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Bellator 142: "Dynamite 1" takes place TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 19, 2015) from inside SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., featuring a much anticipated Light Heavyweight title fight between champion Liam McGeary and "The People's Champion" Tito Ortiz.
A stacked blend of Bellator MMA and GLORY kickboxing bouts will precede the night's main event. A four-man, one-night Light Heavyweight tournament featuring Phil Davis, Emanuel Newton, King Mo and Linton Vassell will crown the next top contender in Bellator. Paul Daley and Fernando Gonzalez will have a go in the GLORY ring, while Josh Thomson makes his Bellator promotional debut as the hometown favorite against Mike Bronzoulis.
Bellator 142 will start tonight on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will be here all night long to deliver LIVE results and play-by-play for the televised fights, along with the undercard "Prelims" action airing on Spike.com starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 142) about the bouts before you leave and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show -- it's always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 142 'DYNAMITE 1' QUICK RESULTS:
Main Card (Spike TV):
MMA: Liam McGeary (c) vs. Tito Ortiz: McGeary via sub (inverted triangle) 4:41 R1.
MMA: Phil Davis vs. Francis Carmont - Davis via KO at 2:15 R1.
Kickboxing: Saulo Cavalari vs. Zack Mwekassa: Cavalari via maj. decision 48-46 X2 47-47.
MMA: Josh Thomson vs. Mike Bronzoulis: Thomson via sub (arm triangle) 0:39 R3.
Kickboxing: Paul Daley vs. Fernando Gonzalez: Daley UD 29-28 X2, 30-27.
Kickboxing: Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez vs. Hadley Griffith: Melendez UD 30-27 X2, 30-26.
MMA: Emanuel Newton vs. Phil Davis: Davis via sub (kimura) 4:39 R1.
MMA: Muhammed Lawal vs. Linton Vassell: Lawal via decision.
'Prelims' Undercard (Spike.com):
MMA: Nick Pica vs. Mauricio Alonso: Pica UD.
MMA: Israel Delgado vs. JJ Okanovich: Okanovich UD.
MMA: James Terry vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: Terry via TKO 4:00 R1.
MMA: Matt Ramirez vs. Josh Paiva: Paiva via sub (armbar) 2:56 R1.
Kickboxing: Serhiy Adamchuk vs. Anvar Boynazarov: Adamchuk UD 30-27 X3.
MMA: Gabe Carrasco vs. Joe Neal: Carrasco UD 30-27, 29-27 X2.
MMA: Adam Piccolotti vs. Salvador Becerra: Piccolotti via sub (RNC) 1:47 R2.
Kickboxing: Jose Palacios vs. TJ Arcangel: Palacios SD - 29-28, 28-29, 30-27.
MMA: Ousmane Thomas Diagne vs. Mike Malott: maj. draw - 28-28 X2, 29-28 Diagne.
MMA: Francis Carmont vs. Anthony Ruiz: Carmont via decision.
Dark Matches (Results Only):
MMA: Victor Jones vs. David Blanco: Blanco UD.
MMA: Gloria Telles vs. Alysia Cortez: Cortez UD.
MMA: Brandon Hester vs. DeMarco Villalona: Hester via sub (triangle) 3:06 R1.
BELLATOR 142 'DYNAMITE 1' PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Liam McGeary (c) vs. Tito Ortiz
Ortiz is in the black trunks. McGeary is in the white trunks. 18-11-1 to 10-0 from challenger to champion, and a 74" vs. an 81" reach. 'Big' John McCarthy will be our referee for this Light Heavyweight title fight. Let's get it on!
