Bellator 87 Fight Card
Sherdog.com will report from Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in
Mount Pleasant, Mich., at approximately 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with
play-by-play and live results of Bellator
87, which is headlined by four lightweight tournament
quarterfinal fights.
Round 1
Jason Herzog is the referee for this 140-pound affair. Zelinski
lands a low kick and a straight right hand. Kirk counters another
leg kcik with a solid left hand. Kirk is attacking aggressively
while Zelinski attempts to maintain distance with kicks, mixing up
his attacks with both inside and outside leg kicks. Kirk is
swinging wildly, while Zelinski appears content to counter .
Zelinski connects with a solid right hand, Kirk slips and backs
off, but his foe doesn't follow up. Kirk backs off Zelinksi with a
combination, then lands an inside leg kick. Zelinksi with a kick to
the body. Zelinski finds a home for a spinning-back fist, then
moves forward with a body kick. Now the fighters tie up against the
cage. Zelinski with a few foot stomps before the round expires.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Kirk
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Kirk
Round 2
Zelinski is pressing forward slowly with kicks but Kirk is landing
successfully with counters, picking him off with left hands as he
comes forward. This pattern plays out repeatedly, with Zelinski
cracking a nice kick and the Minnesotan countering. Kirk finally
comes back with a hard inside low kick, for which Zelinski cracks
him to the body with a left roundhouse kick. Zelinski lands a nifty
spinning-back kick to the bread basket. Kirk suddenly explodes with
a punch rush, clipping his man and knocking him off balance. Kirk
stays on top of him with punching before changing levels and
shooting a double-leg takedown. He gets Zelinski down and chips
away on top. Zelinski works a high guard but can't find success
before the bell.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Kirk
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Kirk
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Kirk
Round 3
Keith
Mills
Zelinski's bottom game earned him a W.
Kirk shoots in quickly and puts Zelinski back down to the canvas.
The Michigan native gets his guard high again, but Kirk keeps his
arms in tight and lands short blows. Zelinski opens up with hard
elbows from his guard which slow Kirk's pace to a crawl from the
top. Kirk is just holding Zelinski down, but the bottom man
continues punching away far more actively than Kirk. Zelinski
overhooks the right arm of Kirk and goes back to elbowing with his
free arm. Zelinski's right eye is bleeding steadily but he has
easily outworked his opponent in the final frame. With 10 seconds
to go, Zelinski goes wild on the bottom, flailing with punches and
elbows until the bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Zelinski (29-28 Kirk)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Zelinski (29-29 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Zelinski (29-28 Kirk)
Official result: Judge Eric Colon sees the bout
29-28 for Nick Kirk while Cardo Urso has it 29-28 for Zelinski.
Deciding judge Todd Anderson sees it 30-27 for the winner by split
decision, Tony Zelinski.
Round 1
The lanky Lagman lazily jabs and kicks at Quito early. Quito
doubles up on his leg kicks and shoots a weak double that Lagman
easily steps away from. Quito is noticeably less polished in the
striking department and Lagman takes advantage by cracking him with
a spinning-back kick to the body. Quito desperately dives at his
opponent, but Lagman shrugs him off and easily takes top position.
Lagman postures up in half guard and lands hard punches and elbows
that get the Brazilian streaming blood quickly. Quito locks into
the deep half guard in an attempt to sweep, but just eats more
punches and elbows. When Quito regains full guard, referee Dan
Miragliotta halts the action to have the cageside physician examine
the flowing cut which is on the scalp of Quito.
K.
Mills
Quito had to get bloody before earning a
controversial kneebar submission.
The doctor OK's the cut and the bout is resumed halfway through the
first with Quito having full guard. The Californian-based grappler
shifts for a kneebar, but Lagman defends and continues to attack
with massive punches. Quito turtles up, nearly giving his back to
Lagman as he continues to bleed all over the mat. Quito rolls for
another kneebar and goes belly down on Lagman. The Michigan native
feels some pain and tries to free himself. He turns back and
appears to tap Quito just once, while calling out in pain. Referee
Dan Miragliotta instantly halts the bout, much to the chagrin of
Lagman, who was dominating the bout. Samuel Quito is the winner by
submission at 3:54 of the first round.
