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By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist
BELLATOR 97
SEPTEMBER 7, 2013
LIVE FROM UNCASVILLE< CT
Welcome to the opening night of MMA Torch coverage of the ninth season of Bellator MMA. This is the place to be for live coverage every Friday night as Bellator begins to create new tournament winners and potential future champions. Tonight's show will be headlined by a middleweight title fight, as champion Alexander Shlemenko puts his championship on the line against Brett Cooper.
FIGHT ONE: PATRICKY PITBULL FRIERE VS. DEREK ANDERSON (LIGHTWEIGHTS)
ROUND ONE: Keith Peterson is the referee for the opening fight of the Spike TV broadcast. Five seconds in and Pitbull drops Anderson with a quick flash KO, but Anderson pops back up. Pitbull lands a couple wild hooks that hurt Anderson, and Pitbull puts Anderson's back onto the fence. Anderson muscles off the cage, and we're back to the middle of the cage. Anderson isn't moving his head, has no footwork, and is keeping his hands at nipple level. this won't end well. Pitbull lands a right hook to the jaw. Pitbull with a hard punch to the body. Leg kick from Friere. The pace has slowed greatly. Anderson is starting to land with front kicks. Pitbull responds with a way too simple double leg takedown. Full mount for Pitbull. Anderson trying to get out the backdoor, but he went 0 for 2 on those attempts. Pitbull dives for an armbar and didn't get it. Nice scramble has Pitbull on his back, but he's got a triangle working here. It's not all the way in, but that was a nice transition. Anderson slammed his way out, but he almost lost his arm in the process. Anderosn on top in full guard. Nothing happens, and the round ends standing. 10-9 Friere
ROUND TWO: Anderson slips on a head kick, and Pitbull dives into Anderson's open guard. Anderson uses the cage to get back up, only to get planted. As Anderson gets back up he eats a new to the body before Pitbull backs out. Anderson walks Pitbull into the cage, but isn't doing a lot once he gets Patricky onto the fence. Nice left hook from Pitbull, and another. Man, neither of these guys are moving their heads or their feet. Entertaining fight, but really loe level as well. They fight for 20 seconds, then stop for 2 minutes. Weird. Anderson lands a nice combination which backs Pitbull up, but Pitbull circles away. Anderson walks him down again, but Pitbull steps forward with a nice combination. Anderson is landing more frequently than at any other point in the point. Pitbull is intent on circling, and eats a head kick when he moves to his right. Pitbull is running like Brandon Vera a week ago - not a compliment. Pitbull shoots, gets stuffed, and flops to his back like Thales Leites against Anderson Silva - again, not a compliment. New rule: If you flop to your back, you can't have a nickname like 'Pitbull.' Maybe Poodle. Poodle blocks a head kick to end the round. 10-9 Anderson. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Anderson is able to back Poodle into the cage, but then all he does is lands a couple of soft punches before letting Poodle scamper out of danger. This is jaw-droppingly bad stuff from Friere. Nice stiff jab from Poodle. Friere retreats again, eats three punches and a head kick. Someone call the ASPCA! Anderso is continually coming forward, and only rarely getting any resistance. Spinning back kick from Anderson lands to the jaw of Poodle Friere. Poodle shoots and gets shrugged off. Somewhere Ben Askren is laughing. Then again, so am I. Head kick from Anderson, partially blocked. Poodle is starting to swell up around the eyes. Someone call the ASPCA, POODLE ABUSE! Let's be clear here, Anderson looks like a run of the mill regional fighter, and he's winning this fight. Pitbull grabs a body lock as the round ends. Mercifully. 29-28 Anderson
WINNER: Derek Anderson by decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (*) That was horrible. The next time anyone tells me Poodle Friere is a top 100 lightweight I'm going to snap them off at the ankles. Friere fought scared and showed none of the skills necessary to fight at this high of a level. Anderson was more mechanical than Terminator (the first Terminator, not the one that turned into liquid metal and stuff).
FIGHT TWO: JEREMY KIMBALL VS. PERRY FILKINS (MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS)
- Perry Filkins video features him telling the world how much he likes to pinch nipples. Interesting. But his own? Yeah, I think I'm going to apply to be the newest TUF correspondent. Can't be worse than this gig.
- Kimball has one of those Amish beards going. who thinks that's attractive? GET A HAIRCUT, HIPPY!
