'Battlegrounds MMA: O.N.E.' results: Roan Carneiro tops Brock Larson to win tourney

Of the eight men in Battlegrounds MMA’s eight-man welterweight tournament, two were the oldest, and two were the only ones who had single-night tourney experience.

Naturally, that meant Roan Carneiro and Brock Larson would meet in the final. And there, Carneiro took care of business, easily grinding out Larson to win the one-night welterweight tournament and $50,000.

“Battlegrounds MMA: O.N.E.” took place at BOK Center in Tulsa. The card streamed via online pay-per-view.

Carneiro stalked Larson around the outside and kicked high. Larson tried to get inside with a combination, but Carneiro avoided it and landed a punch of his own seconds later and pushed Larson’s back to the cage. After a stalemate and a restart, Carneiro briefly had Larson on the ground before he popped back up to finish the round on the feet.

But the next two rounds were more of the same, with the Atlanta-based Brazilian controlling Larson with relative ease for the next 10 minutes.

It appeared to be fatigue that did Larson in. He went into the second round in his opening-round fight, then needed 15 minutes in the semifinals to get to Carneiro. His opponent, Carneiro, had two finishes to reach the final.

Carneiro (20-9), a five-fight UFC veteran, won his sixth straight fight – three of them, of course, coming on Friday night. Larson, also a UFC vet, had won four of five before the tourney and went 2-1 on the night.

Semifinals

Larson survives Ray to get to final
It took Brock Larson 15 minutes, but he survived a gritty Joe Ray to reach the final against Roan Carneiro. It was all Larson in the first, but Ray took charge in the second and threatened with a Brabo choke that Larson needed to be saved by the bell to survive. In the third, things played out evenly until Larson got a takedown late in the frame. Again, Ray nearly had a tight choke that Larson had to work out of, and Larson nearly had a kimura. But as the fight returned to the feet late, it was a a Larson combination that seemed to seal the deal. The Minnesota native took a trio of 29-28 scores to reach the final against Roan Carneiro.

Carneiro pounds out Houston to reach final
Roan Carneiro made easy work of Trey Houston, even if it took him into the second round to finish him. Carneiro dragged Houston to the ground 30 seconds in, even though Houston blatantly grabbed the fence trying to avoid it. Carneiro easily dominated Houston on the ground, eventually jumping to full mount. There, he alternated looked for an arm triangle choke while pounding away with punches. Houston survived the round, but it was a dominant one for Carneiro.

The second round was more of the same, with Carneiro easily getting to side control. Ninety seconds in, he went after an armbar, but Houston slipped it and got back to his feet. But there, Carniero planted him on the canvas with a left hand. He dove in and took advantage and quickly pounded Houston out to reach the final.

Opening round

Joe Ray upsets Luigi Fioravanti
Joe Ray continued the theme of the night, which was unlikely winners in the tourney. Ray landed a big knee, and one right after it. A few seconds later, a third knee put UFC vet Luigi Fioravanti on the ground. From there, Ray went to work. About six punches later, he had the third first-round stoppage of the opening round of the tourney.

Brock Larson chokes out Cody McKenzie
Cody McKenzie wanted to stop Brock Larson with his famous choke, but Larson had other ideas. Larson landed a right hand a minute in and tried to get inside with McKenzie, and 20 seconds later he had McKenzie down and working in side control. McKenzie went after the guillotine choke he’s most famous for, but with Larson in side control it was hard to get enough on it. McKenzie tried to regain guard, but Larson slipped out. Late in the frame, McKenzie again got the choke latched on, but Larson was saved by a late reversal and the bell.

In the second round, though, it was Larson who decided to go after a choke. On top, Larson freed his legs and was able to cinch up an arm triangle choke to get the finish at the 1:43 mark of the round.

Roan Carneiro taps Randall Wallace with armbar
It took Roan Carneiro little time to get Randall Wallace to the ground, and that was the last place he wanted to be against a jiu-jitsu wizard like Carneiro. Wallace briefly got to his feet, but not for long. Back on the ground, Carneiro easily got a body triangle and looked for a rear-naked choke. He transitioned to an armbar, and though Wallace fought it, he eventually had to tap with 91 seconds left in the frame.

Trey Houston shocks Jesse Taylor with armbar
Jesse Taylor, one of the favorites going into the tournament, looked for a takedown early, but it was Houston who was defending well and landing punches in the tourney’s first fight. Eventually, though, Taylor got him down. Then he went to work, trying to land short shots on Houston. But as Houston scrambled, Taylor left his arm up for grabs. Houston took it, and took advantage. He swung his hips around and took Taylor’s right arm, and that was all she wrote for Taylor, who looked up in disbelief.

“Battlegrounds MMA: O.N.E.” results:

MAIN CARD

• Roan Carneiro def. Brock Larson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight tournament final
• Chris Gutierrez def. Tyler Shinn via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Brock Larson def. Joe Ray via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – welterweight tournament semifinal
• Roan Carneiro def. Trey Houston via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:11 – welterweight tournament semifinal
• Zac Church def. Ryan Haynes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Niko Koliastasis def. Wayne Cole via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:32
• Joe Ray def. Luigi Fioravanti via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:39 – welterweight tournament opening round
• Brock Larson def. Cody McKenzie via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:43 – welterweight tournament opening round
• Roan Carneiro def. Randall Wallace via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:29 – welterweight tournament opening round
• Trey Houston def. Jesse Taylor via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:10 – welterweight tournament opening round

PRELIMINARY CARD

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