Bellator 153 results: Andrey Koreshkov dominates Benson Henderson to retain title

All the talk leading up to Bellator 153 revolved around Benson Henderson’s jump from the UFC to Bellator. Andrey Koreshkov put a five round beating on Henderson to retain his welterweight title and remind fans he deserved a bit more consideration.

Bellator 153 took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Henderson (23-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) had trouble with Koreshkov (19-1 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) in Round 1, repeatedly finding himself on the end of punches and not being effective at closing the distance for his own offensive attacks. Koreshkov landed heavy knees and kicks to the head and body in addition to his punches before landing a huge jumping knee that clearly hurt Henderson as the round came to a close.

Henderson’s troubles continued in Round 2. His inability to close distance remained his biggest issue as Koreshkov popped him repeatedly and Henderson flailed with takedown attempts as he was peppered with heavy blows. Late in the round, however, Henderson turned up the heat and began to find success with a slight degree of regularity. Still, Koreshkov landed a heavy body kick and punch late in the round.

Henderson popped with leg kicks to start Round 3. After a big left from Koreshkov, Henderson drove hard for a takedown against the cage. When he couldn’t complete taking the fight to the floor, Henderson was forced to eat some heavy knees to the body before the fight went back to distance.

Things didn’t get better for Henderson in Round 4 as he got tagged with a big shot late in the round and almost caught in a nasty guillotine choke but was able to survive to make the final round.

Henderson did little but prove his toughness in the final round, surviving more heavy shots and submission attempts to make it to the final bell, but there was no doubt who was set to take the fight on the judges’ scorecards.

All three scorecards read 50-45 for the champion, who is now riding a six-fight winning streak.

“Pitbull” locks up Corrales’ neck

Patricio Freire (25-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) met late-replacement opponent Henry Corrales (12-3 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) in the evening’s featherweight co-main event. While Corrales was a willing opponent, he wasn’t able to overcome the former champ, getting caught in a second-round guillotine choke.

“Pitbull” was quick to push the fight to the cage and scored a takedown directly into mount at the halfway point of Round 1. Corrales regained half-guard, but Freire threatened with arm-triangle chokes. Corrales survived the dangerous spot, however, and managed to escape back to his feet. The opening round ended to a chorus of boos as the action on the feet slowed to a crawl.

Freire appeared to indicate to his corner he had injured his ribs in the opening frame. He kept a slow pace to open Round 2, a possible side effect of the injury. However, Freire was quick to pounce on an opening, locking in a guillotine choke as Corrales attempted to escape off his back. The submission came at the mark of Round 2.

Santos and Page score surprising leg lock submissions

The welterweight bout between Evangelista Santos (21-16 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Brennan Ward (13-4 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) promised fireworks, but a leg lock submission for Santos was low on the list of predictable outcomes.

That’s exactly what happened, however, as Ward charged forward and took the fight to the ground. Santos had no interest in playing around on the floor and grabbed a leg. He switched to what appeared to be a modified heel hook and torqued, causing Ward to yell in pain and tap out at just the 0:30 mark of Round 1. It was a brutally quick end for Ward, who was competing in front of his hometown crowd in Connecticut.

Santos is now riding a two-fight winning streak after scoring just his sixth career submission victory in 37 career fights. Ward had a four-fight winning streak snapped when he was forced to tap to the underrated jiu-jitsu of “Cyborg”

Brent Primus (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) appeared to be on the way to the first loss of his professional career when the lightweight met Gleristone Santos (27-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA)

Santos utilized straighter punches and footwork to keep Primus from landing his heavier looping punches. After two rounds of Santos’ effective offense, Primus tried to take the fight to the ground, only to end up on his back and eat a big shot before the fight moved back to the feet. It was the type of frustrating moment that defined the fight for Primus. He never stopped trying to walk forward, but Santos was smart in utilizing his movement to create opportunities and minimize Primus’ chances to score on the feet or the ground.

Primus did end the fight with some good work on the round, but it appeared too little, too late for the American. The judges, however, saw things differently, awarding Primus the fight by split decision. The official scorecards read 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

Michael Page showed a new side to his game in the welterweight main card opener with a toe hold submission of an overmatched Jeremy Holloway.

Page (10-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) dropped Holloway (7-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) with a right hand seconds after the bout began. Holloway was able to bounce back to his feet, however, and pinned Page’s back against the cage, looking to put the fight on the floor. Holloway threw a knee in the clinch that landed low and the referee restarted the men at distance, allowing Page to land another thudding right hand. Holloway was badly hurt by the punch and desperately tried for a takedown. As Page fired away with hammerfists, Holloway attempted to lock up a leg. Shockingly, it was Page that finished the fight with a submission, locking up Holloway’s leg and torquing to force the tap at the 2:15 mark of Round 1.

Following the victory, Bellator announced Page would meet Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 158 in London.

Official Bellator 153 results include:

MAIN CARD (Spike, 8 p.m. ET)

• Andrey Koreshkov def. Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
• Patricio Freire def. Henry Corrales via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:09
• Evangelista Santos def. Brennan Ward via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:30
• Brent Primus def. Gleristone Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Michael Page def. Jeremie Holloway via submission (toe hold) – Round 1, 2:15

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 7 p.m. ET)

• Matt Bessette def. Keith Richardson via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 3:14
• Mike Zichelle def. Joe Cronin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:26
• Chris Honeycutt def. Matt Secor via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
• Djamil Chan def. Richard Patishnock via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:09
• Dean Hancock vs. Sam Watford
• Vovka Clay vs. Chris Foster
• Tim Caron vs. Justin Sumter
• Jay Perrin vs. Blair Tugman

For more on Bellator 153, check out the MMA Events section of the site.