Round 1: The Tito section is loud tonight to open the fight in San Jose. Both men are very carefully feeling out the range with feints and jabs. Ortiz shoots, is blocked, McGeary goes for a guillotine as Ortiz tries again. Ortiz pops his head free at the 90 second mark. Ortiz gets his left hand free to drop a couple bombs. Right now it's a battle for wrist control and arm position. Ortiz breaks free again at 2:40 for more left hands to McGeary's head. McGeary gets his back to the cage trying to wall walk, but Ortiz sniffs it and pushes him back down to the canvas. 3:45 gone in R1. McGeary tried to suck Ortiz into a triangle but he moved to side control to avoid it. McCarthy calls for work at 4:15. McGeary is looking for the arm or an inverted triangle. Ortiz yanks his arm free but he gets caught in the triangle and taps out! Ortiz gives him a hug afterward and says (paraphrased) you beat me at my best and you have my respect.
Final result: Liam McGeary wins via submission (inverted triangle) at 4:41 of the first round.
Phil Davis vs. Francis Carmont - Tournament Finals
Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal has apparently been scratched due to a rib injury. Davis returns to the Bellator cage with his signature pink trunks on, and Carmont heads back out wearing his black trunks. GSP is pumped up in his corner. It's 14-3 vs. 24-10, two former UFC fighters going toe to toe in a Bellator cage. Our referee for tonight's co-main event is Jason Herzog. Here we go!
Round 1: Davis dances to the outside circle immediately. Carmont is striking all kinds of wacky karate stances. You can hear GSP calling out instructions to him in French. Sean Grande and Jimmy Smith discuss the fact that King Mo was initially cleared to continue, and this decision was made late in the evening. Apparently Bellator even considered bringing Linton Vassell back despite the fact he lost. After two minutes of neither man doing much the crowd starts booing and seconds later Davis silences their displeasure with a HUGE LEFT HAND that leaves Carmont slumped laying on the cage fence. Davis poured it on until it was stopped. Herzog gave Carmont a few seconds but there was no recovering from that shot.
Final result: 'Mr. Wonderful' Phil Davis wins the Bellator 'Dynamite 1' Light Heavyweight tournament 2:15 of R1.
Saulo Cavalari vs. Zack Mwekassa
Cavalari hails from Curitiba, Brazil and is in black trunks with red trim. Mwekassa hails from the Democratc Republic of the Congo and is in black trunks with white trim. Stitch looks him over and sends him into the GLORY ring. Cavalari is 31-2, Mwekassa is 13-2. One of these men will claim the vacant GLORY Light Heavyweight title. Our referee is Marcos Rosales. Here we go!
Round 1: The first clinch of the fight is broken up at 37 seconds. Mwekassa is trying to pin Cavalari against the ropes. Another clinch broken at 1:16. Mwekassa is throwing combos and body shots. Cavalari is throwing mostly kicks. Clinch break at 2:00. Mwekassa seems to be bringing the fight to Cavalari. Clinch break at 2:40. Round one favors Mwekassa at the bell.
Round 2: Cavalari comes out firing hard to open this round but Mwekassa counters well. Clinch break at 0:46. Break again 8 seconds later. Cavalari lands a right head kick but apparently Rosales is ruling it a slip and not a knockdown. Clinch broken at 1:36. Cavalari gets a one point deduction for holding. The two continue to trade. Clinch break at 2:33. Again 11 seconds later. On the replay it looks like Mwekassa's arm did block the head kick and he was off balance when he fell down.
Round 3: Clinch break at 0:27 in R3. Cavalari continues to attack with kicks and Mwekassa with body shots. Mwekassa slips again at 1:35. Both of these areas of combat seem slippery tonight. They've got to work on a surface that has better traction for the fighters, or a venue with less humidity. Cavalari gets another clinch warning at 2:30. Cavalari comes over the top with a head kick and Mwekassa mocks him saying it didn't work.
Round 4: The announcers feel Mwekassa is fading even though they have him as the winner of the three rounds thus far, one 10-8 due to the deduction. Cavalari is keeping his hands up and blocking most of Mwekassa's power shots, and is tripped to the ground when he tries a head kick. A hard leg kick seems to have bothered Mwekassa a bit. Cavalari lands a good right hand. Mwekassa slips again. Cavalari wins a late striking exchange before the bell.
