Sherdog.com will report from the Ovation Hall at Revel in Atlantic
City, N.J., at approximately 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with play-by-play
and live results of Bellator
95, which is headlined by two Bellator Season 8 tournament
final bouts and a five-round featherweight title fight.Check out the MMA
Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and
predictions below. Have a question for Sherdog.com's medical
expert? Tweet The Fight Doctor via @FightMedicine.
Round 1
Photo:
Keith Mills/Sherdog.com
Talamantes couldn't handle McGeary's
powerful punching.
Talamantes comes forward with an immediate takedown but McGeary
fights it off, landing a few punches. Talamantes pushes against the
cage again but McGeary again fights him off. McGeary's kick is
caught and he is taken to the ground. A scramble ensues and
Talamantes looks for a triangle followed by an omoplata. McGeary
nails his foe with a brutal elbow from bottom and Talamantes looks
to pull out of his position. McGeary follows him up and lands a
right hand that staggers his opponent down to the floor. After he
lands a hard shot on his fallen foe, referee Bill Bookwalter jumps
in and stops the bout just 78 seconds into the first round.
Round 1
Van Artsdalen comes forward kicking and Roddy follows up with a
right that lands. Two more snapping kicks land for Van Artsdalen.
Roddy trips him up but he gets up in time to push Roddy up against
the fence. Van Artsdalen lands a few knees, but Roddy fights his
underhook attempts. The two are stalled along the wall for a few
moments with little action. Van Artsdalen finally gets rolling with
a few knees to the body, but they ultimately remain stalled on the
fence. Finally the pair disengage and Roddy comes out swinging. He
lands a body kick followed by a right hand. Van Artsdalen swings
for a big right hook but hits only air. Roddy nails his foe in the
groin and the bout is stopped momentarily. After a brief respite,
they resume fighting and Roddy lands a clean hook that awakens the
crowd. Van Artsdalen responds with a quick takedown but allows
Roddy to get up. He goes for another takedown and Roddy snakes his
arm under his chin in an attempted guillotine. He rolls for an
anaconda choke but Van Artsdalen ends up on top. He goes himself
for a north-south choke but is unable to complete it. The two
fighters scramble to their feet and Roddy nails a spinning back
kick right at the bell.Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Roddy
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Van Artsdalen
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Roddy
Round 2
Van Artsdalen dives for a single-leg takedown, but Roddy again goes
for a guillotine choke. Van Artsdalen goes to the ground with him
and is able to quickly get out of Roddy's follow-up armbar attempt.
Van Artsdalen grabs for a kimura but like a cat, Roddy throws up
another armbar from the bottom. He lands this one tight and coaxes
the tap at 1:04 of the second round.
Round 1
Hess clips Martinez off of a lazy leg kick, tripping up the
Philly-based fighter. Hess tries to pounce, but Martinez quickly
finds his feet, negotiates in the clinch and lands some knees to
the face before breaking away. Martinez throws a hard body kick and
Hess catches it, but bulling forward only allows Martinez to get
free and drill him with more knees. Hess lands a few pawing hooks
from the outside before ripping off a spinning wheel kick which
gets stuck by Martinez's shoulder. He drives Hess to the ground off
of the kick and pounds away from guard. Martinez lands rights and
lefts en route to getting to half guard. Hess tries to kick
Martinez away, but Martinez is back on him in a heartbeat, first
into half guard, then side control, then taking knee-on-belly.
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Martinez menaced Hess from the top.
Hess is grappling frantically to not give us dominant position. He
shrimps back to half guard and gets locked up in a kimura from
Martinez. Martinez tries to turn it to a straight armbar, then ues
it to pass to side. He clings to the kimura, threatening with a
farside armbar, then takes mount. Awesome grappling from Will
Martinez. When Hess tries to push his man down to reclaim guard,
Martinez unloads two massive right hooks that separate Hess from
consciousness. Two more haymakers get in before Gasper Oliver can
intervene at 4:15 of the first round.