ROUND ONE: Todd Anderson is the referee.Lots of leg kicks in the early going, from both fighters. Filkins is just kind of taking it right now, not respecting Kimball yet. Kimball is pressing forward, throwing kicks from many different angles. Fun stuff to watch. Filkins has done exactly nothing so far. I hope his nipples don't get bruised from a Kimball snap kick. That would be tragic. Filkins lands a nice left hand, but eats a counter on the way out. Kimball briefly gets a takedown. Filkins gets back up, and eventually gets Kimball off of his back. Filkins is getting frustrated, taunting Kimball despite not actually doing anything yet. Kimball responds with a takedown. Filkins gets up and sheds Kimball off of his back. Kimball lands a couple simple leg kicks and circles out. Filkins lands oe of his own. Filkins can't find his range, and is trying to taunt Kimball into fighting without technique. So even Filkins thinks he isn't any good at fighting against someone who knows what he's doing. Kimball with another ineffectual takedown. Filkins back up. Filkins charges in, but gets taken down at the end of the round. That takedown negates anything that a judge might have liked. 10-9 Kimball Filkins has shown nothing so far.
ROUND TWO: Every time Filkins eats a strike to the face he taunts Kimball, like he's Nick Diaz or something. Earth to Perry Filkins - you an't Nick Diaz, so sit down. Kimball presses Filkins into the fence so he can land some foot steps. Filkins has been warned three times now to not grab the fence. Apparently point deductions are only in the rules to fill pages. Filkins reverses and gets the takedown next to the fence. Wide open guard, so Filkins shoulder strikes his way to half-guard. Kimball reverses and gets to his feet. Filkins is still down and Kimball is on his back, landing knees. Filkins switches and picks up Kimball. Five seconds later he slams Kimball to the canvas. That was a really fun exchange. Filkins holds Kimball's ankles for ten seconds before diving into guard. This round is much slower than the first. Credit Kimball for not baiting Filkins into fighting an exciting style like Filkins did, even though Filkins is not actually, you know, fighting or moving. Filkin goes to feet and dives in with a 360 degree back fist that hit absolutely nothing. This is shit you don't see at the lowest of regional shows. Kimball shoots, gets stuffed, gives up his back, and Filkins gets back mount. Filkins is pounding away for the last fifteen seconds until the bell rings. 19-19 That was much more entertaining than round one, and much MUCH lower level MMA. Like literally the worst technical round I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of regional MMA.
ROUND THREE: Kimball with a nice 7-feint combination, that does absolutely nothing for nobody. Kimball has either missed 30 punches in the first minute, or thrown 30 feints. Sot ankle kick from Kimball. What in the hell is this? Filkins is coming forward, and lands a few strikes of his own. Filkins is a harder dude, that much is for sure. Kimball shoots, gets stuffed, and filkins takes down the tired Kimball. Open guard. Nice wrist control from Kimball. Filkins is burying his head into Kimball's chest in an effort to keep Kimball still, but then he isn't actually throwing anything of his own. Whatever. Kimball dives for a leg, but that blew up in his face as he allowed Filkins to pass to side mount. Filkins has his back now, with both hooks in. Filkins has a minute to get the rear naked choke, but has to contend with the fence. Kimball turns out, but Filkins stays with him and gets mount. Kimball gives up his back, and Filkins gets the tap. Filkins celebrates by lactating.
WINNER: Perry Filkins by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:18 of round three.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (*) If Sam Caplan thinks that Filkins and Kimball are two of the eight best available middleweights in the world, then I don't know, man.
FIGHT THREE: JUSTIN TORREY VS. BRENNAN WARD (MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS)
- Torrey hasn't fought since 2010. He's three fights away from being in a title fight. Torrey and Ward are former sparring partners who apparently have a big stockpile of bad blood. Should make for a low level slobberknocker good fight.
ROUND ONE: Todd Anderson is the third man in the cage. Ward with a nice head and arm throw to get top position on torrey. Ward gets warned for sticking his fingers in the cage. Ward trying to stack Torrey up, and does get off a nice left hand. Ward with a big right that gets his homestate fans screaming their approval. Ward postures up and goes for a heel hook. He's rolling, but isn't going to get it. Torrey's on top now, and shows that his eye is shutting fast from the earlier onslaught by Ward. Torrey on top in full guard in the middle of the cage. Torrey is trying to go body-body-head, but can't get to the head. Torrey trying to stack Ward up now, but sees an opportunity to get to side control and he takes it. Torrey looks for an arm, but can't latch on. Torrey is still thinking about the arm. Torrey Steps over into mount, finally, and unleashes a barrage of ground and pound for twenty seconds. The bell rings. 10-9 Torrey Would've went Ward until Torrey got mount. Torrey did nothing until that point.
