The Middleweight Title remains in Russia at Bellator 109
Bellator 109 saw the middleweight champion defend his title for the second time along with two tournament finals.
The final event of season nine tied up some loose ends, finding a winter home for the Bellator Middleweight championship, as well as closing out the Welterweight and Lightweight tournaments. The event took place from the Sand Casino Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Bellator 109 main card also feature the former UFC fighter Terry Etim making his promotional debut.
Here’s what I picked up on in those high-stakes bouts at Bellator 109.
Will Brooks: Confidence is a double edged sword in MMA. It can allow you to cut through layers of bullshit and hype, and it can also make you blind to your own mortality. We’ve seen Brooks when he’s forgotten that he can, in fact, be hurt in a fight, but tonight wasn’t one of those nights. Brooks fought a masterful game plan and executed it to perfection, walking directly into Tiger’s wheelhouse in the first round and not being afraid to box on the inside. This forced Tiger to square up to Brooks, whom would then take advantage of the lack of hip engagement and hit takedown after takedown.
The second round saw Brooks switch back to his long range style, working from the outside before blasting in with a takedown. It was clear by the middle of the second round that Sarnavskiy was finished and unsure of what to do as Brooks battered him over and over again from top position. It would take another round to make it official, but the writing was on the wall as Brooks manhandled the Russian.
This sets up an interesting pairing with the winner of Alvarez vs Chandler 3 being Brooks next scheduled opponent. While I can’t see Brooks beating either fighter, he has a lot of down time to heal any nagging injuries and sharpen his tools, as this young fighter is ready to grow and dominate his weight class.
Ron Keslar v Rick Hawn at Bellator 109 weigh-ins
Rick Hawn: A less than stellar performance for Hawn turned into an exciting KO nonetheless, as Hawn turned on the juice in the 3rd round and starched Keslar with an overhand right. Hawn is starting to look his age in there, and welterweight is looking like a bad idea at this point, yet Hawn is set to face off against someone for the Bellator strap. Considering the issues he had with a journeyman like Keslar, I’m not sure we’ll see much of Hawn after this upcoming championship fight.
Alexander Shlemenko: Another fighter in the twilight of their career, Storm showed he still had more than enough firepower for Doug Marshall, pasting him with a shovel hook to the liver in the first round. Shlemenko’s reflexes are clearly starting to go and have been for the last year, yet it will take a razor-sharp opponent to take that belt from him without getting clobbered by his stout offense. Ward stands as his next test, but the young man’s swagger makes me think he’s walking into a severe ass whipping when this fight goes down.
Complete Bellator 109 results:
Main Card:
Champ Alexander Shlemenko defeated Doug Marshall by 1st rd TKO (4:28)
170 lbs. Tournament Final: Rick Hawn defeated Ron Keslar by 3rd rd KO (0:55)
155 lbs. Tournament Final: Will Brooks defeated Alexander Sarnavskiy by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Terry Etim defeated Patrick Cenoble by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
Preliminary Card:
Mike Bannon defeated Ahsan Abdulla 1st rd Arm-Triangle Submission (1:51)
Blagoi Ivanov defeated Keith Bell by 1st rd Rear-Naked Choke Submission (3:59)
Goiti Yamauchi defeated Saul Almeida by 1st rd KO (2:04)
Bubba Jenkins defeated Ian Rammel by 3rd rd TKO (2:38)
Brent Primus defeated Brett Glass by 1st rd Rear-Naked Choke Submission (3:20)
Lester Caslow defeated Jay Haas by 3rd rd Guillotine Submission (2:44)
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts and a fan of MMA since UFC 1, when my world was thrown on its head by the budding sport. I'm obsessive in the pursuit of martial abilities and have competed across the country in everything from Vale Tudo to archery to Scottish broadsword. Once my body broke down, I picked up a pen and went in the direction of writing. I specialize in betting advice, predictions, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of MMA trivia. I own a cafe in Exeter, NH called Hammersmith Sandwich Company and write out of my office between customers.Subscribe
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