On October 23rd, 2015, Bellator Mixed Martial
Arts (MMA) brought its brand of entertainment to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
CT. Fans filed in when the doors opened for the event that was set to go live
on Spike TV at 9:00pm. They were able to visit the fan experience station, and
even meet two of the company’s athletes: Kimbo Slice and Light Heavyweight
World Champion Liam McGeary.
My observations and match results:
Preliminary (Prelim) Fights
1. Lightweights: T.J.
Hepburn (4-1-0) vs. Sam Watford (0-0-0)-Watford
was making his debut, hoping for a victory over the more experienced Hepburn.
This fight went to a decision after 3 rounds, with the three judges ruling in
favor of Sam Watford.
2. Catchweights: Marius Enache (2-3-0) vs. Pete Rogers
(2-2-0)-Their two records differentiated by one loss, this match could have
gone either way. It went to two rounds, with Enache luring his opponent into an arm lock submission hold at 2:37.
3. Welterweights:
Jeremie Holloway (7-0-0) vs. Matt Secor
(6-2-0) - Matt Secor and Jeremie Holloway grappled on the mat throughout
the first round; the bell rung to end the round with both fighters having no
clear advantage over the other. Round 2 would be a different story as Matt
Secor zeroed in on Holloway’s ankle, applying pressure to the heel to force a
submission victory at 4:54.
4. Light
Heavyweights: Kevin Haley (3-3-0)
vs. Mike Zichelle (7-3-0)-Zichelle was
busted open by his eye during the bout, which presented Haley with an opening for
his onslaught. Though cut, Zichelle made Haley pay with punches and kicks of
his own. The fight went all 3 rounds and went to the judges’ decision. After
deliberation, the scores were as follows: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, all in favor of
the winner Kevin Haley.
5. Featherweights :
Matt Bessette (15-7-0) vs. Kevin
Roddy (15-15-0)-Both fighters circled one another, exchanging takedowns and
strikes. Bessette had to deflect Roddy’s air kicks while getting in a few shots
of his own to his opponent’s hamstrings. An Inverted Heel Lock put an end to the
fight as Kevin Roddy verbally tapped out at 3:47 of Round 1
6. Flyweights: Billy
Giovanella (8-4-0) vs. Brandon Polcare (1-0-0)-This match did not get out
of Round 1. Giovanella drew Polcare into the Triangle Choke submission, earning the victory at the 2:19 mark.
7. Bantamweights:
Kin Moy (7-2-0) vs. Walter
Smith-Cotito (3-3-0)-Mat-based grappling took place throughout the bout as Moy
tried to take down Smith-Cotito. Both
tried to establish a power base to varying degrees of success in the first two
rounds of the fight. Finally, Kin Moy
utilized a Rear-Naked Chokehold to
take down his opponent at 3:53 into Round 3.
Spike TV Live Broadcast
1. Welterweights:
Michael Page (8-0-0) vs. Charlie
Ontiveros (6-3-0)-In his Bellator Debut, Ontiveros went up against a quick
striker in Michael Page. Page took every opportunity to send his opponent into
the mat. The undefeated fighter viciously targeted his opponent’s head with
elbow shots until the ref ruled the contest a Technical Knock Out (TKO) in 3:20
of Round 1*Fight protocol was followed as Ontiveros was taken out on a
stretcher*
2. Featherweights:
Isao Kobayashi (17-2-4) vs. Goiti
Yamauchi (18-2-0) – Kobayashi was making his United States MMA Debut
against the Japanese Brazilian Yamauchi. This three round fight could be summed
up in exciting moments that saw the two men try to weaken the other with
submission holds and takedowns. At one point, Kobayashi was able to break out
the Kimura Lock, a move which placed his shoulder at an unnatural angle, by
twisting the affected arm out of the hold. As the fight wound down to the third
and final round, Yamauchi wrapped his legs around his opponent and applied the
Rear-Naked Chokehold for the win 3:50 of Round 3.
3. Welterweights: Dennis Olson (14-9-0)
vs. Brennan Ward (11-3-0)-Brennan
Ward was the local hero, an MMA athlete with an interest in skateboarding and
taking out opponents in the MMA cage. Dennis Olson was the one who did not care
about crowd reaction, flipping “the double bird” to anyone and everyone.
Olson’s attitude did not win him any cheers or sympathy. Ward
grappled with his opponent on the mat to establish a powerbase, but Olson
seemed to prefer the ground game. The ref halted this strategy, forcing the men
to restart the bout in the center of the ring. After the restart, Ward used
his impressive punches to slow down Olson. Olson had no defense for the brutal
assault and the ref ruled the fight a Round 1 Knock Out (KO) at the 4:37 mark.
4. Middleweight Title on the Line: Rafael
Carvalho (11-1-0) vs. Brandon Halsey (9-0-0)-After failing to make weight
for a fight, Brandon Halsey had the Middleweight Title taken away from him.
Halsey re-focused on earning back what was his, leading up to this night. Bellator gave him another chance to get his belt back against Rafael
Carvalho. Carvalho was a no-nonsense
opponent who vowed to end the bout quickly with his accurate strikes and
punches; after a kick to the liver and a follow-up punch to the head, Halsey went down 1:42
into Round 2. With the.Knock Out (KO) victory, Rafael Carvalho became the new Bellator Middleweight Champion.
Post-Live TV Fight Card
1. Catchweights: Keenan Raymond (2-1-0)
vs. Damien Trites (6-6-0)-Both
fighters had a tentative first round, each trying to gain an offensive
advantage over the other. Early into Round 2, Trites was able to put Raymond
into the Kimura Lock armbar; his opponent tapped out in 1:17 of that second round.
2.Welterweights:
Ilya Kotau (1-0-0) vs. Kemran Lachinov
(1-1-0)-Both utilized their grappling skills during the first
round. In Round 2, Kotau tapped out
after being put into a knee bar submission hold at 2:57.
Overall, it was a great night of MMA action. Every contest had
fighters that were willing to give their all with local fans, their friends,
and their family members in attendance.
Bellator can be seen on Spike TV. Check Spike TV’s website for
more information.
