Bellator 89 Fight Card
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at approximately 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with play-by-play and live
results of Bellator
89, which is headlined by four middleweight tournament
quarterfinal fights and a bantamweight title fight pitting champion
Eduardo
Dantas against challenger Marcos
Galvao.Check out the MMA
Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and
predictions below.
Round 1
Goodwin immediately dives for a single-leg, but Maldonado sprawls
out and digs right hands to the ribs as he grabs a front headlock
and pivots to take Goodwin’s back. Maldonado sinks one hook in and
follows suit with the other before Goodwin momentarily frees
himself. Despite losing his hooks, the Oklahoman fighter is still
riding tight on Goodwin’s back and touching his opponent with
punches and hammerfists. After Maldonado creates space to strike,
Goodwin tries another shot, but his foe meets him with another
sprawl and a guillotine attempt. After the failed attempt,
Maldonado stands and backs away, landing a body kick and a nice
knee before Goodwin finally hits the takedown he had been looking
for. Maldonado uses butterfly hooks to shuck him off and stands to
end the frame.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Round 2
Maldonado stuffs another try at a takedown, but Goodwin won’t stop
driving. Maldonado uses it against him, stepping over the top and
again taking Goodwin’s back. Maldonado fishes for a rear-naked
choke, but Goodwin pulls down on his opponent’s off hand to escape
the hold. “The Terror” makes it to his feet, but Maldonado plants
him on the mat again, only to see Goodwin regain his base once
more. Maldonado then clips his foe with a counter left hand, but
Goodwin retaliates with a sharp right of his own, followed by a
stiff jab. After showing little offense in the bout’s first eight
minutes, Goodwin now appears much looser, hitting a nice double-leg
takedown to end the round, but not landing much offense.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Maldonado
Round 3
Keith
Mills
Maldonado grounded Goodwin for the win.
Goodwin lands a snapping body kick to open the third stanza and
puts Maldonado on the canvas with an outside trip. Maldonado
wall-walks and quickly escapes. Both men are now trading in the
center of the cage, but neither can land cleanly. The Columbia,
S.C., native scores on a single-leg takedown, but Maldonado
reverses the position, retaking Goodwin’s back with one hook in.
Goodwin explodes to escape, but his foe rolls him over and lands in
side control. Maldonado again takes Goodwin’s back but again gives
up his hooks, allowing Goodwin to stand as the bout comes to a
close.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Maldonado (30-27 Maldonado)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Maldonado (30-27
Maldonado)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Maldonado (30-27 Maldonado)
Official result: T.Y. Evans sees it 30-27 while
Steven Elliot and Andrew Hopper Jr. score it 29-28 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Mike Maldonado.
Round 1
Buck comes out southpaw and eats two body kicks, catching the
second shot and scoring with a takedown. Mierzwiak hits a sweet
half-guard sweep and grabs a kneebar, but Buck twice spins out of
the hold. Mierzwiak switches to an inverted heel hook, and the
North Carolina fighter appears to fall awkwardly on his knee.
Though Buck cries out in pain, the bout is allowed to continue, and
Mierzwiak stays on the heel hook before using the hold to take his
opponent’s back. Mierzwiak has both hooks in, peppering
ground-and-pound and then going for an armbar. Buck slides his arm
out, shakes Mierzwiak off and lands in top position, firing down
punches and elbows to end round one.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mierzwiak
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Mierzwiak
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Mierzwiak
Round 2
Buck appears to be moving well and fluidly to start the round. Both
men gauge distance in the center of the cage with jabs and kicks.
Buck eats a body kick but scores another takedown, landing in half
guard before stepping right into full mount. Mierzwiak recovers
half guard but cannot escape to his feet, eating an elbow that
opens up a cut on the crown of his head. Buck suddenly grabs an
arm-triangle choke and passes to side but can’t find the finish, as
Mierzwiak squirms out of the hold when Buck gets too high. The
Sylvania, Ohio, native gets back to his feet at the end of the
round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Buck
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Buck
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Buck
Round 3
K.
Mills
Buck hung out in Mierzwiak's half guard
for most of the bout.