Round 1
The locally popular Shepherd stalks forward, jabbing and hitting
Reese with outside low kicks. Reese pops a right-hand counter into
Shepherd's face on a lazy low kick, then drives him back into the
gene with over-unders. Reese and Shepherd trade knees to the body
until Reese misses a whizzing left hand on the exit. The American
Top Team rep seems married to overhand right haymakers, chasing
Shepherd backwards with a bevy of windmilling punches before
driving into the clinch and tripping him to the mat. Reese sets up
in full guard along the cage. Reese rips from side-to-side with
right and left hooks, posturing up in Shepherd's guard and landing
hands. Reese looks to pass to half guard, but can't clear
Shepherd's hips. Reese settles for going back to guard and punching
away. Shepherd gets active with punches and elbows from the bottom,
splitting the Rochester Hills, Mich., fighter open from the bottom.
Reese's cut is streaming blood all over Shepherd's face and chest.
Reese keeps pounding away, but Shepherd steps up his output from
the bottom, clearly enticed by the blood.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Reese
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Reese
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Reese
Round 2
Shepherd goes upstairs for a right head kick, but Reese catches his
leg, turns his hips and slams Shepherd back down to the mat.
Shepherd tries to get wrist control on Reese's right arm, but can't
control the top man. Reese reaches behind Shepherd's back and
briefly hammerlocks him, but Reese can't re-enact Ryan
Schultz-on-Chris Horodecki before his opponent gets free. Reese
keeps chipping away on top, landing right hands and controlling
Shepherd. Left elbows now score for Reese, who puts Shepherd on the
fence and keeps wailing away until the bell.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Reese
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Reese
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Reese
Round 3
K.
Mills
Reese punished Shepherd from top position.
Both men swing and miss tired punches until a clinch. Reese swims
to a collar tie and foot sweeps Shepherd down to the mat along the
cage. Reese gets to half guard and gets control of his foe's head.
Reese tries to get to side control but once again, Shepherd sneaks
back to full guard. Shepherd swings for a desperate armbar and
nearly get there, but Reese stands up, stacks his man and yanks his
arm free. Reese dives right back into guard and gets busy knuckling
the Grayling, Mich., native. Shepherd overhooks the left arm of
Reese, but it doesn't stop more punches from landing before the
bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Reese (30-27 Reese)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Reese (30-27 Reese)
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Reese (30-27 Reese)
Official result: Judges Robert Hinds and Cardo
Urso score the bout 30-27, while Todd Anderson reckons the bout
29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, James Reese.
Round 1
Khillah throws two quick head kicks that are blocked, but when
Schulz tries to answer, the Kalamazoo, Mich., fighter catches his
leg and sweeps it out. Khillah throws his hands up over his fallen
foe before diving down with punches and hammerfists. Schulz defends
the heavy barrage before working his way back to the feet. The pair
trade kicks which are largely blocked until a clinch and a
surprising-if-slow uchimata throw from Khillah. He dives
into full mount on Schulz quickly, taking his back. Khillah tries
to sink the rear-naked choke, but can't clear the chin of his
opponent.
K.
Mills
Khillah quickly overwhelmed an injured
Schulz in the first round.
He releases and tries to take full mount back but succeeds only in
letting Schulz escape back to his feet. They clinch for a moment
before Khillah get his back off the fence. As they reset at
distance, Schulz appears to somehow injure his left knee which is
braced. Khillah sees his man ginger on his leg and pounces, rushing
him with punches and throwing him to the mat. Khillah lands a major
axe kick to the body of the seemingly injured Schulz before
stepping over his legs into full mount. Khillah grabs a half-assed
rear-naked choke and the compromised Schulz opts out. Schulz taps
out officially at 4:34 of the first round.
Round 1
Etherington lands two short hooks and tries to bull his way into a
trip. However, he flings himself to the canvas, giving up top
position to Fish. Fish quickly moves to full mount, but gets too
eager in pursuit a sloppy rear-naked choke. Etherington gets on top
and instantly gets into full mount too, only to go sliding off Fish
as he pushes away. This isn't the ADCC Submission Wrestling World
Championships, folks. Fish gets to half guard and crossfades
Etherington, pressing into side control before the yoked Brit
escapes to his feet. Etherington looks exhausted as Fish pushes him
into the cage, landing short hooks inside.
