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By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist
BELLATOR 92
MARCH 7, 2013
LIVE FROM TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA
FIGHT ONE: ALEXANDRE "POPO" BEZERRA VS. MIKE RICHMAN (FEATHERWEIGHT SEMIFINAL)
ROUND ONE: Michael Williams will be the ring announcer for the first fight of the telecast. Sorry, got my wires crossed. What I meant to tell you is that the referee for this fight is Herb Dean. This is Dean's first televised Bellator fight. History has been made. Popo shoots in on Richman, pushing him into the cage. Richman locks up a front choke and pulls Popo down, but then loses the choke. Both fighters scramble back up, and Popo continues to push Richman into the cage. Popo gets the takedown, but Richman is looking to walk the fence to get back to his feet. Popo is on him like flypaper, not allowing Richman to get up. Popo has one hook in on the seated Richman. Popo loses the hook, but manages to get Richman onto his back. Popo turns into full mount briefly. Richman rolls, and Popo takes his back. Popo has the body triangle, and almost three minutes to work for the choke. Richman is trying to use the cage to get a better position, but he's stuck in no-man's land. Two minutes left. Richman got his upper body free for a moment, but Popo's figure-four held tight. One minute left, Popo still working for the choke, and landing the occasional left and right. I am shocked Herb Dean hasn't told Popo to work, despite being 2 seconds away from a finish for half of a round. If he could, he'd have shown five red-cards by now. The round ends. 10-8 Popo
ROUND TWO: Richman comes forward, and lands a couple left hands. He's found his range. Popo dives for a leg, but Richman shucks him off. About that 10-8, Popo outlanded Richman 29-1 in the first round, and had his back for more than three minutes. Bezerra works the jab to set up a double, but Richman evaded it rather handily. Richman is landing the jab as well. Richman is landing the straight left as well, to the body as well as the head. nice 1-2 by Richman. Popo's mouth is showing a lot of redness. Richman's being very patient, content to box and throw the occasional kick. Richman continuing to box. Popo's blood is from the nose, not the mouth. Popo's head got snapped back hard by a stiff jab. Richman with another top-shelf 1-2. Popo has no head movement whatsoever. He's an easy target. Richman's ringing the bell every time he throws a punch. Popo eats a hard counter right after missing an uppercut. Popo has totally given up on the takedowns, and it's going to cost him. Popo's taking a ton of damage here. Popo's landing somewhat, but nothing like Richman is. 10-9 Richman. 19-18 Popo
ROUND THREE: The third round picks up where the second left off, with Richman landing darn near every punch he throws, and Popo seemingly content to piss away the fight in an attempt to stand-and-bang. Popo ducks under the zillionth Richman jab and lands a double with three and a half minutes left. about time. Popo passes to side-control. Richman turns, so Popo spins to side control on the other side of Richman. Richman tries to power up, but Popo presses him back down. So smooth. Popo is smothering Richman from side-control, and landing enough short lefts to the cranium to keep Herb Dean at bay. Richman attempts to get back up, but gives up his back in the process, and Popo has the figure-four again. Popo almost had the choke in, but lost it. Popo wiggles around to improve position, but allows Richman to turn. Now it's Richman on top in full guard. Richman walks away, and Herb Dean forces Popo to stand. 1 minute left. Richman working the body. Pop is looking for the clock, his hands are low, and he's slowing down. Richman is landing bombs, but not in succession. He's scared of the late takedown. Landing one shot then pulling back. Big left. Richman ends the fight landing another left. This is a damn hard round to score, but... 10-9 Richman. 28-28
WINNER: (***-) Mike Richman by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a really good fight, but nothing epic. When they stood, Richman dominated. When they were down, Popo maintained position and was always one Richman mistake away from a finish. Richman was landing one punch at a time any time he wanted, but he was wise enough to not get reckless. Richman was always conscious of the takedown threat, which kept him from really opening up, which kept the fight from potentially being great. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing it again, and I will re-watch as soon as the show goes off the air. For what it's worth, Jimmy Smith gave it to Richman 29-28. had I gone 10-9 in the first, I would've had it 29-28 too. I rule.