Round 1
Rivera opens up with active kicking, cracking Kelleher to the legs
and body. Rivera steps in and flurries on “Boom Boom,” who clinches
and runs Rivera across the cage. Rivera turns him around and puts
him on the fence momentarily before opting to reset standing.
Rivera potshots from the outside until Kellher shoots in on a
single, pushing Rivera to the cage again. Rivera again turns him
around, banging him to the body with right hands and landing knees
to the body. Rivera steps away again, feints on the feet, prompting
another Kelleher takedown attempt. Rivera easily turns him around
once again then finishes a double-leg of his own. Kelleher pops
back up but eats some Rivera lefts for his efforts. Kelleher shoots
in again at the bell and gets stuffed.Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Round 2
Rivera sneaks a few right hands in before thwarting another
Kelleher takedown rush. Kelleher fires a wild overhand left and
shoots again, not even in Rivera's area code. The Tiger Schulmann
fighter nearly takes Kelleher's back before pushing him back into
the cage. They separate and Rivera establishes his left jab,
keeping Kelleher away from wild takedowns with his lead hand.
Rivera starts to work his kicks again, prompting the tired Kelleher
to barrel forward for another shot. Rivera easily defends again and
puts him on the fence once more. After grinding away with no real
offense, Rivera gets in on a double-leg takedown with uner 30
seconds to go and again dumps his man on the mat late before the
bell.
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rivera
Round 3
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Rivera put Kelleher in 'wrestler mode'
early in the fight.
“The Terror” starts with his jab again, stabbing it out and landing
a left hook-right hook combo behind it. Rivera works his hands ably
until Kelleher unloads a wild uppercut that drops Rivera to a knee.
Rivera clinches and quickly recovers, responding quickly with hooks
of his own. More clinching ensues along the cage, both men landing
hard with knees. They separate briefly, but winging hooks force the
two fighters back to one another, initiating another battle of
over-unders along the cage. Kelleher drives for another takedown,
only to be rebuffed for the umpteenth time by Rivera. Rivera lands
short shots in close before dropping for another late-round
double-leg takedown.Kelleher defends, throwing knees to the head and body. Rivera
abandons that tactic, flurrying with hooks and tackling Kelleher to
the mat again. Rivera is able to claim top position but it is too
late to do anything with it.
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Kelleher (29-28
Rivera)
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Kelleher (29-28 Rivera)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kelleher (29-28 Rivera)
Official result: Judge Eric Colon has it 30-27,
while judges Michael Barry and Vincent Sinclair see it 29-28 for
the winner by unanimous decision, Jimmie Rivera.
Round 1
Nover throws a high kick that is blocked by Horcher. Nover shoots
from too far outside and Horcher easily defends. Nover changes
levels for a takedown again, and Horcher sprawls and drives his man
against the fence. Horcher landes a couple knees and foot stomps as
Nover looks for an inside trip. Nover turns and presses Horcher
into the cage, but they quickly reverse position again. Not a lot
of action from this position, save for the occasional foot stomp
and knee from Horcher. Finally, a restart is ordered and they
resume in the center of the cage. Nover with a kick to the body.
Nover moves forward with a straight right tha lands. Horcher grabs
a body lock and drives his foe into the fence. Nover fends off a
single leg attempt from Horcher with just more than 10 seconds
remaining. Neither man lands anything significant as the round
expires.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-10
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Round 2
Nover begins the round circling on the outside, throwing kicks.
Nover shoots, looks for a high crotch and gets the takedown. Nover
moves into side control, where he establishes a wide base. Nover
stays heavy on top, landing short strikes and elbows. Horcher
attempts to cage walk, and he regains guard. Nover unloads with
heavy ground-and-pound and knocks Horcher's mouthpiece out. Without
the aid of the referee, Horcher quickly grabs the mouthguard and
puts it back in. Nover, meanwhile, continues to land punches from
above. Horcher attempts to stall his opponent with a body lock from
bottom. Nover is patient, landing periodic punches to the body
while attempting to advance position. Horcher with a few short
punches from his back, but Nover has controlled the majority of the
frame. Nover steps into half guard. Horcher has a cut on his
forehead. Nover looks for a neck crank finish with approximately 10
seconds remaining, but Horcher is able to survive.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Nover
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Nover
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nover
Round 3
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Nover's kicks were the only real
offense against Horcher.