Round 5: Clinch break 34 seconds into R5. Another 30 seconds later along with a verbal warning for Cavalari. Another at 1:22. Mwekassa loses his mouthpiece in an exchange and Rosales calls time to clean it out and put it back in. Spike doesn't put the clock back up but there's got to be under a minute left. Mwekassa comes forward but gets stung with a right hand. Mwekassa tries a head kick and loses his footing, stumbling backward. Rosales lets him get back up for the restart. Time expires and the judges will decide the new champion now... unless it's a draw.
Final result: 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 for a majority decision and new GLORY champion - Saulo Cavalari.
Josh Thomson vs. Mike Bronzoulis
Round 1: Bronzoulis comes out wearing a helmet and shield like a Greek warrior. He's got on blue trunks for tonight's fight. Thomson is in white trunks for this bout. Bronzoulis is 18-8-1, Thomson 20-8. Our referee in charge for this bout is Jason Herzog. With a glove tap R1 is underway. They're each feeling out the range. Bronzoulis lands a couple of leg kicks but eats a good right when he gets too close. Thomson nearly catches Bronzoulis with a head kick at 1:38. Thomson trips Bronzoulis to the ground 15 seconds later. He's trying to pass but they're pinned up against the fence with little room to maneuver. Thomson tries to step over for a mount at 3:09 but again it's difficult to pass here. Thomson finally makes his move to side control at 3:35 and uses it to come over the knees to full mount, triangle around Bronzoulis at the knees so he can't move. Thomson wins R1 handily 10-9.
Round 2: Bronzoulis tries to get a flurry 28 seconds into R2 but Thomson backpedals to avoid it. They trade positions against the fence until Thomson wraps his arms around the waist and pulls Bronzoulis down at 1:06. Thomson softens up the body with shots, moves to side, and Bronzoulis tries to use it to get up. Thomson stays heavy on his back as we reach the halfway point in the fight. Bronzoulis covers his ear to avoid the right hands, tries to sweep, and Thomson gets back up. He takes the back again and fires knees to the legs. Thomson throws an elbow over the top on the break then gets another takedown at 3:54. He quickly gains the mount with short time to work. Thomson sits up just before the bell to drive a few elbows into Bronzoulis' head. Another clear round for 'The Punk' Thomson.
Round 3: Bronzoulis quickly tries to turn R3 into a brawl but it backfires as Thomson throws him to the ground, takes side control, gets the arm triangle and taps him out 40 seconds into the third.
Final result: Josh 'The Punk' Thomson wins his Bellator debut via arm triangle choke at 0:39 of the third round.
Paul Daley vs. Fernando Gonzalez
Round 1: Gonzalez is in the black trunks tonight. Daley is in the yellow. Gonzalez is 1-2 in kickboxing while Daley is 20-3 in the sport. Our referee is Marcos Rosales. Daley throws a spinning kick to open. Gonzalez comes forward and Daley throws more kicks that land this time. Gonzalez keeps trying to get in and out with a flurry. Ranallo reminds us Gonzalez gave up 20% of his purse for missing weight. Daley lands a left to the body and Gonzalez returns the favor. Daley hits a leg kick and covers up for a flurry. The round goes to Daley.
Round 2: Daley continues to press his kickboxing advantage to open R2. Gonzalez lands a left to the body but takes some heavy blows getting it. Daley is backing up to lure Gonzalez into his trap. Whenever he gets close Daley unleashes hard kicks. Knee to the chin by Daley. Gonzalez is not being destroyed but he's being outpointed. Gonzalez lands a clipping right at 2:38 but doesn't follow up on it. Daley covers up for a flurry and jabs to end the round. A slow motion replay shows just how hard Daley's jab is.
Round 3: Gonzalez tries to pin Daley in the corner for strikes 30 seconds into the final round to no avail. Daley is letting his hands and feet go but gets tripped to the ground by accident, so it's not ruled as a knockdown. Gonzalez keeps closing the distance trying to turn it into a brawl. Gonzalez lands a good left hand with 50 seconds to go. Gonzalez ducks a couple of big shots from Daley. If Gonzalez had fought like this in the first or second round he might have pulled out the decision. At this point it's too late, but the exchange in the last minute was fun to watch.