K.
Mills
England's Etherington remained unbeaten
in a sloppy affair.
Etherington explodes with three hooks of his own, but Fish presses
forward, landing right hooks to the body and keeping him pinned to
the fence with just a crossfire. Three of four punches from Fish
crack Etherington in the face, nearly knocking his mouthguard out.
The muscular Englishman gets a collar tie and pushes Fish to the
canvas. The similarly-exhausted Fish tumbles over and the Brit
dives into side control. As Fish lays on his back, aimlessly
hooking Etherington's head, Etherington sits in some mutated scarf
position, landing nearside hammerfists until Fish tells referee Dan
Miragliotta he wants out. The verbal submission due to strikes
mercifully ends this horrific bout at 3:45 of the first round.
Round 1
Fischer is all jabs, feints and kicks early until Magakian ducks
under a right hook and puts him on the mat. The Hayastan Studio
product pushes the local fighter into the fence and punches away.
Fischer rolls for an armbar, which Magakian escapes, but the Mash
Fight Team rep swings into a near triangle armbar.
K.
Mills
The hometown Fischer wowed the Michigan
crowd with his biggest career win.
Magakian just slips his head out, but Fischer's grappling is
relentless as he looks for a kimura to potentially sweep. Magakian
gets a front headlock on Fischer and tries to thread his arm
through for a brabo choke. Fischer gets back to his feet but
Magakian keeps a hold of him. From the collar tie, Magakian spins
and turns for an ippon seoinage, but Fischer blocks it and
dives onto his back with both hooks in. The Michigan native works
the rear-naked choke, sinks it and forces Magakian belly down. The
former "Ultimate Fighter" veteran is forced to tap out at 3:37 of
the first round. Impressive grappling from Jason Fischer.
Round 1
Both men test each other early with low kicks, but Sarnavskiy
brings his right hand over the top on occasion to crack Pereira in
the face. Sarnavskiy sticks his jab out and nails Pereira with a
roundhouse to the body. The Russian briefly shoots but Pereira
escapes the lazy kneetap attempt. Both men miss with big lead left
hooks. “Tiger” gets busier with his hands, but his two- and
three-punch combinations can't break the Brazilian's guard. Solid
overhand right for Sarnavskiy. Push kick from Sarnavskiy prompts a
return from Pereira, but the Russian catches his leg and cracks him
with a counter punch. Sarnavskiy getting more effective at picking
his opponent off when he kicks. “Tiger” catches another kick from
Pereira, landing two right-handed counters and driving him to the
mat. The Brazilian recovers and grabs a guillotine in the ensuing
scramble. While it looks tight, there is just seconds left in the
round and Sarnavskiy waits until the bell tolls.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Sarnavskiy
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Sarnavskiy
Mike Whitman scores the the round 10-9 Sarnavskiy
Round 2
K.
Mills
Sarnavskiy controlled every phase of
the game against Thiago Michel.
Both lightweights probing the distance with body kicks early.
Sarnavskiy lands a left roundhouse kick to the body then shoots a
double on Pereira. The Brazilian pushes away and slides up the
fence with Sarnavskiy glued to his waist. Pereira breaks
Sarnavskiy's double undercooks and fights for wrist control on his
foe's right arm. Sarnavskiy drives back in and gets Pereira to the
mat again. He can't hold him down as the Brazilian first looks for
a switch, then tries to snake up the wall. As he shimmies, “Tiger”
gets a rear waist lock and jumps onto his back. Pereira fights for
hand control, then for a two-on-one but the Russian is
relentless.Sarnavskiy finally cinches up the rear-naked choke and bows his
opponent's back, forcing him to tap at 3:43 of the second frame.
Alexander Sarnavskiy is the first semifinalist in Bellator's Season
8 lightweight tournament.
Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Saad
Awad vs. Guillaume
DeLorenzi
Round 1
K.
Mills
Saad Awad had short notice and a short victory.
