a guillotine of his own as the round ends. Great round. 10-9 Straus
ROUND TWO: Robinson lands a quick leg kick and a couple of head kicks. Straus responds with a head kick of his own, and he gets a takedown near the cage. Robinson is trying to work for a kimura with his back against the cage, but he gave it up. Nice short elbows by Straus. Straus is on his feet holding the neck of Robinson who is on his knees against the cage. Straus muscles Robinson up and then drops Robinson back down in the same position. Robinson gets up, but eats a couple knees now that he’s onl his feet. This is a more typical Straus round. Straus pulls him off the fence and trips Robinson back on his butt. Side control for Straus with two minutes left. He’s landing some big lefts. Robinson is turtled up trying to get up. He gets up, but Straus threw him back down with a belly to back suplex. Straus is on top of Robinson, trying to get a rear naked choke on the Royce Gracie black belt. Straus only had one hook in, and let go of the choke. Robinson is cut in his left eyebrow. Straus still has Robinson’s back. He’s working for the RNC again, loses it, gets it again and Robinson taps out late in the second.
WINNER: Daniel Straus by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:51 of round two.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (***-) I’m being generous, but this is my kind of fight; a really active grappling match. Robinson was very impressive in the first, but got all blowed up by the better fighter in the second. Straus was extremely in the second round, in part because he wasn’t fighting against Pitbull or Curran…
FIGHT THREE: MARIUS ZAROMSKIS VS. ANDREY KORESHKOV (WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS)
- The undefeated Koreshkov is four inches taller than Zaromskis, and has a five inch reach advantage.
ROUND ONE: Zaromskis comes forward fast. Koreshkov tagged him, and Zaromskis backed off. Head kick from Koreshkov. He’s got a massive speed advantage here. Zaromskis isn’t making use of angles. He’s circling to Koreshkov’s power hand. Nice uppercut from Koreshkov, who is having his way so far. Right hook and right body kick by Koreshkov. Zaromskis plodding forward, but he can’t find his range. Big left hand from Koreshkov staggers and drops Zaromskis. It was a left to the temple. Koreshkov landed eleven unanswered shots to the face of the prone Zaromskis.
WINNER: Andrey Koreshkov by TKO at 2:14 of round one.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) The better, bigger, longer, faster striker KO’d the lesser fighter. This is the one guy in Bellator who could unseat Ben Askren. The big story is that someone has a contract out on Marius Zaromskis, and Jerry Poe tried to collect. That was either the worst or the second worst late stoppage of the year, depending on what you think of the Weidman – Munoz stoppage. If you ever decide to become a cage fighter and you see Jerry Poe in the cage, I strongly suggest you win, lest Jerry Poe try to get your ass murdered.
FIGHT FOUR: MICHAIL TSAREV VS. LYMAN GOOD (WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS)
- My blood is still boiling at what Jerry Poe let happen under his watch. Just a disgusting display by Jerry Poe.
- The boys are calling the main event fight with Muhammad Lawal. You may know him as King Mo.
- Tsarev has a three inch reach advantage, despite being an inch shorter than the former champion Good.
ROUND ONE: The referee for this fight is Greg Franklin. Of course, the one night I don’t write the name of the referees for each fight, a referee becomes the story of the night. Good with an immediate takedown, less than five seconds in. Tight half-guard. Lawal lets us know that it’s smart to takedown Siberian fighters.. Knees to the body by Good, who is now in side control. Tsarev still has Good’s head controlled. More knees to the ribs by Good. Good standing over Tsarev and is landing left hands to the temple. Good comes back down, and is in a really snug full guard here. Good powers out and lands a big punch from his feet. Tsarev is stuck between the fence and a really imposing fighter in Lyman Good. Good to half-guard. Tsarev sweeps to his hip, and Good responds by punching Tsarev in the ribs and passing to side control. Nice transition to full mount. Franklin gave Good a final warning about holding the fence, and when Good grabbed the fence again, Franklin politely asked him not to do that again, please, sir. Whatever. 10-9 Good
ROUND TWO: The second round starts out as a kickboxing match, with both competitors landing several kicks and punches in the first minute. Good is finding a home for the jab. Lead uppercut by Tsarev pushes back Good a few feet. Good landed a double jab that almost knocked Tsarev down. Good’s about 42 levels better than Tsarev on the feet. His hands are too fast. Tsarev is on his bike, circling away, but Good is landing straight punches at will. Good charges in behind a couple more straight punches and gets the world’s easiest double leg. Side control. Two minutes left. Tsarev pushes off the cage and gets some distance, and Franklin tells Tsarev to stand when Good doesn’t dive back in. Good throws a left hand to the eye of Tsarev, and Tsarev recoils and asks the ref to stop the fight due to an eye poke. Franklin meekly put his hands on Good but didn’t make a converted effort to stop the fight. Good responded with a Thai plum, a knee to the body, and six or seven solid punches, and this fight is over as Tsarev crumpled to the ground.
WINNER: Lyman Good by TKO at 3:54 of the second round.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**-) This was a total and complete slaughter. The moment the eight participants for this tournament were announced, it was better than even money that Koreshkov vs. Good would be the finals. As to the eye poke, whether or not it was a poke or a glancing punch to the eye, Franklin tried to stop the fight and then changed his mind, akin to what Miragliota did to Pat Barry in the Kongo fight last year. It’s just.. I need a drink.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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