FIGHT TWO: BRETT COOPER VS. DAN CRAMER (MIDDLEWEIGHT SEMIFINAL)
- Dan Cramer has a notable 5 inch reach advantage over Cooper.
ROUND ONE: We must be in California, because john McCarthy is in the cage, and John McCarthy doesn't go to freaking New Mexico! Cramer drops Cooper with a right hook and drops into guard. Cramer didn't seem to hit him hard, but shots behind the ears can drop a guy. Cooper is defending well, and seems to be fine. Cramer is in half-guard, and jumped back into guard in an attempt to keep Cooper flat. Cramer likes his posture better now and steps back into half-guard. Make that side control. Knee to the body from Cramer. Cooper struggling to get to the cage so he can wall-walk. Cramer goes to north south, Cooper rolls to his back, and Cramer spins to take his back. Cramer has the back, and a figure-four body lock. Cramer is trying to flatten Cooper out. Two minutes remain. Cramer rolls to his back now, and still has a body lock on Cooper. Cramer isn't doing much, but it's not like anyone but Herb Dean would tell him to work or anything. Cooper is throwing back elbows wherever possible. Cooper explodes out, but Cramer was ready and gets mount. Cooper explodes back and rolls into top position. Well done by Cooper. Unfortunately for Cooper, the bell sounds. 10-9 Cramer
ROUND TWO: Cooper shoots immediately and presses Cramer into the cage. Cooper is dropping really low, but Cramer's doing all he can to avoid the takedown. Fun! Worst. Band Ever. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, maintaining journalistic integrity during a dull fight. Cramer gets off the cage, and lands two knees from a Thai plumb. Cooper gets Cramer back into the cage once again. Cooper drops to his knees to get the take down. Cramer darn near does the splits to avoid being taken down. That's a wide base. He has a broader base than Reagan in 1984. Cooper is on both knees trying to get the takedown. OK, let's get Herb Dean in there to restart this crap. Cramer tries to turn, but gets pushed back, and Big john restarts them in the middle. Cramer lands a big right hand, yay! and presses Cooper back into the cage, oh for the love of God. CRamer gets the plumb and lands more knees. Cooper grabs a body lock and reverses. Cooper on both knees trying again to fail to entertain even one human being. Cramer turns, grabs another plumb, and lands three knees. Cooper lands an uppercut counter. Cramer's eyelid is cut open. another knee, and they separate. Cramer with a big left hand. Cramer with yet another left hand. Cramer gets too close and winds up against the fence. 10-9 Cramer. 20-18 Cramer Cooper controlled the clock, but, you know, the output just wasn't there.
ROUND THREE: Cooper needs a finish, and Cramer has a cut on his eyelid. Cramer lands a flurry of punches and goes back to the Thai plumb again. Cooper walks into a big straight left hand. Cramer's boxing is much improved. Cooper presses Cramer into the fence, but Cramer turns and disengages. Both guys are willing to press forward. Cramer walks Cooper back to the cage, but Cooper spins off the cage and grabs a body lock. Cramer disengages. In case it sounds like a whole lot of action signifying nothing, well, yeah. Cooper gets a body lock, bug right hand, and takedown. Half-guard for Cooper. Cramer gets back up without taking much damage. Cramer and Cooper engage in a flurry of punches into the air in front of their respective opponents' heads. Cooper land a big shot on Cramer. Right uppercut. He's trying to brawl. Another uppercut just misses. But the right cross lands, and Cramer bounces off the cage, his legs are shot! Another right cross and Cramer falls on his face. McCarthy stops the fight, and Cooper gets a huge comeback victory. It was bowling shoe ugly, but a really fin round 3.
WINNER: Brett Cooper by KO at 3:19 round 3.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) Until the last minute, that was a fight only a mother could love. And not your normal mother, but the 42 year old mother who tried for like 10 years to conceive mother. But the last minute was really fun and dramatic. The fight wasn't bad, Cramer really was effective in the clinch throughout the fight. Cooper's comeback was just a ton of fun.
- Cooper had an emotional breakdown after his hand was raised, sobbing like he just found out he won a semi-final tournament fight against Dan Cramer. OK, it was much more intense and sobbing than that.
- After the commercial, Bellator brings back Sweet Submissions. AKA, Skinemax Light. Pass.