Mierzwiak connects with a left hook and tries to finish his
combination with a body kick. The kick lands low, but Buck recovers
quickly after a brief pause from referee Donnie Jessup. On the
restart, Buck wades forward with a one-two that does not quite
land. Buck times another double-leg attempt as Mierzwiak lunges
forward with a straight right hand. Buck once again works from half
guard and then hops into mount, only to see Mierzwiak throw him off
and escape to his feet. Buck uses a front headlock to power
Mierzwiak to the mat and resumes working from half guard. He keeps
muscling Mierzwiak and trying to lock up another arm-triangle
choke, but can't sink it before the bout's conclusion.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Buck (29-28 Buck)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Buck (29-28 Buck)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Buck (29-28 Buck)
Official result: All three judges -- Steven
Elliot, T.Y. Evans and Andrew Hopper Jr. -- score the bout 29-28
for the winner by unanimous decision, Johnny Buck.
Round 1
Bolt goes to work with a jab immediately, but Pacheco slips under a
right hand scores with a body lock takedown. Pacheco peppers from
top position, while Bolt stalls with a body triangle from guard.
Bolt then start to work from rubber guard, but Pacheco pulls out of
the position before diving back into guard. Pacheco misses with two
right hands but quickly passes to side control and then into full
mount. Bolt uses his long legs to recover half guard. Bolt then
goes in search of a leglock, but Pacheco rains down
ground-and-pound in response until the bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Pacheco
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Pacheco
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Pacheco
Round 2
Pacheco closes the distance and dumps Bolt against the cage,
momentarily securing a topside crucifix and dropping elbows from
side control. Bolt tries to buck his foe off, but Pacheco’s base is
stout. Pacheco hops into mount once again, but Bolt responds with
another escape, fishing for a leglock. Pacheco opts to simply
hammer the California-based fighter in the face. Further widening
his base, Pacheco drops a volley of decisive elbows to Bolt’s
temple that forces referee Al Coley to save Bolt from further
punishment. The finish officially comes at 4:02 of round two.
Bellator Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Sultan
Aliev vs. Mikkel
Parlo
Round 1
Aliev drops Parlo quickly with a stiff jab, but Parlo pops right
back to his feet. Parlo tries to retaliate but looks tentative
early. Aliev connects with a nice right hand, and Parlo closes the
gap to try for a takedown. Aliev uses double overhooks to stuff the
takedown and then hits an outside trip of his own. Parlo stands
almost immediately and starts winging punches at the Russian. The
Dane presses to close the frame but cannot find his mark with his
wild punches.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Round 2
Parlo moves forward to start round two and connects with an inside
leg kick. Both men try takedowns but neither score. The relentless
Russian then hits a trip to plant the 22-year-old on the canvas,
but Parlo stands quickly once again. The man from Copenhagen
continues to move forward but absorbs a pair of right straights to
the gut for his efforts. Parlo's jab stays true but his power
punches are all over the place, mostly missing. Aliev is
continually landing single shots as Parlo stalks him, notably
popping Parlo with two sharp jabs. Parlo lands a body kick to
finish the round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Aliev
Round 3
K.
Mills
Aliev eked by Parlo to remain unbeaten.
Parlo rifles off a clubbing low kick to begin the third round, and
Aliev responds in kind. The Rumble Sports rep digs a kick into
Aliev’s liver, but the Russian returns fire with another right
straight to the belly. Parlo score with a left hook and then a
right low kick before blocking a spinning back fist. Parlo lands
another crisp switch-kick to the liver that appears to hurt the
Dagestani fighter. Aliev sits down and shoots feebly to avoid
taking a big shot. Parlo pushes him back and forces him to defend
from half guard as the Dane fires with ground-and-pound. Parlo
stands and wings more hard punches to end the final frame.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Parlo (29-28 Aliev)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Parlo (29-28 Aliev)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Parlo (29-28 Aliev)
Official result: All three judges -- Steven
Elliot, T.Y. Evans and Andrew Hopper Jr. -- score the bout 29-28
for the winner by unanimous decision, Sultan Aliev. Aliev advances
to the semifinals of Bellator's Season 8 middleweight
tournament.
K.
Mills
'Tex' got a 15-second tapout of Ward.
Round 1
Johnson throws a low kick to start proceedings, but it goes wide.
He throws another kick, this time to the body, but Ward catches his
body kick and puts Johnson on his back. The Georgian takes a moment
to lock up Ward's right arm and then locks up a lightning-fast
armbar. Johnson has it deep immediately and forces “The Irish Bad
Boy” to tap out instantly. The sudden submission end comes in just
15 short seconds for Johnson.
