Welterweight Tournament Semi-final Bouts
170 lbs. – Jorge Ortiz (170 lbs.) v. Lyman Good (171 lbs.)
170 lbs. – Omar De La Cruz (169 lbs.) v. Dave Menne (171 lbs.)
Non-tournament Bouts
170 lbs. – Anthony Lapsley (171 lbs.) v. Ryan Williams (170 lbs.)
170 lbs. – Jacob Volkman (171 lbs.) v. Kevin Knabjian (171 lbs.)
135 lbs. – Leslie Smith (136 lbs.) v. Kerry Vera (136 lbs.)
170 lbs. – Deray Davis (171 lbs.) v. Jesse Juarez (171.5 lbs.)
155 lbs. – Alonzo Martinez (157 lbs.) v. Victor Meza (156 lbs.)
HW – Jay White (259 lbs.) v. Eddie Sanchez (231 lbs.)
155 lbs. – Troy Gerhart (155.5 lbs.) v. Lorenzo Borgomeo (154 lbs.)
At my table. The production crew is doing a run through. Quite excited. Every seat is up against the cage.
Video packages are kicking off. We are a go.
Note: Bjorn Rebney, CEO of Bellator, was nice enough to stop by before the co-main event. The second season of Bellator is slated for late September and they are aiming to air the fights same-day. An announcement about an English language partnership is scheduled for the next 30 days.
Concerning Bellator IX, the card on May 29th in Montreal which had to be moved to Monroe, Louisiana, Rebney said the reason for the commission's concern rested on the shape of the cage. The size of the cage or any other part of it was not an issue, only the circular shape and how it was feared such a shape would change structural capabilities. In fairness to those in the tourney who had fought in Bellator's circular cage, the decision to not use a different shape and to move the card was made.
Bellator's first card at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida was close, but this was Bellator's first sellout. However, as you can see from the pictures in the extended entry, the arena is intimate.
Anthony Lapsley vs. Ryan Williams.
Round 1. Here we go. Lapsley comes out in a ski mask and Full Tilt Poker hat. Williams comes to the cage with a walk-in of about 20 feet. Lapsley praying in his corner, now smiling. Touch of gloves. Lapsley swings hard with his left. Fighters clinch against the cage with Williams working for a takedown. Anthony tries a guillotine. It fails and both are on their feet. Lapsley has Williams back standing briefly. Lapsley working for takedown, but Williams is able to fend it off and grab a single. Williams on top of Lapsley in a loose half guard. Scramble. Williams ends up on top. Lapsley up. Lapsley with a nice elbow from the clinch. Williams with Lapsley against the cage again. Round ends. Williams 10-9.
Round 2. Lapsley looking for the knockout. Williams grabs a single. Scramble. Lapsley has William's back standing. Williams throws his opponent off and ends up on top. Lapsley looking for a kimura from a loose half guard. Scramble. Lapsley in Williams' full guard. Lapsley working Williams across the floor to the cage. Williams tries to get up, but Lapsley takes his back as well as the choke.
Anthony Lapsley wins via submission at 4:22 of Round 2.
Jacob Volkman vs. Kevin Knabjian:
Round 1. Quickly on to the second fight of the evening. Clay Guida comes out with Kevin. Volkman gets booed when announced. Chicago chears the hometown Knabjian. Volkman eager to start and takes the center of the cage. Jacob takes Kevin down. Scramble to the feet. Knabjian with his back against the cage. Volkman takes Kevin down to side control. Volkman in the crucifix with Knabjian squirming ineffective. Jacob back to side control. Few strikes. Volkman switches to mount. Too aggresive and back to side, then knee on belly, then mount again. Too wild and Knabjian ends up in Volkman's guard. End of round. Volkman 10-9.
Round 2. Volkman again in side control. Some effective elbows. Volkman looking for an arm, but back to side. Knee on belly to half guard. Ref does not see Knabjian tapping right away to arm triangle choke. Knabjian had nothing from his back.