FIGHT THREE: DOUG MARSHALL VS. SULTAN ALIEV (MIDDLEWEIGHT SEMIFINAL)
ROUND ONE: Herb Dean is the referee for this fight. That should bode well if Aliev dates to use his sambo to get the fight down. What's that you say? The horse is dead already? OK, OK, I'll kill the bit. Aliev shoots a double behind a jab and presses Marshall into the fance. Marshall grabs the fence to avoid one trip, but after he lets go, Aliev gets the trip. Of course, Dean didn't call rhino out for holding the fence, because that grab kept the fight standing. Whoops, sorry. Old habits die hard. Anyhoooo, Aliev is in guard, trying to stack Marshall against the fence. Aliev is doing jsut enough to keep the ref off his back. Aliev passes to half-guard, and lands some hammerfists. Marshall gets back to guard. Marhall to his feet, but pressed against the cage. Aliev landed 22 strikes on the ground, per Bellator stats. Zero for Marshall. Marshall with a nice knee to the gut, but Aliev tripped Marshall back down with 90 seconds on the clock. Aliev is landing with right hands. They aren't huge rights, but he's got a wide-open lane to keep landing them. Marshall scrambles to get out of that position, but Aliev traps Marshall and winds up in Marshall's open guard. Dean stands them up with ten seconds left. Rhino throws a huge punch, but Aliev ducked under, lifted Marshall up, and planted him at the bell. 10-9 Aliev
ROUND TWO: Rhino didn't land one strike in the round. Rhino hurts Aliev with a left head kick, but Aliev staved Marshall off. Marshall punched himself in the face, which drew a smile from Aliev. Aliev gets a takedown, and is inside Rhino's guard in the middle of the cage. Herb Dean stands them up after a minute or so. Aliev with a couple soft jabs to try to keep Mrshall off of him. Marshall loads up a left hook, giving Aliev about 3 seconds of time to evade. Which he did. Aliev's jab has been very effective. It's not hurting Marshall, but keeping Marshall away. Marshall begins to throw a kick, which of course gets him taken down. Marshall back up right away, though. Marshall walks Aliev into the cage and lands a nice right to the body. The round ends with the fighters clinching on the fence. 10-9, 20-18 Aliev
ROUND THREE: Round 2 could've gone to Marshall. Round 3 begins with Aliev continuing to stalk Aliev, who is more than willing to back off whenever Marshall comes forward. Aliev continues to jab and run, like an underskilled Lyoto Machida. Marshall walks straight forward and lands a left hook. Aliev must be tiring, because that hook was telescoped. Aliev grabs Marshall coming forward and takes his back. Marshall on all-fours against the cage with Aliev riding his back with one hook in. Aliev pulled rhino off the fence long enough to get his second hook in. Marshall times it well and turns out. Marshall back to his feet. Very nice timing and technique by Marshall. Aliev commends Marshall by shooting a double and ressing Marshall into the fence. Marshall begs Herb Dean for a restart at the exact moment Aliev takes him down. Rhino continues to ask Herb Dean to do Rhino's job for him. Dean would've stood em up but for the begging. The standup comes, but 30 seconds later. Marshall chasing Aliev, who is on his bike like Lance Armstrong on a downhill. Aliev takes Marshall down, and Marshall responds by constantly slugging the back of Aliev's head. Apparently Herb Dean is bored, because he didn't call any of that. Dean does stand them up. Flying knee attempt by Marshall with 5 seconds left missed as Aliev flopped to his back to avoid it. Rhino throws a gigantic elbow to Aliev's head as the bell sounds. 10-9 Aliev, 30-27 Aliev
WINNER: Doug Marshall by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (*) Awful. Aliev outlanded Marshall 77-26, and had 8 takedowns. That said, he ran and flopped, and was just awful. Marshall lost that fight, and this is clearly the worst decision of the year. Aliev got screwed by judges who scored for the guy they like as opposed to the guy who actually won the fight. It doesn't matter that when Aliev wasn't being effective he was flopping and running. His style is ugly as hell, but he won the action.