Nover lands a roundhouse kick to the body as he slowly circles on
the outside. Horcher responds with a head kick and a left hand, so
Nover rips back with a harder head kick. The pace slows again as
Nover circles to his left, staying conservative. A weak double-leg
attempt from Nover is brushed off and Horcher pushes him into the
cage. As Horcher drives in, Nover gets position on an arm-in
guillotine but doesn't dedicate himself to the choke. The unbeaten
Horcher keeps pushing for a single-leg takedown. Horcher idly knees
Nover to the thighs while angling for his single but after the lull
stretches on, referee Gasper Oliver separates the lightweights.Nover's right roundhouse kick to the body lands with a smack again
and he circles out. Nover lands another right body kick and nearly
eats Horcher's left hand. Horcher runs Nover into the cage again
with a minute to fight. The bout comes to a fitting finish: neither
man shows any urgency as the seconds count down until Nover
suddenly dumps Horcher on the mat with too little time to land
anything.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Nover (30-28 Nover)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Nover (30-28 Nover)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Nover (30-28 Nover)
Official result: Judges Michael Barry and Vincent
Sinclair agree with scores of 30-27, while Cardo Urso sees the
contest 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Phillipe
Nover.
Round 1
Brooks and DeBlass throw long punches to start. Brooks clips
DeBlass with a right, prompting a DeBlass clinch. The New Jersey
native locks up a guillotine standing and jumps it quickly. Brooks
takes his time and pops his head out when DeBlass goes all the way
down to the mat and into guard. Brooks frees himself from the UFC
veteran's guard and allows him to stand up. Brooks immediately
lands a spinning back kick and starts popping his jab in DeBlass'
face. DeBlass steps inside and absorbs a hard knee to the body.
Brooks can't stop his opponent's momentum, however, as DeBlass runs
him into the fence and looks for a single. Brooks defends and
DeBlass steps away. Brooks starts landing his left low kick inside
on DeBlass, so DeBlass runs him back into the fence. Brooks throws
a knee that strays low on DeBlass, but referee Bill Bookwalter sees
it and gives DeBlass his respite. Upon resumption, DeBlass
struggles to get past Brooks' long, powerful jab. DeBlass gets
underneath it and runs Brooks to the fence again, but still can't
take him down. Brooks separates and continues probing with the jab
until the bell rings.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
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Brooks was content to let the ringside
doc call it for him.
Brooks' jab is instantly on display again as DeBlass tries to leg
kick his way into the standup. The Tiger Schulmann fighter just
keeps his lead left hand going, tagging DeBlass whenever he's in
range. Both men take turns swiping with hooks that hit only air.
DeBlass times a single-leg shot well and quickly wrangles Brooks to
the ground, but “Shake and Bake” shrimps his way back to the fence,
looking to slide up the cage. Brooks can't get up, so he closes his
guard and overhooks both of DeBlass' arms, hoping for a standup.
DeBlass stays busy with short elbows. DeBlass isn't really beating
Brooks up, but he's consistently landing punches to the body and
elbows over the top.Brooks seems relatively lost as to how to stop DeBlass. A left
overhand from DeBlass clocks Brooks in the eye. Brooks squints as
DeBlass punches and elbows away until the bell.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 DeBlass
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 DeBlass
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 DeBlass
Just before the third round is set to begin, referee Bill
Bookwalter calls for the ringside physicians to examine Brooks'
right eye. The doctor asks Brooks if he can continue fighting and
despite an affirmative answer from Brooks, Brooks seems uncertain
about continuing. The ringside physician calls the bout and Brooks
does not protest. Tom DeBlass is the winner by doctor's stoppage
after the second round.