The two lightweights clearly intend to throw strikes. After some
feinting, DeLorenzi closes the distance. As he flurries, Awad
throws back immediately and a glancing right from the Californian
makes DeLorenzi slip. As he stands back up, he tries to fend off
the aggressive Awad with a side kick, but ends up eating a hard
left hook then a right hand behind the ear. DeLorenzi staggers into
the fence and Awad is all over him in close, smashing him with
heavy left hooks until he crumbles along the fence, forcing referee
Jason Herzog into action.The sudden, explosive end comes just 31 seconds into the bout. Saad
Awad, who replaced Patricky Freire in the tournament on two days'
notice, advances to the semifinals of Bellator's Season 8 155-pound
bracket.
Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Will
Brooks vs. Ricardo
Tirloni
Round 1
Brooks snaps a head kick and a body kick at the Brazilian
immediately, but Tirloni chases him back with punches. Brooks stays
active with his legs, constantly throwing his lead left leg out at
Tirloni. The Brazilian opts for wild punches, as usual, but can't
quite find his target. Brooks tags Tirloni with a right hook to the
chest. Another nice inside leg kick for Brooks. Tirloni gets in on
a single-leg takedown, but Brooks hops around on his right leg,
punching while defending. Tirloni runs Brooks to the other side of
the cage and gets him to the mat, but the American slinks up the
fence quickly, then gets a takedown of his own. Tirloni tries to
turn for an armbar, but Brooks defends and punches him for it.
Clean punches land for the Illinois native on top, but Tirloni
throws up a triangle. Brooks stands up and shakes it off, but dives
into another decent triangle attempt from Tirloni. Brooks finally
settles into the guard and lands a solid stream of rights and
lefts. Tirloni looks to play wrist control, but Brooks breaks free
and pops him again for good measure. Brooks stands up again,
landing a few punches and trying to hop Tirloni's legs into half
guard. Tirloni defends, but eats more leather before the bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Round 2
The inside low kick of Brooks shows up prominently again. He starts
throwing the left leg to the body of Tirloni, getting him moving
before setting up a power double-leg takedown into full guard.
Left-right, left-right lands for Brooks from the top position.
Tirloni tries to grab his legs and trip him up, but Brooks spins
away. Tirloni gets back to his feet but Brooks cracks him with a
left head kick. Brooks follows up with punches and shoots in on
Tirloni again. Brooks powers him to the mat but Tirloni pulls guard
on a tight guillotine. Brooks jams his fist up into Tirloni's
choking arm, breaks his grip and sets up shop on top. Brooks stands
up and tries to pound again, but Tirloni rolls for a kneebar.
Brooks hits the deck, but Tirloni is too high on the leg and Brooks
escapes to his feet. Tirloni bangs away with hooks to the body and
shoulders of Brooks, but takes more kicks to the body. Brooks
shoots, Tirloni defends and delivers a knee to the body as Brooks
throws one of his own. The Brazilian's blow strays low and referee
Jason Herzog gives Brooks his five-minute respite. Brooks comes out
of the break snapping his left jab in Tirloni's face. Tirloni
punches to the clinch and nearly gets a takedown with under 10
seconds, but Brooks rolls through to his feet at the bell.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brooks
Round 3
Brooks goes back to work with the inside leg kicks. Brooks now
showing his boxing, circling to his right and peppering Tirloni
with jabs and right hands. Tirloni gets restless, giving Brooks the
chance to duck under and rush him to the canvas with a kneetap.
“Ill Will” is just wearing the Brazilian out with his strength and
pounding on top. Brooks finally gets to half guard on Tirloni,
muscling him and landing right hands along the cage.
K.
Mills
Unbeaten Will Brooks dominated the more
experienced Tirloni in every position.
Tirloni tries to hang on, so Brooks bangs him with lefts to the
ribs. Tirloni tries to kick Brooks away, but the midwesterner is
relentless, punching away and controlling Tirloni's legs. The
Brazilian finally gets free and escapes to his feet, but Brooks
runs him down to the cage immediately. Tirloni defends and lands
some glancing knees from the clinch. Brooks shoots a single-leg
takedown this time, swinging Tirloni down to the mat with just
under a minute to fight. Tirloni throws up another triangle, but
Brooks breaks his posture and escapes. Brooks punches away the last
10 seconds until the bell rings.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Brooks (30-27 Brooks)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Brooks (30-27 Brooks)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Brooks (30-27 Brooks)
Official result: All three judges -- Eric Colon,
Robert Hinds and Cardo Urso -- score the bout 30-27 for the winner
by unanimous decision, Will Brooks. Brooks advances to face Saad
Awad in the semifinals of the Bellator Season 8 lightweight
tournament.
Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal
David
Rickels vs. Lloyd
Woodard
Round 1
As the pair trade kicks to the legs and body, Woodard slips and
Rickels tries to pursue him. They wind up clinching and Woodard
gets a rear waist lock. Woodard suplexes Rickels to the mat but
can't keep him flat. Rickels gets to all fours, but “Cupcake” is on
his back with both hooks in. Woodard ducks under Rickels' arm and
gives up back position in pursuit of the low-percentage twister
submission. Rickels escapes, but Woodard holds top position.
Rickels swings for an armbar, then transitions to a triangle before
getting slammed by Woodard. Rickels tries to kick Woodard away but
can't get free from the sticky grappling of “Cupcake.” He tries to
kick him away again, then swings inside on Woodard's leg for a heel
hook. Woodard ably defends before countering an inverted heel hook
attempt of his own. Rickels gets back to his feet, but the minute
he approaches Woodard, Woodard isolates his leg and goes for a toe
hold. Frenetic action in this contest. “Caveman” dives back to the
mat with punches, bloodying Woodard's nose. Double Mongolian chop
from Rickels. Rickels grabs Woodard by the ankles and tries to hit
a pro-wrestling style giant swing, but Woodard blocks it. Bell.
Awesome round.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Woodard
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Woodard
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Woodard
Round 2
The pair have tired a bit after their wild and woolly first round.
Each feints in the standup before Rickels cracks Woodard with two
good right hands and pushes him back into the fence. Hard knee to
the bread basket absorbed by Woodard. Rickels getting more active
with his strikes, flurrying to the body and landing body kicks.
Rickels goes for another left roundhouse to the body, but Woodard
cracks him with a straight right and drops him to the mat. Woodard
dives on Rickels, but the Kansas native has an armbar immediately.
It's deep, but Woodard extricates himself. Rickels tries to get
wrist control and kick Woodard away but can't shake his opponent.
Rickels finally uses the half guard to shrimp away from Woodard and
get back to his feet. Rickels clinches briefly but can't find
strikes. They separate and Rickels lands a right cross-left
hook-right hook, followed by a hard knee to the chin. Woodard's
head rocks back, but the Montana fighter pushes forward with a
desperate takedown and gets Rickels to the floor. Rickels works
butterfly guard but can't shake Woodard before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Rickels
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Rickels
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rickels
Round 3
“Caveman” goes back on the attack with low kicks on the fatigued
Woodard. Rickels presses forward, making Woodard fight off of his
back foot while landing kicks to the body. Woodard is starting to
look ginger on his right leg. He then walks right into a powerful
one-two from Rickels that stands him up. Rickels is bouncing on his
feet, looking noticeably fresher than Woodard. Overhand right by
Rickels, then an outside low kick stumbles Woodard. Woodard rips
him with a left hook in retaliation, but “Caveman” goes back to the
leg kicks. Two push kicks from Rickels, then an inside leg kick.
Woodard wades forward and eats two counter hooks from Rickes. Left
hooks landing for Rickels now, bashing Woodard to the chin and to
the body. Hooks and uppercuts follow for Rickels. Woodard has been
getting tagged repeatedly and he knows he's behind. Woodard rushes
in for a desperate takedown and Rickels locks up a guillotine.
Woodard escapes it quickly, but Rickels throws up a triangle
attempt which controls him until the closing seconds.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Rickels (29-28 Rickels)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Rickels (29-28
Rickels)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rickels (29-28 Rickels)
Official result: All three judges -- Todd
Anderson, Eric Colon and Cardo Urso -- score the bout 29-28 for the
winner by unanimous decision, David Rickels. Rickels advances to
the semifinals of the Bellator Season 8 lightweight tournament,
where he will meet Alexander Sarnavskiy.