ROUND TWO: The round starts late as the cageside physician is closely examining Torrey's left eye. It is 100% shut and he cannot see out of it. The doctor lets the fight continue, and warns Torry that he has to protect himself. Um, isn't, you know, the REFEREE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE FIGHTER? Jesus H Tapdancing Christ Monketyballs. Ward with another nice head and arm throw and winds up on top. Ward is targeting the eye of Torrey, which is a a total mess. more hugging than at a family reunion, but that was still enough to get the blood to flow. Ward is getting aggressive in targeting the eye, which allows the soon to be blind Torrey to stand up. Ward is targeting the eye and he's found it. Torrey is defenseless, and Todd Anderson is clearly a satanist. Dozens of elbows from Ward, and the fight is stopped. Todd Anderson is a sadist.
WINNER: Derek Ward by TKO at 3:28 of round two.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (0) The star rating is solely due to the fact that a sadist like Todd Anderson is allowed to referee fights. That fight should never, NEVER have been allowed to get into the second. and Ward wisely targeted the eye, no shame there. It was Todd Anderson's job to protect a fighter who wasn't willing to protect himself, and he chose to play Count the Elbows instead. Absolutely shameful.
FIGHT FOUR: JASON BUTCHER VS. GIVA SANTANA (MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS)
ROUND ONE: Kevin MacDonald is the referee for this fight. Can't be any worse, right? Butcher comes out swinging, taking advantage of his lanky frame. That doesn't stop Santana from getting the takkedown to side control, though. North south position here, looking for an arm. Butcher is pulling out all his tricks trying to defend. Back to side control. Butcher does well, getting one leg in there to get a half-guard. Butcher is starting to think about a kimura, if just to make Santana slow down. He lost it after a long struggle, and lost the half-guard as well, so Santana is in side control. Butcher is defending well, as it's not like "The Arm Collector" doesn't know how to snatch an arm, no? 1:45 left. Santana hasn't thrown one strike, and wait, full mount. Here come some strikes. He's looking for an arm triangle. Butcher is defending admirably, but the choke is tight. Santana gives it up by stepping to mount. Santana goes from mount to an armbar, but Butcher pulled his arm back and got on top. 10-9 Santana That score is entirely based on positioning and submission attempts, as the first round was a no-gi BJJ fight. We happy!
ROUND TWO: Santana shoots and gets stuffed, Butcher forces Santana to stand. Butcher is good on the mat, but he learned his place in the first round. Santana throws the world's slowest right hook and eats a big right of his own. Santanatakes forever to get his feet back and Butcher starts landing. Four punches drop Santana, six more on the mat, and this fight is over. Todd Anderson has just put a contract out for Kevin MacDonald, because NO SELF-RESPECTING REFEREE STOPS A FIGHT UNTIL SOMEONE IS DEAD!
WINNER: Jason Butcher by TKO at 1:12 of round 2.
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) the first round was very fun, at least to me. Butcher's TKO in the second wasn't entirely surprising. Once he swallowed his pride and made damn sure to stay on the feet, Santana had no path to victory. I enjoyed this fight, but I won't remember anything about it come the end of this sentence. Hey, look, Bellator is on TV! I'd better start writing about it!
- Giva Santana announced his retirement.
FIGHT FIVE: MIKKEL PARLO VS. BRIAN ROGERS (MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS)
_ Parlo is Danish, as are my wife's ancestors. Rogers is from OH, where my dad was born. Who's a writer to cheer for?