Round 1
Both fighters come out southpaw. Goodrige comes forward and Oropeza
responds with a leg kick.Goodridge catches a kick and takes Oropeza
down. Goodridge lands a series of right hands to the face as
Oropeza attempts to get to his feet.Goodridge lands an accidental
groin shot with a knee as he presses his opponent against the cage.
After a brief recovery period they resume, but an inside leg kick
from Goodridge catches Oropeza in the cup. Oropeza gets another
rest period, but a point is not taken. Oropeza lands a kick under
Goodridge's armpit. Goodridge lands a takedown, but Oropeza gets up
and they separate and return to the center of the cage. Oropeza
lands a spinning back fist. Goodridge has given up on the leg kicks
for now. Oropeza grabs a body lock and throws a knee. Goodridge
turns him around. They break away and Goodridge throws a jab and a
front kick. Right hook from Goodridge finds a home. Oropeza moves
forward. Oropeza throws a high kick. Both fighters are throwing one
strike at a time and then backing off. Goodridge gets a final
takedown just before the bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Goodridge
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Goodridge
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Goodridge
Round 2
Goodridge comes out firing his jab, mixing in kicks to the body.
Oropeza responds with an outside leg kick. They exchange leg kicks,
but neither man is committing to combinations. Goodridge, though,
is continuing to find a home for his lead jab, then moving back out
of danger. Oropeza presses forward, and Goodridge grabs a body lock
and pushes his adversary into the fence. They separate and Oropeza
lands a one-two combo.
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Referee Bill Bookwalter botched the
Oropeza-Goodridge stoppage.
Oropeza is bleeding from the nose thanks to Goodridge's effective
jab. Oropeza lands another leg kick. Goodridge catches a kick,
Oropeza tries to jump out of his opponent's grip, but he is taken
down. Oropeza is attempting to move from a front headlock position
to Goodridge's back. He can't quite get there, but he begins
pounding away with a series of short, unanswered elbows. Goodridge
appears to still be driving to finish a takedown attempt, but the
bout is stopped by referee Bill Bookwalter as Oropeza continues to
land elbows and hammerfists. Goodridge is shocked and visibly upset
by the stoppage.Meanwhile, Oropeza is unable to place any weight on his right leg
at the bout's conclusion. The official time of the controversial
stoppage is 4:22 for the winner by TKO, Sam Oropeza.
Round 1
Good comes out moving forward, throwing and landing right hands.
They tie up and Good unloads some solid shots to the body. They
trade knees in close quarters. Rivera is throwing knees and
uppercuts with his back to the fence. For now, it's a dirty boxing
battle. Good with a couple hard uppercuts, and he keeps Rivera's
back to the cage. Rivera is finding a home for short uppercuts as
well. They continue to trade knees and short punches in tight, but
it appears that Good has a slight edge thus far. One minute remains
in the stanza, and both Good and Rivera appear content to battle in
close quarters. “Cyborg” looks for a single leg as the round winds
down, then throws a big right hand after the takedown attempt
fails.Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Good
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Good
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Good
Round 2
Good moves forward immediately, throws a high kick and ties up
Rivera against the fence once again. Good doing a solid job of
landing knees and punches to the body. Rivera responds with an
elbow over the top, then the TUF alum with a knee to the gut. Good
appears to stagger Rivera with a knee to the body of his own. The
grueling battle against the fence continues, and Rivera is still
content to fight with his back to the cage. Good with short punches
to the body, and Rivera responds with knees. Rivera lands another
solid knee from the Thai plum. Good changes levels and gets a
takedown with 20 seconds to go. Rivera lands a few left hands from
his back as time expires.
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Good
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Good
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Good
Round 3
It takes about 15 seconds before the two competitors are engaged
against the fence again, with Good in the familiar position of
pushing his man against the cage. More short punches and the
occasional knee from Good. Good's strength allows him to control
the position. He continues to stay busy with his short knees and
punches.Rivera's output seems to have slowed somewhat, but Good
continues to apply heavy pressure. Good with a knee to the groin,
but Rivera doesn't want a rest and they go right back to the
clinch. Rivera attempts to fire off some more punches, but it's too
little too late. Good opens up with heavy knees and punches as the
round draws to a close. They break away and Good misses a high kick
as the bell sounds.