Round 1
K.
Mills
Mejia more or less mauled McMullens.
Mejia immediately moves forward, but McMullens catches him with a
leg kick. “The Freight Train” lands a jab, but his fellow North
Carolinian continues to land with kicks. Mejia takes the fight to
the floor and works from half-guard against the cage. McMullens
stands, but his opponent again trips him to the floor, this time
landing in side control. The 39-year-old turns away from strikes
uses the cage to perform a back somersault. Unimpressed, Mejia
continues to pop the his foe with punches on the ear, and a turtled
McMullens can do nothing to escape.McMullens remains on all fours while Mejia smacks him with rights
and lefts until finally referee Al Coley waves the contest off,
giving Mejia the stoppage victory at 4:15 of the first round.
Bellator Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Doug
Marshall vs. Andreas
Spang
Round 1
K.
Mills
Marshall ended Spang's night in familiar style.
Spang connects with a smooth straight right, but Marshall fires
back with a left hook. “The Rhino” lands a left hook and then
whiffs on a second attempt. Marshall appears to hurt “The Sweet
Swede” briefly, but Spang covers up nicely and returns fire with a
body kick. Fight fighters stall against the cage, and Miragliotta
restarts them. Marshall cracks Spang with a nice right, but the
34-year-old recovers quickly. The former WEC light heavyweight
champion then suddenly smashes Spang with a big right hand that
spins Spang completely around on his way to the canvas.Marshall nearly pounces as Spang rolls to face him, but then breaks
into celebration as referee Dan Miragliotta grab him to stop the
bout. The official end comes at 3:03 of the first round. Doug
Marshall advances to the semifinals of Bellator's Season 8
middleweight tournament.
Bellator Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Brett
Cooper vs. Norman
Paraisy
Round 1
Paraisy lands with a stiff jab to start the middleweight contest.
Cooper closes the distance with a short right and sees a takedown
stuffed against the cage. The Long Beach, Calif., resident scores
with a double-leg on his second attempt, but Paraisy pops right
back up. Relentless, “Fudoshin” grabs a single-leg and runs the
pipe, but the Frenchman returns to his feet and lands a series of
knees to the body, finishing with a solid left hook to Cooper’s
cheek. Cooper again hits a double-leg takedown, dumping Paraisy on
his shoulder. The Parisian again stands and scores a takedown of
his own, only to watch Cooper quickly regain his vertical base.
Another takedown for Cooper lands him in half guard against the
cage. Paraisy recovers guard as the round expires.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Round 2
Cooper drops Paraisy early in round two with a pair of gorgeous
uppercuts, but the French fighter somehow recovers to his feet. The
American then puts him back on the canvas, this time with an
outside trip. Paraisy uses an underhook from the half-guard to
stand, and Cooper bulls him against the cage, connecting his hands
and dumping Paraisy on his face with another takedown. The
Frenchman again works to his feet, and Cooper again dumps him to
the floor with a power double. Cooper fishes for an arm-triangle
choke but can’t find it, and Paraisy stands and hits a single-leg
takedown of his own to finish the frame.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Cooper
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-8 Cooper
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Round 3
K.
Mills
Cooper's uppercuts cleaned Paraisy's clock.
Cooper steps inside and scores another quick takedown. Paraisy
stands and “Fudoshin” dumps him to the mat once more. That sequence
is repeated once more and Cooper separates, firing off an uppercut
before hitting another powerful double-leg slam. Paraisy tries to
stand once again, but this time Cooper takes his back. Paraisy
shucks him off and lands in top position, but the 25-year-old
American escapes to his feet and scores with another double-leg.
Cooper’s pounds away from guard and should have a clear-cut
decision locked up as the final bell sounds.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cooper (30-26 Cooper)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cooper (30-26 Cooper)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cooper (30-27 Cooper)
Official result: All three judges -- Steven
Elliot, T.Y. Evans and Andrew Hopper Jr. -- score the bout 30-27
for the winner by unanimous decision, Brett Cooper. Cooper advances
to the semifinals of Bellator's Season 8 middleweight
tournament.