Jacob Volkman wins via submission at 1:42 of Round 2.
Leslie Smith vs. Kerry Vera:
Round 1. Crowd seems to like the women. Mrs. Vera is cheered the 20 feet to the cage. I don't see Mr. Vera in her corner. Vera received better in the introduction. Here we go. Vera wiith a taped over sponsor on her shorts. Smith with the Thai clinch, breaks and then swings wild. Vera catches a hard left. Crown loves the exchange. Smith probing with the leg kick. Smith with a knee, misses with a spinning back kick. Vera with a 1-2. Leslie Smith eats a left hook. Followed by a stiff right. Smith continues to push forward. She misses with a head kick. Vera connects between the wild kicks of Smith, pushes smith against the cage. Vera exits with a wild elbow which does not connect. Round ends. Smith was moving forward the whole round and had cage control, but Kerry Vera takes the round 10-9 with the her strikes.
Round 2. Vera connects with a hard leg kick. Smith with a spinning back fist which connects with a slap. Smith looks to be enjoying her second pro fight. Smith pushing forward and misses with two kicks. Vera is waiting for them now and countering off them. Another hard leg kick by Kerry. Vera drops Smith with a right after taking a kick. Smith is back up. Blood is coming from Vera's nose. Exchange of leg kicks. Round ends. Vera takes Round 2 10-9.
Round 3. Last round. Crowd is the loudest it has been so far. I am hearing this is Bellator's first sellout. Smith again pushes forward. Vera turns her opponent with a kick to her leg. There is nothing on Smith's kicks any more. Vera is the fresher fighter. Vera switching between the push kick and a digging right leg kick and coming in with a combo after. Last ten seconds. Vera comes in looking to draw blood, connects as the round ends. 10-9 Vera. Brandon Vera is taking pictures of his wife.
Official result: Kerry Vera wins via unanimous dec: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Deray Davis vs. Jesse Juarez:
Round 1. There is no lag time between fights. Deray Davis does the 20 foot walk in with Eminem on the speaker and what can only be named a star mohawk on his skull. Think Chuck Liddell with cookie cutter, two-tone stars. Davis also has a colored goatee. He gets a mixed reception. Here we go. Juarez starts slow and then explodes to muscle a takedown to Davis' halfguard. Juarez slips to side control. Davis scrambles for a single leg. Jesse spins and takes Deray's back. Has one hook in against the cage. Juarez peppers the sides of Deray's head and sinks in the second hook. Davis is flattened out for a brief period. Deray cannot shake Juarez. The round ends with Juarez on his back. 10-9 Jesse Juarez.
Round 2. Deray Davis is kicked below the belt after the round begins. Juarez jumps in with a knee that misses. Davis clinches up but is taken down soon after. Davis tries a modified rubber guard, looks for a triangle and gets dropped out of it for his trouble. Juarez again takes Davis' back. One hook in with both fighters against the cage. Davis defends the choke but does nothing to improve his position. Juarez with both hooks in now donkey konging the sides of Davis' head until the ref calls it. The strikes were not punishing, but Deray Davis had no reply.
Jesse Juarez wins via TKO at 4:47 of Round 2.
Alonzo Martinez vs. Victor Meza:
Round 1. Martinez connects with a right, pushes Meza against the cage. They break. Meza with Martinez against the cage. Martinez is on the receiving end of a knee to the groin. Martinez finds a home for two leg kicks, a stronger third. Meza tries two head kicks while Martinez beckons him on. Martinez is really digging into the thigh of Meza. They exchange hard hooks to the head. Meza clinches Martinez against the cage. Knee to the body of Martinez. Martinez with a takedown into butterfly guard. Meza sweeps Martinez as the round ends and stands up. Martinez 10-9.
Round 2. They both swing wild with Martinez getting the better connections. Meza with an over-under on Martinez against the cage. Martinez with another takedown into butterfly guard. Martinez moves into half guard and now full mount. Meza tries to escape but Martinez takes his back and finishes with a RNC,
Alonzo Martinez wins via submission at 2:43 of Round 2.