Final result: 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 all for the winner Paul 'Semtex' Daley.
Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez vs. Hadley Griffith
Round 1: Griffith is making her pro debut, Melendez is 2-1 as a pro. Griffith is in a white top and pink trunks. Melendez is in black. Our referee in charge is Dan Stell. Griffith has the height advantage as round one gets underway but Melendez is the aggressor, moving forward constantly and going body head as she chooses. She lands a big right hook at 1:06. Another huge right at 1:39. She bullies Griffith into the corner for more damage and Griffith is bleeding. Melendez walks through a counter shot to deliver a left. Nothing Griffith is doing is working. Melendez finishes the first three minute stanza with a fabulous flurry.
Round 2: Griffith is in trouble again 18 seconds into the second round. She hasn't been knocked down but she's definitely been beaten up. Melendez lands a right kick and a left hand in combo. She's using a lot of front kicks and leg kicks in the first half of R2. The overhand left finds a home over and over on Griffith's head. A knee and a right hand as Melendez backs Griffith into the corner. Even Stephen Quadros thinks it's a miracle Griffith has survived this onslaught. Stell admonishes Melendez for one questionable kick but lets the action continue. She easily wins this round too.
Round 3: At this point Melendez losing would be a huge fluke. A hole would have to open up underneath the ring and Melendez trip and fall into it by accident. Gilbert Melendez looks on as his wife continues to punish Griffith. The only good thing for Griffith now is to simply survive the fight - if she can do that she may be able to look back on this as the night she went three rounds with a future legend. Ranallo makes a questionable joke about a "bloody prom night" that I'm surprised wasn't bleeped out as the fight comes to an end.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 all for Melendez.
Emanuel Newton vs. Phil Davis
Round 1: Newton is 25-8-1 and the former light heavyweight world champion, Davis is 13-3 and making his Bellator debut. Newton is in black trunks, Davis in his trademark pink. Our referee is Jason Herzog. They tap gloves and we're underway with Newton stalking and Davis circling. Newton misses with a spinning kick. Kicks are the dominant offense for the entire first minute. Newton goes for his trademark spinning backfist but Davis is too far away. Davis takes Newton's back and takes him down at 1:41. Davis has one hook in at 1:55 but Newton slips away and stands at 2:09. Davis takes him down again seconds later and has side control. Davis is going for a kimura. Newton survives the attempt but Davis is all over him from behind. Newton gets up and is rolled back to the ground at 3:27. Newton is back up at 3:56 and Davis trips him back down again. Davis locks up an arm with 30 seconds left and Newton tries but fails to roll through it - he taps out with 19 seconds left.
Final result: 'Mr. Wonderful' Phil Davis advances via kimura submission at 4:39 of the first round.
Muhammed Lawal vs. Linton Vassell
Round 1: Both fighters are 15-4 coming in. King Mo is in gray trunks, Vassell is in the red. Our referee in charge is Ed Collantes. Mo rocks Vassell with a right hand in the first 30 seconds. Vassell goes for a takedown and Mo sprawls. Another big right from King Mo at 1:14. A huge combo at 1:32. Vassell is not going to be able to take these kind of shots forever. Straight left at 2:24. Vassell is starting to fire back just a little and connects with a leg kick. Mo catches a kick and unloads a combo. Vassell ducks a big hook and goes for a takedown that's stuffed. Mo does some dirty boxing against the fence as Collantes looks on. Vassell tries a jump knee as they break and comes forward with kicks. Mo rocks Vassell with a left and pours it on against the fence. Collantes looks ready to wave it off. Mo slips giving chase then decks him with a clean right that has Vassell hurt badly. Vassell clinches up to survive... barely. That's borderline to being a 10-8.
