By Paul Fontaine, Wrestling Observer
Welcome to our coverage of Bellator 135, live from Thackerville, OH, headlined by a bantamweight title fight, a former UFC veteran looking to regain his swagger, and a legend’s son once again looking to find his place in the sport.
Our main card begins at 9 PM EST on Spike TV:
And Spike TV’s Friday Night Lights Out is underway! Joe Warren gets in two profanities in the opening 20 seconds of the show and it looks like it’s gonna be a fun night. Our two first fighters are already in the ring so here we go…..
Ryan Couture def. Dakota Cochrane by 1st round submission (3:23)
Lightweights
Couture was 0-2 in UFC but the two losses were to Ross Pearson and Al Iaquinta so the record is better than it looks on paper. Cochrane has wins over Joe Stevenson, Efrain Escudero and Jamie Varner. Kerry Hatley is the ref. Let’s hope he doesn’t screw it up.
Couture right away went to a clinch on the cage and held Cochrane there for about two minutes before taking him down and getting his back. Couture got the rear naked choke with 1:45 left for the tap. That was Couture’s 3rd straight submission win. Couture didn’t say much in his post-match promo. “Hopefully some day I’ll get close to a title shot”
Joe Warren cut a promo hyping up the main event. “This cage is my home. He’s nothing. You’re coming into my home and you’re gonna get abused”.
Francis Carmont def. Guilherme Viana by u/d (29-28 x 3)
Light Heavyweights
This is Carmont’s first fight since being cut from UFC. Viana’s fighting for the first time outside Brazil and all of his wins have come by finish. John McCarthy is the ref.
Carmont looking good early on, mixing in kicks and punches really well. Viana hurt Carmont with a right 2:15 in but didn’t follow up. Viana stunned him with a left around 3:00 in but again didn’t follow up. Carmont controlling the round but Viana with the more significant strikes. Carmont went for a takedown but stuffed at 4:30. Viana got a takedown right before the round ended. 10-9 Viana
but really close, could go either way.
More of the same in Round 2 with Carmont just slowly stalking Viana around the cage but not doing much. He went for a takedown at 1:45 but Viana defended and ended up in control of a body lock on the cage. Viana just held him there for over a minute, doing nothing. Crowd booing and McCarthy finally separated them. Carmont knocked Viana with a seriies of punches and kicks. Carmont with an easy takedown and laying in ground and pound with elbows and punches but he looks tired. Easy 10-9 Carmont
Viana came out strong to start the round but Carmont with a takedown 45 seconds in. Jimmy has Carmont up two rounds and he could be. Viana swept Carmont and took his back and put on a rear naked choke at 1:30. Viana also with a body lock and held onto the choke for a long time but didn’t have it quite locked in. Carmont escaped at 3:45 and ended up on top in Viana’s guard. Carmont landed a few punches but basically just rode out the round. 10-9 Viana. All depends how you score Round 1. I have it 29-28 Viana.
– Really emotional video package for the next match where they told the story of LC Davis’ half-brother, who was murdered 18 months ago in a case that’s still unsolved. Davis broke up several times when talking about it. The package closed with a number to call if you have any tips on the unsolved murder.
LC Davis def. Hideo Tokoro by split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Bantamweights
Jason Herzog is the ref here. Tokoro opened with a flying kick that missed pretty badly. Tokoro actually fought Royce Gracie to a draw 10 years ago in Japan. Tokoro with a takedown at 1:30 but couldn’t hold Davis down. Tokoro pulled guard and went for a leg lock at 2:45 but Davis escaped back to his feet quickly. Davis totally dominating the striking on the feet, mostly with punches. Tokoro rocked Davis with a couple of punches right before the end of the round and Davis got a flash takedown. 10-9 Davis
Jimmy also scored it 10-9 Davis. Davis dropped Tokoro with a punch after a missed Superman punch. Davis pounced on him on the ground and Tokoro went for a heel hook but Davis escaped and took it back to the feet and a clinch on the cage. Davis hit him with a couple really hard punches and elbows from the clinch but Tokoro stayed on his feet. Davis with a takedown at 4:15 but Tokoro right back to his feet. Tokoro went to the ground again with an inverted heel hook but Davis escaped. Great fight. Another 10-9 Davis
Davis with a slip early in the round and Tokoro immediately followed him to the ground and into his guard. Tokoro with an armbar at 1:00 but Davis powers out and to his feet. Tokoro hit an illegal upkick from his back or at least that’s how the ref called it. Replay showed the kick was legal. No point deduction. Tokoro is balls to the wall throwing all kinds of strikes and Davis firing right back. Davis with a takedown at 2:30 but Tokoro right back to his feet. Tokoro with a takedown at 3:00 but Davis reverses and ends up on top. Tokoro with an armbar from the bottom again but Davis escapes easily. Great scrambling exchange on the ground with both guys trading positions around 3:45. Both guys to their feet at 4:15 but Tokoro takes Davis down again with a Kimura attempt and right into mount but Davis escapes and ends up on top. Incredible exchanges here. Fight ends with Davis having Tokoro in a guillotine but the bell saves him. 10-9 Tokoro. Awesome fight!
Davis dedicated the fight to his brother and his two nieces in his post-fight promo. He put Tokoro over as a tough opponent and asked for a title shot or a number one contender’s fight on the St. Louis card in June.
Satellite interview with Lightweight Champion Will Brooks about his upcoming title defence in two weeks against Dave Jansen. He’s not impressed by Jansen saying he’s just a hardworking basic fighter with far less talent than himself. That fight is coming up in two weeks on Spike TV. Thursday night on Spike, Dwayne Johnson “battles” Jimmy Fallon in a lip synch contest. I’ll be watching that one.
They showed clips of Warren’s title win over former champion Eduardo Dantas and then his emotional backstage celebration with his wife Christy. Galvao made a promise to his mother as she was dying of cancer that he would one day be a champion. These two found once before in 2011. Warren won what Galvao called “the worst decision in the history of MMA”. The highlights shown seem to back up that claim. Warren vows to make this personal “F*** you Galvao. I’m gonna run through you like I’m taking a shit!”. Them’s fighting words. The man can talk trash.
They show the walkouts for the main event. Warren is the definitive crowd favorite.
Marcos Galvao def. Joe Warren by 2nd round submission (:45) to win the Bellator bantamweight title
John McCarthy is the ref for this main event. Warren is actually unbeaten in this weight class in his career with all 3 losses coming at Featherweight. Miller gets a takedown 40 seconds in but Galvao scrambled to his feet and takes Warren down. Warren to his feet at 1:30. Rest of the round was basically Warren trying for takedowns and clinching. Very close round, could go either way. 10-9 Warren I guess
Warren with a takedown 30 seconds in but Galvao with a leglock and it’s tight. Warren verbally submits and we have a new champion.
Warren protested afterward claiming he didn’t submit but he screamed pretty loud. Crowd booed it pretty heavily when they showed the replay but it was a good stoppage. Galvao said in his post fight promo that he respects Joe Warren and that he’s a nice guy who he knows was just promoting a fight. Warren claimed that he didn’t submit, he’s still the Baddest Man on the Planet and THAT’S MY BELT and then he stormed out of the cage. I think he really believes he didn’t submit but he did.
Thanks for joining us and enjoy the festivities this weekend! I’ll be back tomorrow morning with the ROH Report and will likely see you again in a couple weeks for the next Bellator show.
Recent Comments