ROUND ONE: Parlo drops Rogers with a short left. Parlo is unable to capitalize, but is able to press Rogers into the fence. Parlo has a body lock on the larger Rogers. Rogers gets his left arm free, and uses it to push apart. Rogers lands a loudy kick to the ribs while circling. Left hand from Rogers. Parlo responds with a double leg, but nothing comes of it. Big right from Parlo. Rogers' left eye is swelling up. Nice kick from Parlo. Parlo's jab is finding a home, and Rogers is starting to blink his right eye, which isn't the eye that's swollen. Rogers flicks out a couple of jabs. Rogers twice now has tried to grab a Thai plumb to land a knee, but Parlo has avoided both. Rogers is starting to slow down, predictably. Rogers lands a heavy right hand. Parlo comes in behind a hook to the ribs, and puts Rogers up against the fence again. Parlo throws Rogers to the mat, but Rogers sweeps and gets on top. Rogers goes back to his feet. Fun round. 10-9 Rogers
ROUND TWO: Rogers comes out with a good amount of energy early. PArlo grabs the Thai clinch and lands a knee. Rogers works the body and forces Parlo to back away. Rogers eats a strong right hand and he's wobbly. Parlo gets Rogers down and gets half-guard. Parlo's working the ground and pound from side mount. Rogers has nowhere to go at the moment because his left side is on the cage. Full mount. Well done by the Dane. Rogers tries to escape by giving up his back, and then rolls back to his back. Good effort by Rogers to get to half-guard. Strong and consistent ground and pound. Parlo postures up and dives back in behind a fist. Half-guard again. MacDonals warns Parlo not to throw elbows, as they are illegal in this tournament's first two rounds. Didn't stop Todd Anderson earlier, but whatever. Parlo isn't trying to finish with any of these shots, but he's really chewing up Rogers. Knee to the ribs, that can't feel good. PArlo's throwing everything, forcing Rogers to play defense and not look fr an escape. 19-19
ROUND THREE: Parlo is able to get the takedown in the middle of the cage after a minute of action where Parlo landed plenty, Rogers missed plenty. Parlo is certainly active from the top. He might not be looking to finish, but when he throws he throws hard. And passes to side control. He's looking for a crucifix. Nope, Rogers is too sweaty. Parlo gets caught in a wide open half-guard, but he's still thinking about the crucifix. Parlo's doing a good job staying heavy. Big left hands and a knee to the body. Two minutes. Parlo stands, and takes Rogers' back as Rogers stands. Rogers turns and is now pressed up against the fence with 1:15 remaining. Rogers turns, but gets turned back. Rogers will need a finish to advance. Parlo scoops up Rogers and puts him on his back. The ground and pound gets heavier with 20 seconds left. BIG knee to the ribs. Rogers gets to a three point stance and as soon as he lifts his hand Parlo sends him sprawling to the canvas with a gigantic knee. Rogers is done, but Macdonald lets some of his brain cells gets murdered so that Rogers can have the ability to say he didn't get finished. To hell with these referees tonight. 10-8 Parlo 29-27 Parlo
WINNER: Mikkel Parlo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (**) A decent fight, not at all tedious. But MacDonald let that fight go on ten seconds too long, just so that Rogers could say he didn't get finished.
- The semifinals will take place on October 4. Butcher vs. Parlo could be fun, and the winner of that fight should win the tournament. Filkins vs. Ward is going to be really sloppy, but might be somewhat palatable if there's enough blood.
FIGHT TWO: ALEXANDER SHLEMENKO VS. BRETT COOPER (MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Big Dan is the referee for tonight's main event. Shlemenko catches a kick and trips Cooper, then tells Cooper to stand, just to send a message. No feeling out process tonight, they've fought and trained together before. They know what the other has here. Shlemenko landing probing strikes from many different angles so far. Shlemenko constantly on the move, looking for new striking angles. Spinning backfist from the Russian, and Cooper backs away. Cooper has not found his range so far, and is getting peppered as a result. Cooper shoots from a mile out, but lost his balance on the way in and get stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. Shlemenko feints a spin kick. Shlemenko walks straight forward and ate a straight left. Shlemenko is wobbly and hurt. Cooper let him off the hook. spinning backfist by the Russian. He's back to 100% now. Cooper showed too much respect for Shlemenko there. Shlemenko lands a nice 1-2 combination. Short uppercut by Cooper. 10-9 Shlemenko Cooper had the best moment, but Shlemenko won 4.5 minutes of that round.
ROUND TWO: Cooper comes out with more energy, landing the first strike of the round. Shlemenko lands a spinning backfist which made Cooper back up. Shlemenko's left eye is bloody. Cooper shoots from distance and gets Shlemenko down. Shelemenko getting back up, but keeps a hand down to avoid the knees.. Cooper throws knees to the thigh instead before disengaging. Cooper's confidence is sky high right now. Shlemenko's cut looks pretty bad. Shlemenko lands a big left hand as Cooper was pressing forward to heavy. short right from the Russian. Shlemenko misses with a head kick, and that kick had bad intentions. Nice overhand right from Shlemenko. Shlemenko lands a head kick, and Cooper is hurt. Shlemenko gets dropped by a right hook as he tries to finish. Shlemenko's in trouble now! Cooper's landing heavy punches. Shlemenko retreats and lets Big Dan know he's ok. The round ends with Cooper getting a takedown. 10-9 Cooper. 19-19 Shlemenko is in trouble.