FIGHT FOUR: MARLON SANDRO VS. MAGOMEDRASUL "FRODO" KHASBULAEV (FEATHERWEIGHT SEMIFINAL)
ROUND ONE: John McCarthy draws the main event. The winner of this fight gets to face Mike Richman in the finals. No action for 45 sconds until both fighters land simultaneous hooks. Body kick by Frodo. Frodo and Sandro clinch, where Frodo eats a knee to the cup. Frodo is screaming in agony on his stomach, writhing around in agony, unable to get up. McCarthy is telling him to "shake it off." Frodo has five minutes, but might not realize that as he's moaning in pain while trying to get up. McCarthy's doing a decent job working wiht Frodo's corner to make sure the language barrier doesn't cause too much confusion. Frodo's been trying to walk it off for a few minutes now. McCarthy does not take a point, and we're back 4 minutes later. Side kick from Frodo. There's 3:30 left in the round, by the way. Frodo trips Sandro down with a nice outside trip. Sandro looking for a straight armbat but lost it. Frodo has Sandro's arm, but lost it and Sandro gets back up. Frodo with a nice head kick and a right hand. Sandro complains that he got poked in the eye. Sure he did, he got kicked in the face. Sandro grabs Frodo and trips him down, but Frodo has an armbar. This is close, but Sandro stepped over and tolled out, now Sandro is on top in guard. High level stuff there from both guys. Sandro plays around in Frodo's guard for a minute and a half, but lost position when Frodo grabbed a kimura sleep. This is really deep. Sandro escaped? Wow! Frodo is on top in a near mount, pounding away with hammer fists. I can't believe Sandro got out of both of those arm locks. Sandro was slow to get up. 10-9 Frodo GREAT round!
ROUND TWO: Frodo outstruck Sandro by a 3.5:1 margin, per Bellator stats. Frodo gets dropped while throwing a body kick. More of a slip than anything, as Frodo is right back up. Frodo lands a nice kick and presses Sandro into the fence. Sandro is going for the back of Frodo, but Frodo gets him up in a fireman's carry and drops Sandro. Frodo on top, near the cage. Sandro wiggles free and gets himself in top, in half-guard. Sandro's working for an arm triangle, which forces Frodo to give up his back. Sandro rolls him back, but Frodo explodes out. My god the submission attempts in this fight. Frodo with a big left hand a a right, then gets a trip takedown and lands in closed guard. Frodo is stacking Sandro in the middle of the cage, and lands a big left to Sandro's chin. Frodo unloads with a couple right hammerfists. Frodo dives down and gets to half-guard. Now Frodo is looking for an arm-triangle choke from half-guard of his own. Fordo transitions, looking for the straight armbar, but it's not there. Sandro is trying to drive Frodo into the cage, but gives up his back in the process. The round ends with Sandro turtled up, eating punches. 10-9 Frodo. 20-18 Frodo.
ROUND THREE: Sandro didn't get off the stool, and McCarthy called time before the start of the round. he finally gets up, and we're under way. Touch of gloves, and then Frodo throws an immediate left hook and gets a takedown. Cheap. Frodo has half-guard, and is close to mount, but the cage isn't letting him move. He gets side-control, and moves to north south position. Sandro gets back to half-guard. Frodo is pounnding away on Sandro's forehead whilst holding top control. Frodo stepped over looking for a crucifix, but his leg is stuck now. Frodo is really unloading with hammerifsts. Sandro rolls into Frodo, who transitions to punches from hammerfists. Sandro trying to get to his feet, but gives up his back in the process. Body lock from behind from Frodo. Frodo rammed Sandro into the cage face first. And again. Sandro is down, and Frodo is relentlessly pounding away. McCarthy has seen enough, and stops the fight. Sandro's will was broken. There wasn't one kill-shot, but Sandro is done. He can't hand anymore, and hopefully Sam Caplan realizes that.
WINNER: Magmoedrasul Khasbulaev by TKO at 2:38 of round 3
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (***-) That started out as a great fight, but became almost painful to watch the relentless beating Marlon Sandro took. Frodo vs. Richman could be fantastic.
- This was the best Bellator show in weeks, despite the sad performance of Sultan Aliev. It's damned funny that he was so poor, yet when it was announced that he lost it was hands-down the robbery of the year. Anyhow, the first and last fights were really good fights, and the featherweight final between Frodo and Richman could really rock the casbah.
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