Round 2: Vassell comes out throwing jabs. Mo is slowly but surely walking Vassell down, and he starts dancing a little bit feeling he's well ahead thus far (and is). Vassell keeps Mo honest with the kicks, but the crowd is a little non-plussed by it. Vassell shoves Mo to the ground at 2:48 and he pops right up. Vassell continues to land the leg kick. Mo cracks Vassell with a left hook and a hard right. Vassell shoots at 3:09 and spikes Mo on his head with the takedown. Mo spins around on the ground and takes him down in response. They start to stand up at 4:05. He has to know Mo will go for a heavy hand on the break - instead Mo takes him down again with under 30 seconds left. Both men stand up for the last few seconds before the bell. Mo should advance with no trouble.
Final result: Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal advances via the decision of the judges.
Nick Pica vs. Mauricio Alonso
Round 1: Unaired on Spike.com.
Final result: Nick Pica d. Mauricio Alonso by unanimous decision.
Israel Delgado vs. JJ Okanovich
Round 1: Unaired on Spike.com.
Final result: Okavonich d. Delago by unanimous decision.
James Terry vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Round 1: Unaired on Spike.com.
Final result: Terry d. Rocha by TKO at 4:00 of the first round.
Matt Ramirez vs. Josh Paiva
Round 1: Unaired on Spike.com.
Final result: Paiva d. Ramirez via submission (armbar) at 2:56 of the first round.
Serhiy Adamchuk vs. Anvar Boynazarov
Round 1: Boynazarov is in shiny black trunks adorned with tigers. Adamchuk is in black trunks with yellow trim. Boynazarov is 79-20-2, Adamchuk is 29-5. Dan Stell is our ref. They touch gloves and Adamchuk fires the first jab. Boynazarov responds with a roundhouse kick and a knee up the middle. Adamchuk jabs to find the range and then throws a hard kick. His high kick is blocked. Stell breaks a clinch at 1:10. Boynazarov tries to pin Adamchuk against the ropes and Stell breaks another clinch at 1:51. Boynazarov keeps walking Adamchuk down and then clinching - it's broken once more at 2:22. Adamchuck initiates the one that's separated at 2:42. Boynazarov ends the round with one last high kick.
Round 2: Adamchuk lands a straight left a couple of times and an overhand right to open the second round. Clinch break at 0:40 and 1:11. Boynazarov keeps trying to walk him down but it's Adamchuk who is winning the exchanges this round. Break at 2:05 and 2:30. Spinning back kick by Adamchuk and a late kick right at the bell to end it.
Round 3: Clinch break 19 seconds into R3. Adamchuck with a beautiful combo at 30 seconds ending in a high kick. The wind seems to have gone out of Boynazarov's sails. Adamchuk is circling him and landing combos at will. Break at 1:09. Adamchuk with two leg kicks. Boynazarov tries a flying kick that doesn't land. Adamchuk baits Boynazarov to come forward and lands a body kick. Clinch break at 2:12. Adamchuk is landing nice jabs to the body. Stell breaks a late clinch and no more blows are landed. Adamchuk should take this decision.
Final result: All three judges score 30-27 for Serhiy Adamchuk.
Gabe Carrasco vs. Joe Neal
Round 1: Red trunks for Joe Neal. Black trunks for Gabriel Carrasco. Both fighters in this bantamweight bout are undefeated at 5-0 going in. Our referee is Jason Herzog. No significant advantage either way in the first minute of the fight although Neal is posturing aggressively and trying to bait Carrasco to take a shot at him. It doesn't seem to be a good idea since Carrasco cracks him with a head kick, but slips doing so. Neal doesn't pounce on the ground and they eventually reset to the center. Carrasco complains he got poked in the right eye. Herzog brings the doctor in to take a look. The doctor and Carrasco agree he's good to go and we resume at 2:55. Neal slips trying to throw a big shot. Close first round overall that may have gone to Carrasco.
