Bellator 78 Results: Welterweight Tourney Finals Set; Ohio’s Best Shine on Main Card

DAYTON – Bellator’s latest welterweight tournament finals are set while two of Ohio’s best, Brian Rogers and Daniel Straus, picked up wins on Friday in Dayton.

Michail Tsarev vs. Lyman Good

Former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good will move onto the finals of the latest 170lb tournament, but not without a little controversy along the way.

After controlling the first round on the ground, Good looked to open up his offense on the feet in round two.

Lyman put his hand out as he was looking for the right reach to connect on a punch, and accidentally poked his opponent Michail Tsarev in the eye. Tsarev immediately turned to referee Greg Franklin looking for a pause in the action, but instead he found Lyman Good pouncing on him with punches.

Good continued the assault until Tsarev dropped to the mat, and Franklin stopped the fight. Good will now move onto the tournament finals to face another Russian with a shot at champion Ben Askren on the line.

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Marius Zaromskis

It was a stand-up fight for the first Bellator welterweight tournament fight with Andrey Koreshkov getting the best of Marius Zaromskis.

Koreshkov was throwing heavy leather early and often as Zaromskis tried to find his range, but unfortunately he never had enough time to get there.

Koreshkov crushed Zaromskis with a quick left that dropped him to the floor, and quickly the Russian was on top of him looking for the finish. Koreshkov flurried with strikes on the ground, and the referee seemed very slow to respond despite Zaromskis being out on the ground.

The fight was finally stopped as Koreshkov gets the win and moves on to the finals of the Bellator welterweight tournament.

Daniel Straus vs. Alvin Robinson

Despite a featherweight title shot waiting in the wings, Daniel Straus didn’t want to sit on the shelf, so instead he took a fight in his home state of Ohio against UFC veteran Alvin Robinson.

Straus dominated Robinson as soon as the opening bell sounded, taking the Colorado native to the ground at will. Straus came out ultra-aggressive in the second round, putting Robinson down and taking his back immediately.

Straus continue to pound away until Robinson left an opening for the American Top Team fighter to slip his arm under the chin, and get the rear-naked choke in place. Robinson tapped and Straus picks up his fifth win in a row as he awaits his shot at the 145lb title in 2013.

Brian Rogers vs. Dominique Steele

Now a full-time fighter after stepping away from his job as a school teacher, former Bellator middleweight tournament competitor Brian Rogers returned to action on Friday and showed a controlled, yet devastating new style.

Rogers has been known for his explosive striking in the past, but it’s also cost him in a few fights. Recently however Rogers has started training full time working with teams like Tri-Star in Montreal to hone his game, and the results showed against fellow Ohioan Dominique Steele.

Rogers blasted Steele with punches throughout all 15-minutes of their middleweight bout, but never left his chin exposed for his opponent’s counter strikes. Whenever Steele got aggressive, Rogers made him pay with quick combinations that left him bloodied and looking for answers.

The judges all saw the fight in favor of Brian Rogers as he looks to get a spot in the next Bellator middleweight tournament kicking off on Spike TV in 2013.