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Good (30-27 Good)
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Good (30-27 Good)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Good (30-27 Good)
Official result: Judges Eric Colon and Tony
Tamburrino score the bout 30-27 while Cardo Urso reckons it 29-28,
all for the winner by unanimous decision, Lyman Good.
Round 1
Parisyan advances on Hawn with a right hand, prompting the first
clinch between the two judo standouts. They exchange over-unders
until Hawn throws a knee to the body on the break. Unfortunately,
the knee strays a bit low on Parisyan, prompting a brief stop from
referee Gasper Oliver. Hawn is patiently sticking his jab out while
Parisyan trots forward with his hands high. Parisyan feints high
and kicks Hawn in the legs, so Hawn responds with a low kick of his
own. Hawn whizzes wide with an overhand right and Parisyan nearly
trips his foot out as he throws. Hawn is nearly knocked off balance
again seconds later by a Parisyan right cross. Very tentative start
so far for Hawn. Hawn throws another lunging overhand right with no
set-up and just hits the air. Two low kicks land for Parisyan, but
the retreating Hawn says one caught him low and so he now gets a
break. On the restart, very little changes. Parisyan steps forward,
cautiously kicking and picking his shots while Hawn throws wild,
inacurrate punches. With seconds to go in the period, Hawn tags
Parisyan with a right head kick – the best strike of the round –
and rushes him with hooks, pushing him back to the cage at the
bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hawn
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Hawn
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Hawn
Round 2
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Parisyan not happy Hawn introduced him
to referee Gasper Oliver
The second round is marked early by lots of jabbing and pawing. A
solid 60 seconds passes without much substantial action until Hawn
cracks Parisyan clean with an overhand right that stops the
Armenian in his tracks briefly. Parisyan keeps advancing, gauging
the distance with jabs and low kicks. Hawn explodes again with a
long right cross. It rocks Parisyan's head back and “Genghis” is in
conquering mode, roaring forward with both hands. A hard right
drops Parisyan to his knees and Hawn hammerfists the downed fighter
until Gasper Oliver intervenes at 1:55 of the second frame.
Parisyan protests the stoppage to Oliver to no avail.Bellator Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Final:
Doug
Marshall vs. Brett
Cooper
Round 1
Marshall is bobbing and weaving inside early, throwing heavy hooks
with both hands. He touches Cooper with his right hand, then lands
a hard slate of inside low kicks. Cooper scores with his own right
hand, slowing Marshall momentarily. After 30 seconds of exchanging,
Cooper changes levels and runs Marshall to the mat. Cooper gets to
half guard, but Marshall smartly uses the cage to stand up. Cooper
drives him into the cage again, scoops and elevates him.
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Marshall provided yet another 'knock
dead' in the 185-pound tourney final.
“Fudoshin” has top position again, peppering “The Rhino” against
the cage, but Marshall looks to tie him up and slip up the cage
again. Marshall gets back to his feet and uses his leg to block
Cooper's trip attempts. Immediately upon separation, Marshall
starts getting aggressive from his crouch stance. He crushes a
rocket right hook through Cooper's jaw. Cooper collapses to the
mat, but the ever-predatory Marshall gets in one more dramatic,
diving punch beforee referee Bill Bookwalter can rescue Cooper. A
sensational knockout win by Doug Marshall comes at 3:39 of the
first round and makes him the Bellator Season 8 middlweight
tournament champion.