Bellator Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Dan
Cramer vs. Brian
Rogers
Round 1
Both middleweights come out swinging. Cramer grabs a Thai plum and
lands a beautiful knee before switching to a single-collar and
connecting with an uppercut. Rogers responds by scoring with a
slick lateral drop, but “Cosmo” reverses him and lands in half
guard. Rogers kicks the American Top Team rep off and stands, only
to eat an uppercut on his way up. Cramer trips “The Professional
Predator” to the canvas, but Rogers regains his base. Cramer lands
a nice lead right hand but absorbs and sharp inside low kick on the
counter. Rogers again counters a looping right with a one-two of
his own, but Cramer is undeterred. Rogers then charges forward and
unloads with a flurry of shots to the body and chin. Cramer
complains of what appears to be an eye poke, but the referee Al
Coley allows the action to continue. Rogers throws a body kick but
slips and Cramer works on a rear waistlock until the bell
sounds.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cramer
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cramer
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cramer
Round 2
Rogers wades forward and connects with a nice left hook before
hitting another powerful lateral drop. The Ohioan pounds away
briefly but elects to stand up and back off. Cramer then pops the
two-time tournament vet, but Rogers again throws him to the mat.
Rogers allows “Cosmo” to stand, and Cramer hits a double-leg of his
own. “The Professional Predator” works to his feet but eats a nice
right hand from the Connecticut native, who then scores with a trip
and passes to side control. Cramer nearly mounts his man, but
Rogers recovers half guard and then slickly escapes to his feet.
Rogers rushes Cramer and both men wing punches to close out a
competitive second frame, with Rogers landing the better shots.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Rogers
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Rogers
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rogers
Round 3
K.
Mills
Cramer went toe-to-toe with Rogers and
punched his ticket to the semis.
Cramer connects with that same straight right hand to start the
third, and the men clinch against the cage. Rogers tries his throw
once again, but Cramer this time fends off the attempt. Both men
appear arm weary now but Cramer lands a clean right straight.
Rogers responds in kind, but Cramer catches a Thai plum and drops
the 14-fight pro with a knee to the jaw. Cramer follows him down to
the ground, but Rogers fends off his ground-and-pound from half
guard. “Cosmo” passes to side control and mounts once again with
great shoulder pressure, but Rogers bucks him off and tries a heel
hook. Cramer slips out and the middleweights take their feet
again.Rogers lands a flying knee and follows up with several wicked shots
with both hands.Cramer wobbles but stays vertical, clinching with
Rogers to prevent more offense. Rogers tries another throw, but
Cramer lands in top position and punches away to the head and body
to end the wildly entertaining fight.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cramer (29-28 Cramer)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cramer (29-28 Cramer)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Cramer (29-28 Cramer)
Official result: Judge T.Y. Evans sees it 30-27,
while judges Steven Elliot and Andrew Hooper Jr. have it 29-28 for
the winner by unanimous decision, Dan Cramer. Dan Cramer is the
final semifinalist in the Bellator Season 8 middleweight
tournament.
Round 1
Dantas scores with two low kicks and jab, while Galvao scores with
a low kick of his own. Two more stiff jabs come from “Dudu,” and
the challenger responds with another leg kick. Still on his
bicycle, the champion uses his speed advantage to connect with a
leg kick but stumbles as a result. “Loro” gives chase and grabs and
standing waistlock against the cage. Galvao tries to elevate him
with the rear waistlock, but the 24-year-old adequately defends
with a wide base. Galvao unclasps his hands, and “Dudu” connects
with a stinging left hook and then a push kick to the jaw. The
champion's jab looks fantastic so far. Dantas whiffs on a one-two
and then eats a knee followed by a glancing right hand that appears
to open a cut over Dantas’ right eye. Both men connect cleanly as
the round comes to a close.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dantas
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Dantas
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Dantas
Round 2
Dantas rifles a low kick to start the second, and Galvao retorts
with the same technique. Dantas fires another jab, and the men
again trade low kicks and then glancing right crosses. Dantas
rattles off five or six unanswered strikes from the outside,
touching his teammate with several clean blows before cracking
Galvao with a head kick. The 31-year-old buckles but somehow
recovers to trade haymakers with the aggressive champion. Dantas
lands a sharp spinning-back kick and then drops his teammate with a
beautiful right uppercut. Galvao falls flat as a board, and “Dudu”
finishes the job with a series of hammerfists to retain his
bantamweight belt. Brutal knockout. The official end comes at 3:01
of the second frame.