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BELLATOR 22 RESULTS: Penick's tape delayed report of welterweight tournament finals
Jun 18, 2010 - 12:12:21 AM BELLATOR 22 RESULTS: Penick's tape delayed report of welterweight tournament finals

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

We are on delay yet again tonight, but the event is finally broadcasting here on FSN North. Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith introduce the broadcast in the open air venue of the Kansas City Power & Light District. The run down the action expected for tonight's broadcast before running to the first commercial break of the night.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT ONE: DEMETRIUS RICHARDS VS. RAPHAEL DAVIS (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Davis came forward early, and after avoiding a couple of early punches shot in and got a takedown. Richards tried to buck him off but Davis got his back. He landed a few punches and tried to flatten Richards. Davis went to a couple of short elbows to the side of the head. Richards again tries to scramble and buck Davis off but Davis stays on him and continues to land short punches. Davis continued to look for spots to throw punches, but was wary of throwing as he was getting warned for shots to the back of the head. He lands some big knees to Richards as he let him scramble. He got back on top against the cage and threw a few more punches and Richards tapped the mat because of the strikes.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Davis via submission (strikes) at 2:51 of the first round.

STAR RATING: (**-) Smothering and one sided performance out of Davis. It was a nice win, but Richards presented nothing in the way of a challenge once the fight hit the mat, and Davis was simply trying to find a spot where he could throw a punch and not get yelled at for a "back of the head" shot.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT TWO: JOSE VEGA VS. JARROD CARD (140 LB. CATCHWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Vega lands an early leg kick and Card tries to push back. Vega comes in with more and presses Card to the cage. He lands a huge left hook and Card drops cold. Vega gets in a few more punches before the ref can get to him to stop the fight. Quick and very impressive finish by Vega. That was quick.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Vega via KO at :39 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent one punch KO for Bellator's highlight reel, and Vega may have earned himself a spot in the season three Bellator bantamweight tournament. That was a quick and vicious left hook for that KO, and it hit Card right on the button. Not many people would take that shot and keep moving.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT THREE: DAN HORNBUCKLE VS. BEN ASKREN (WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT FINAL)

ROUND ONE: Askren comes out and shoots almost immediately. He gets stuck on the ankle of Hornbuckle, but Dan cannot get loose and a relentless Askren throws him to the canvas. Nice. Hornbuckle scrambles but Askren gets right back to his ankle and pulls him down again. Hornbuckle tries to grab an arm from the bottom but Askren moved to the back and landed a few punches. He got in some vicious knees to the body and leg as Hornbuckle was on his knees. Askren continued to throw knees and Hornbuckle tried to scramble again. He got back to guard and Askren started landing some big punches from the top. He's looking very good here thus far. Hornbuckle again threw his legs up but Askren used it to pass to side control. Hornbuckle tried to turn over and Askren stayed on him. He went back to the knees to the body and then he tried to get the hooks in and take Hornbuckle's back. Hornbuckle got to his feet but Askren pulled him down and managed to spin out and get to the mount after a slight struggle from Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle grabbed Askren's wrists, but Askren was able to unleash a number of punches before Hornbuckle bucked him off. Askren was on his back, but he exploded into a single leg and got the takedown. Hornbuckle tried to grab for a submission attempt and Askren landed some hard punches from the top before the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Askren. Excellent first round for Askren. He's really impressing here. I think I sold him well short heading into this one.

[Commercial Break]

ROUND TWO: Hornbuckle landed a nice left early, but Askren came right at him and got another takedown. He moved to half guard and then busted out into the mount. He postured up and landed a few shots. Hornbuckle pulled off a nice reversal and got into top position himself, but Askren managed to break out and get top control again. He got to the back side control on Hornbuckle again and landed some elbows to the ribs. Hornbuckle rolled to his back and Askren stayed on him. Hornbuckle rolled again as Askren landed punches and elbows. Hornbuckle tried to explode up and finally got back to his feet. Askren shot again and got Hornbuckle down. Hornbuckle landed a nice upkick. He nearly got a triangle locked in as Askren dropped down, but Askren spun out and got in a head scissors to Hornbuckle before transitioning to side control. Askren stayed on Hornbuckle as he turned and he landed some punches and kept Hornbuckle on the ground. Askren pulled off a nice move to get a hook in and he continued to land short punches as he kept a dominant position. He landed some more punches to the side of the head and Hornbuckle got it back to his guard as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Askren. He is dominating this fight, completely controlling where it's going right now. I wasn't expecting him to be this successful with his wrestling, and he's definitely proving a lot of people, myself included, wrong tonight.