Round 2: Carrasco slips trying to land. Either this Miller Lite canvas is slippery or these guys are a little too frantic. Neal is trying to circle and land. Each guys has flashes of brilliance in the exchanges but can't put together a winning or at least stinging combo. Four minutes into the round it's still completely up for grabs. Neal goes for the legs with short time left but Carrasco blocks it and ties up. Herzog warns them not to grab the cage after they break. It's anybody's fight going into the third. Carrasco gets an additional warning from Herzog after the bell.
Round 3: It feels like Carrasco is winning this fight just by being more aggressive throughout, by a slight margin, but anything's possible if it goes to the judges. Carrasco knocks Neal backward with a right hand but doesn't give chase. Solid body kick by Carrasco at 2:10. Neal seems to have a little more spring in his step but he's not avoiding Carrasco's power. There's no sense of urgency to Neal's action - he must not feel he's losing. Good combo by Neal at 4:18. Neal shoots at 4:30 and can't get Carrasco down. Time expires after one last exchange and we're going to the judges.
Final result: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all for Gabriel Carrasco.
Adam Piccolotti vs. Salvador Becerra
Round 1: Red trunks, 4-0 is Salvador Becerra. Gray trunks, 5-0 is Adam Piccolotti. Becerra is the one pushing the pace to open the first minute of this fight. Piccolotti is already wearing damage around his eyes. He's circling and backing away to avoid Becerra's power. The right jab routinely lands for Becerra. Blood is now coming down Piccolotti's face. If this goes to R2 he may not be able to see out of his left eye. Piccolotti tries and fails to get a leg trip. Becerra is following is rights with left jabs and hooks routinely. So far all Piccolotti is showing is a durable chin. He clinches Becerra agains the fence with a minute left in R1 but can't transition to a takedown or damage on the break. Easy round to score for Becerra.
Round 2: Becerra continues to pick his spots and his shots in R2. Piccolotti goes for a double leg at 1:05 and transitions to the back. Becerra gets back up, Piccolotti stays riding him, it goes back to the ground and Piccolotti is trying hard to crank out a submission. Becerra taps at 1:47 to the torque on his jaw.
Final result: Adam Piccolotti wins via submission (billed as a rear naked choke) at 1:50 of the second round.
TJ Arcangel vs. Jose Palacios
Round 1: Our announce team has switched to Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros. TJ Arcangel is in the red trunks. Palacios is in the black trunks. Arcangel is 4-1. Palacios is 7-7. Our referee in charge is Dan Stell. These rounds are only three minutes long unlike MMA, and as Ranallo points out a fight ends in kickboxing with three knockdowns in one round or four overall. Arcangel is getting the better of the exchanges in the first half of the round. Palacios tries to walk him down and just walks into left hands and low kicks. 1-2 combo from Arcangel with a hard left. Palacios misses with a spinning backfist to end the round.
Round 2: Between rounds we see a replay of Arcangel repeatedly kicking Palacios in the midsection. Arcangel has more bounce to his step but Palacios keeps trying to walk him down. Ref breaks a clinch at 1:27. Palacios is effective with kicks to the lead leg. Palacios keeps sneaking his left hand over the top to Arcangel's head, and lands an axe kick right at the bell.
Round 3: The fight seems to be slipping away from Arcangel at this point. Palacios may have a mediocre record on paper but his experience is proving to be an advantage. Stell breaks up a clinch at 48 seconds. Arcangel takes a kick to the cup and Stell calls time. Arcangel takes a jumping knee after the restart. Arcangel tries one of his own. Palacios telegraphs a spinning backfist but it lands anyway. Palacios keeps backing up Arcangel into the ropes to fire off kicks. Jump knee by Arcangel misses. This decision should go to Palacios.
Final result: 29-28 Palacios. 29-28 Arcangel. 30-27 Palacios by split decision.