Round 1
Both Richman and Khasbulaev get busy with powerful crosses and low
kicks, just glancing their target. “Frodo” goes for back-to-back
spinning back kicks, not landing flush on either. A Khasbulaev
takedown is easily tossed aside. The pace slows a bit as Richman
assumes the center of the cage, popping the Russian with a hard
left cross. Khasbulaev comes right back with an overhand left and
leg kicks. It's “Frodo” giving chase now, crowding Richman and
swarming with punches and kicks. Richman tries to land short
right-hand leads on Khasbulaev to slow his advance. Overhand right
smacks Khasbulaev, and he smacks right back with one of his own.
Another clean left for Richman. Very tightly contested striking
contest so far, with each man answering the other's strike.
One-two-body kick for Khasbulaev scores and then he goes inside
with two right leg kicks. Overhand right lands again for Khasbulaev
and Richman's left eye is starting to show some extra color. Right
hands and body kicks remain the steady offense for Khasbulaev until
the bell.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev
Round 2
Richman is the man coming forward to start the second round,
landing his powerful left straights. Again, the Dagestani fighter
goes to his overhand right, catching Richman of balance despite the
disparity in reach. Richman's left has now drawn blood around
Khasbulaev's right eye. Khasbulaev has a few cursory takedown
attempts shrugged off until landing a nice kneepick on Richman.
“Frodo” can't keep him down, however, as Richman quickly scoots to
his feet. Khasbulaev gets in on a single and drives Richman back to
the cage, but “The Marine” defends and pummels him a bit for his
efforts. Another body kick and another weakened shot from the
outside from Khasbulaev, which Richman rebuffs. Richman's right jab
is now finding Khasbulaev's face. Richman unloads a hard left to
the body that puts Khasbulaev on the mat. Richman dives into his
guard, but Khasbulaev does well to tie him up, prompting the
Minnesotan to let him stand before the bell.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Richman
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Richman
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Richman
Round 3
Khasbulaev is takedown-minded from the outset, quickly shooting a
double on Richman. He gets stuffed, but stays married to the idea,
pushing a single-leg takedown on Richman and driving him to the
cage wall. “Frodo” sucks him off of his feet but just for a moment
as the Minnesotan gets right back up. The southpaw Richman backs up
the tiring Khasbulaev with his jab, but can't land heavy with his
left hand behind it. Khasbulaev tries to limber up, bouncing on his
toes as Richman continues to stalk him. Switch-step Superman punch
lands for Khasbulaev, but Richman comes right back with a clean
one-two. Two minutes to go and it's still anyone's fight.
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
'Frodo' kept his bloody eyes on the prize.
Khasbulaev continues to throw his left hand and body kicks, but
Richman is walking through them with punches of his own. “The
Marine” digs to the body with another hard left hook. Khasbulaev
shoots and Richman tries to time him with a knee, but ends up
eating the canvas. He covers up to avoid any punishment from
“Frodo” and gets back to his feet again with a minute to fight.
Richman lands a left hook and stuffs another double-leg attempt,
but Khasbulaev cracks him on the way up. Right hands land for both
men. Khasbulaev reaches with an overhand right, Richman kicks him
to the body and the bell rings.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev (29-28
Khasbulaev)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev (29-28
Khasbulaev)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Khasbulaev (29-28
Khasbulaev)
Official result: All three judges -- Eric Colon,
Tony Tamburrino and Cardo Urso -- score the bout 30-27 for the
winner by decision, Magomedrasul Khasbulaev. Khasbulaev wins
Bellator's Season 8 featherweight tournament.
Round 1
Photo: K.
Mills/Sherdog.com
Curran sent 'Sha' to la-la land quickly.
Curran shoots a quick double and Shamhalaev sprawls. Curran ducks
under, cuts the corner and locks up a lightning-fast guillotine.
Shamhalaev's nearside arm is actually caught in the guillotine as
well. Despite the awkward position, the choke looks tight and
Curran is just torquing the Dagestani fighter's head. Referee Keith
Peterson sees the challenger go limp and immediately halts the
fight. Shamhalaev is unconscious for a moment, but upon gaining his
wits, is furious to find the bout has been stopped. The beautiful
submission caps Curran's second successful title defense at 2:38 of
the first round.