- What a great fight so far.
ROUND THREE: After Shlemenko catches a kick early, the nest 45 seconds go by uneventfully. These guys are trading big shots up against the cage. Shlemenko backs out. Shlemenko lands a couple nice punches and a knee to the body before pressing Cooper into the cage. Shlemenko backs out. Shlemenko lands a nice three punch combination before missing a turn kick. Cooper lands a big right, which Shlemenko was fortunate to block with his forearms. Shlemenko presses forward and lands a left hook to the jaw. If he had more KO power, that would've been the beginning of the end. Nice boy kick by the Russian. Spinning backfist by Shlemenko. Cooper grabs a single and puts Shlemenko into the fence. Cooper gets up and then drops down way low for a double. That worked, and Shlemenko is down. Cooper has his back. Shlemenko is back ot his feet, and Cooper lets him go. Shlemenko with a right hook to the neck. 10-9 Shlemenko, and 29-28
ROUND FOUR: Shlemenko comes forward aggressively and drops Cooper with a big left. Cooper grabs on to Shlemenko as he crashes to the mat and avoids more damage. Cooper back to his feet and is wobbly as hell. Shlemenko is being very patient now. Shlemenko might be too patient right here, as all he's doing is chest to chesting Cooper. Back to the middle with 3:30 left in the fourth. Shlemenko is stalking Cooper now, and catches a kick. Cooper grounded himself and ate a knee to the body that would have been to the head had he not dropped to one knee. Shlemenko misses a spinning backfist like he's Leonard Garcia. Cooper shoots and gets stuffed badly. Nice uppercut and right hook from Cooper. Cooper lands a couple more strikes as well, but they were blocked by the Russian's forearms. Shlemenko presses forward with two big punches and gets Cooper on the fence. Cooper is trying to grapevine a leg, but there's nothing there. shlemenko backs off with just over one minute left. Shlemenko is really unleashing the power punches, forcing Cooper into yet another weak desperation double leg that gets stuffed. Shlemenko disengages. These guys are both gassing out, but not letting that stop them from swinging any time they can. 10-9 Shlemenko. 39-37 Cooper needs to finish, at least on my card.
- This is sloppy. And great.
ROUND FIVE: Touch of gloves before the bell, and we're off. Cooper lands an uppercut to the stomach and follows in with a single, but it's not there. Cooper comes in with a double, but it isn't there either. Left hook to the jaw by Shlemenko. And another left from the champion. Shlemenko grabs Cooper's head and they trade knees along the cage before letting go. Shlemenko catches a kick and lands a right hook that sends Cooper backpedaling awkwardly. Cooper shoots and gets stuffed. Cooper better be careful, because the guillotine is there every time. Straight left from Shlemenko after they separate. Spinning backfist. Big right hand. Two minutes left. Shlemenko takes Cooper down with a body lock takedown. No technique or muscle there, Cooper just fainted. Shlemenko lets him up with 100 seconds left. Cooper's bleeding from the nose. nice combination from Shlemenko, and then misses over the top with a head kick. Another body lock takedown. Cooper's shot like Old Yeller. Cooper gets back to his feet and has 50 seconds left. He's swinging and missing like a champ - not a compliment. Takedown from Shlemenko. Shlemenko postures up and dives back in with a big shot to the head. More up and down ground and pound, and Shlemenko is going to win this fight. 10-9 Shlemenko. 49-46 Shlemenko Shlemenko is a small Russian middlweweight. How about him dropping to fight Ben Askren at 170? USA! USA!
WINNER: Alexander Shlemenko by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
STAR RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS: (***-) Good fight. It's a shame they fatigued so badly. The judges probably gave rounds one and two to Cooper, as not even the blindest of judges could have given any of the last three rounds to him.
- So, that's it for Bellator 98. There was a lot to hate, but the nice thing about so much hateable stuff happening in Bellator-ville is that it all blends together and you forget about it quicker.
- I'm off next week, so Jamie Penick will be in charge. Expect more professionalism as a result. I know, I know. I'd miss me too if I were you. I'll be out all drinky, celebrating my 40th birthday.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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