Ousmane Thomas Diagne vs. Mike Malott
Round 1: 4-1, blue trunks is Mike Malott. 5-4, black trunks is Thomas Diagne. John McCarthy is our ref. Malott is the aggressor early but Diagne turns him around into the fence. They break at 32 seconds. Malott gets a takedown and jumps to Diagne's back, who is standing up and carrying Malott's weight. Malott keeps trying to sneak an arm under Diagne's chin. McCarthy warns them about grabbing fingers instead of the glove. Malott nearly has it at 2:25 but Diagne slips out and shakes Malott off. The crowd already at the SAP Center pops for Diagne's escape. Malott takes him down on a bad strike attempt at 3:13 and fires off repeated unblocked left hands to the head until Diagne covers up. McCathy gives another warning about the gloves. Malott tries a neck crank at 4:27 then lets go. 10-9 round for Malott.
Round 2: Diagne throws a few kicks to open R2 and keep Malott at bay, but it doesn't work as Malott comes forward landing shots to the head. At the 45 second mark you can see the GLORY ring directly behind them. Malott slips throwing a flurry but Diagne doesn't take advantage. They clinch up momentarily and break at 1:42. Diagne gets a flash knockdown with a right hand. Malott checks another big strike with his arm. Malott throws a nice combo against the cage at 3:03. Diagne trips Malott to the ground on a kick. Malott is back up at 3:27 and eats one knee as he stands. Diagne with a nice right. Diagne pops the crowd with a few flashy kicks. Malott clinches up and lands a good left elbow over the top. Malott is effective whenever he's got Diagne backing up into the cage, including right as R2 comes to an end.
Round 3: McCarthy's trademark "let's get it on - c'mon" opens the third and final round. Malott tries unsuccessfully to rush in and take Diagne's back at 44 seconds. He's got a cut from one of Diagne's strikes. Diagne continues to do the most damage with his kicks - to the body and to the legs. The longer this fight has gone the better Diagne has looked. Diagne is now slipping Malott's punches against the fence and answering with counter shots. Malott finally lands an effective combo at 4:13. McCarthy warns them not to butt heads with short time left. Diagne gets a takedown at 4:37 and pops his head out of a guillotine. Diagne lands a hard elbow. Malott tries to trap an arm for a submission but the bell ends the fight. Malott's face is a mess.
Final result: One judge scores 29-28 Diagne, while the other two judges score it 28-28 for a majority draw.
Francis Carmont vs. Anthony Ruiz
Round 1: 33-20 is Anthony Ruiz in the red trunks. 23-10 is Carmont in the black trunks. Our referee in charge is Jason Herzog. Anthony Ruiz is a late substitution in the tournament as apparently Roy Boughton pulled out right before tonight's show. Ruiz pushes Carmont into the fence looking for a single leg, but Carmont trips him to the ground instead looking for a kimura. All of a sudden the feed goes black with a screen that says BEL142, then goes to a promo for Dynamite 1. There's a bunch of audible rewinding and fast forwarding and when we come back 2:41 is left in the round. Carmont has his back to the fence, turns to his knees, gets kneed in the legs from behind when he gets up, and is going for a kimura again standing. It goes back to the ground and Carmont takes the back with both hooks in. They roll around on the ground with Ruiz trying to shake him loose. Carmont gets a full mount right at the bell. 10-9 Carmont.
Round 2: Ruiz looks gassed as R2 starts, which is to be expected given he's literally a last second replacement. Carmont takes his back and drags him to the ground 40 seconds in, pulling Ruiz on top of him as he goes to his back. Ruiz tries to throw reverse punches to no avail as Carmont gets an arm under his neck. Ruiz manages to escape and get back to his knees against the fence. Carmont pulls Ruiz on top again at 2:12. Carmont goes for the neck again at 3:15 and Ruiz makes another escape. Ruiz covers up to avoid damage but mounts almost no significant offense. He spins on top of Carmont with 42 seconds remaining but Carmont ties the arms up so Ruiz can't posture and throw good shots. Carmont should earn a unanimous decision. You can see Georges St-Pierre in his corner after the fight.
Final result: Francis Carmont wins the tournament reserve bout - advancing via decision.
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