Jay White vs. Eddie Sanchez:
Round 1. Time for the heavies. Here we go. White gets hit with a right uppercut as he goes for a takedown/ drops. Sanchez stuffs it and fires away at the side of Jay White's head. Fight is called.
Eddie Sanchez wins via KO at :10 of Round 1.
Eddie Sanchez has the fastest win in Bellator history. Jason Chambers in the ring with Sanchez to talk about the victory.
Troy Gerhart vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo:
Round 1. Last fight before the 170 Semi-Finals. Troy Gerhart rushes in for a takedown and muscles Lorenzo around the edge of the cage. Gerhart lands in a loose half guard. Borgomeo takes the opportunity from a few Gerhart bombs to transition to full guard. Gerhart now in side control. Gerhart not using his position for strikes. Back to half guard. Borgomeo has a open half guard. Round ends with no action other than Gerhart's positional dominance. Gerhart 10-9.
Round 2. There is no doubt where Gerhart is looking to put this fight. Borgomeo cannot defend the single leg and Gerhart is now in his full guard. Borgomeo with a high guard but can secure nothing. Crowd is growing restless. They are stood up. Troy Gerhart is entering exchanges with his chin high but Borgomeo cannot capitalize. Gerhart misses on two shots from the outside. The third shot takes Borgomeo back to the ground. Gerhart once again in full guard, now side control. With 10 seconds left Gerhart looks to mount but gets stuck in half guard. Gerhart 10-9.
Round 3. Borgomeo will need to end this on the feet. He tries for the head kick, but again is unable to defend the shot as Gerhart transitions to half guard. Four minutes left. Three minutes left. Loud boos. Two minutes left. There is nothing keeping Gerhart in half guard. More boos. They are stood up. Borgomeo with a weak head kick. He is again taken down. Gerhart with some knees from side control. Fight ends. 10-9 Troy Gerhart.
Official result: Troy Gerhart wins via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3).
Troy Gerhart is now 5-0.
Jorge Ortiz vs. Lyman Good:
Round 1. Lyman Good looks huge. From the clinch, both fights exchange knees. Good with a flury with Ortiz against the cage. Back into the clinch. They disengage and Lyman Good finds a home for a leg kick. Lyman fluries again to push Ortiz into the cage. Jorge clinches to stop the attack. Both parties now trade single strikes in the center of the ring. Lyman again comes in with a flury of hooks accompanied by a knee as the round comes to a close. Ortiz is game, but Lyman Good takes the round 10-9.
Round 2. Ortiz is trying to find a home for his jab. Lyman ducks under and takes Jorge down, landing in side control. Good using intermittent knees to the side of Ortiz. Loud boos. They are stood up with a minute left in the second round. Lyman charges with more wild hooks, some connect. Ortiz peddles backward. They end up with Good on top on the ground. They bring a doctor in to look at a cut above Jorge Ortiz's right eye as soon as it hits the floor. The fight is called.
Lyman Good wins via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 4:37 of Round 2.
Lyman Good is now in the Welterweight finals June 12th.
Shonie Carter walks in front of press row.
Jason Chambers brings Good's mother into the cage. Jason Chambers says he is looking forward to watching Lyman Good face the winner of the next fight.
Omar De La Cruz vs. Dave Menne:
Round 1. Last fight of the night. Menne runs his way at Cruz and brings him into the clinch. Cruz fails a takedown attempt with Menne landing in full guard. Cruz briefly brings his legs up for high guard. Cruz catches a strong knee on his way back up. Menne is dropped, struggles up, and then is taken down by Cruz. Wicked, brutal punches from Cruz standing over Menne. Menne finds his way to his feet, but is still rocked. He gets dropped quickly with a right. The fight is stopped. Menne is cut under his left eye.
Omar De La Cruz wins via TKO at 3:19 of the Round 1.
Cruz moves to 5-1 and will face 9-0 Lyman Good in the finals.
