Bellator 119 results: Weichel submits Green to win Season 10 featherweight tourney
Daniel Weichel is Bellator MMA’s Season 10 featherweight tournament champion.
Weichel submitted Desmond Green to win the eight-man competition and secure a title shot against champ Pat Curran in the headliner of Bellator 119, which took place Friday at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada.
“I have almost no words,†Weichel said afterward. “This is a dream come true.â€
The finish came at the 2:07 mark of the second round after Weichel repeatedly rocked Green with punches and then took his back to secure a rear-naked choke.
A fast right hook set Green on a downhill slope after a spirited first round which saw both fighters score with punches.
Weichel, though, landed the most significant strike, forcing Green to dive for a takedown and clear his head. While he escaped danger the first time, another flurry of punches sent him to the mat and allowed Weichel to secure the position that set up a choke.
“We always try to go for the finish, and when I see the opportunity, I go for it,†said Weichel (33-8 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), a former M-1 champ who made his Bellator debut with the Season 10 tourney and won three straight fights. He now has won his past five overall, while Green (11-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) sees a three-fight streak snapped.
John Alessio gets first win in two years in action-light bout
In a largely forgettable bout, lightweight veteran John Alessio did most of the work against Eric Wisely, and that wasn’t very much.
The pair snoozed their way to the scorecards in a bout with little action over 15 minutes, with Alessio emerging with a unanimous decision on scorecards. All three judges scored the bout 30-27.
Wisely did little to engage Alessio over three rounds, spending most of the bout circling away from the veteran and occasionally throwing a leg kick. When he wasn’t avoiding a firefight, Wisely was dominated on the ground, where the bout stayed for much of the first and third frames. Alessio’s ground and pound was the most decisive part of the bout.
The Canadian veteran gets his first win in two years after a third UFC stint kicked off a skid that caused him to lose three of four fights. Alessio (35-17 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) could get another shot at a Bellator tourney after a bid for the Season 9 crown ended in disappointment.
Zaromskis cruises in Bellator return
Tournament veteran Marius Zaromskis systematically dismantled Vaughn Anderson in deep waters, though a scare in the first gave him enough pause to stay away from the wild flurries he favored in his earlier career.
Zaromskis took home 30-27 scorecards on two judges’ scorecards, though one judge gave Anderson a round for dropping the Lithuanian veteran with a right hand in the most competitive frame of the fight.
As the fight went into the second and third round, though, Anderson was increasingly less effective as Zaromskis landed a persistent straight left and then began to work his way up the body with kicks. By the final frame, Anderson could barely stand from taking so many shots to his lead leg.
Zaromskis (20-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) returned to the winner’s column after losing two straight in the Bellator cage, including a decision to Brent Weedman in the Season 8 competition. Anderson (16-2-1 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) suffered his second loss in as many tries in the promotion.
Illegal headbutt leads to majority draw in main-card opener
Heavyweight Raphael Butler dominated Nick Rossborough on the mat, and when for a brief moment he didn’t, he broke the rules in an attempt to turn the tables.
Although Butler dominated the latter half of the bout, an illegal headbutt nixed his advantage and led to a majority draw. Two judges saw the bout even at 28-28 while one gave the fight to Butler, 28-27.
Butler was docked a point in the main card opener’s first round when he threw a backward headbutt at Rossborough, who took his back after landing a big shot. Unfortunately, he was rewarded for his infraction when the referee restarted the fight in the standing position. Rossborough nearly turned the fight to his advantage when he landed a flurry of punches that put Butler on wobbly legs, but it would be his last gasp.
In the final two rounds, Rossborough labored exhaustedly on the mat while Butler pummeled him from top position, nearly completing a submission in the second frame. Rossborough flopped to the mat upon one last lazy hook and closed out the fight on his back.
Official Bellator 119 results include:
MAIN CARD RESULTS
Daniel Weichel def. Desmond Green via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:07
John Alessio def. Eric Wisely via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marius Zaromskis def. Vaughn Anderson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Raphael Butler vs. Nick Rossborough declared split draw (28-27, 28-28, 28-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
Stuart Austin def. Craig Hudson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:56
Marlon Sandro def. Chris Horodecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Brian Rogers def. Adrian Miles via KO (flying knee) – Round 2, 1:29
Jason Meisel def. Remy Bussieres via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Malcolm Gordon def. Chris Kelades via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Behrang Yousefi def. Chad Freeman via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:47