[Commercial Break]

ROUND THREE: Hornbuckle threw an early kick but Askren avoided much of the damage. Askren picked a beautiful spot to shoot and got another takedown. He landed a couple of punches in the guard as he tried to posture up. Hornbuckle tried to throw a few from the bottom. Hornbuckle almost scrambled out and Askren pushed him right to his back again. Hornbuckle continued to stay active, and he grabbed for a kimura and used it to sweep into top control. He tried to grab Askren's back but Askren scrambled and wound up on top in Hornbuckle's half guard. Askren continued to stay on Hornbuckle with punches to the body as he got on his back. Hornbuckle stayed turtled as Askren was on his back. Askren landed some short punches in this position and kept Hornbuckle on the ground as he tried to scramble up again. Hornbuckle rolled to his back but Askren kept a body lock and briefly got side control before Hornbuckle turtled again. Hornbuckle's going to survive to the bell, but Askren stayed on him throughout the round and the fight and he'll take a clear decision here.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Askren. Unbelievable showing of control in this fight. He was relentless early with his takedowns and just completely dominated in the control department. Very good stuff from Askren, and he may just become a force in this sport as he continues to improve. Excellent showing from Askren.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Askren via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (***+) That was an excellent display of wrestling from Askren, and a highly impressive win in the tournament final. Askren's the real deal, that's for sure, and I absolutely sold him short coming into this fight. He very much proved people wrong with this one.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT FOUR: STEPHANIE FRAUSTO VS. LISA WARD (WOMEN'S 115 LB. BOUT)

PRE FIGHT: Frausto is the younger sister of multi-time Strikeforce women's fighter Zoila Frausto. Ward is expected to take part in the Bellator season three women's tournament, and this may be a feature fight for her.

ROUND ONE: Ward comes straight forward and Frausto tried to land a couple of early kicks. Ward got in with a couple of punches and then she shot in and got a takedown into Frausto's guard. Ward postured up and landed a couple of big shots before passing to side control. She got to the full mount, Frausto gave up her back and Ward took it and tried to lock on the rear naked choke. Frausto fought it off for a bit. Ward then found an opening and got the choke locked on. Frausto would not tap and Ward choked her out cold. Nice submission and a dominant showcase win to introduce her to Bellator fans before she takes part in the season three tournament.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Ward via technical submission at 2:01 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**+) This was a very good performance out of Ward and she'll look to impress even further in the women's tournament during season three. Frausto was simply overmatched in this one.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT FIVE: BRIAN GREEN VS. RUDY BEARS (180 LB. CATCHWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Green tried to walk Bears down early, but Bears pushed him back with a nice combination. He threw a couple of kicks and moved out of the way. He got in with a nice kick and pressed Green off him again. Green got in with a nice straight right. Bears landed a nice leg kick and pressed in again, landing a good high kick. Bears got in with a nice combination and then backed off. Bears tripped him up with a leg kick but Green recovered and got to his feet. Bears hopped around the outside and countered with a combo as Green tried to engage. Green rocked Bears with a big shot and grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a couple of knees but Bears comes right back and knocks him down with a huge combination! He jumps on him and unleashes a ton of punches before Green gave up his back. He locked on a quick rear naked choke and forced the submission. Nice fight.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Bears via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:29 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**+) That was an exciting scrap with a great finish. Green slightly rocked Bears and then the Missouri native came right back and finished him off with a great assault before locking on the choke. Very nice feature fight.

-That's another Bellator event in the books. Thanks for bearing with us on the delayed coverage tonight; we're at the mercy of the FSN broadcast schedule! But it was another very good Bellator event with a few highlight reel finishes and an excellent performance out of Ben Askren to win the season two welterweight tournament. Bellator's second season finishes up next Thursday, so check back with us next week for what will hopefully be live coverage of the event!