Bellator 141 Results: Play-by-Play & Live Updates

A.J. Matthews vs. Emiliano Sordi

Round 1

Matthews catches Sordi with a few stiff punches in the opening seconds, but when the middleweights run against the fence, it’s Sordi taking outside position. They separate after Sordi is nearly tripped to the ground, and now Matthews switches to hard outside leg kicks. A left hand stings Sordi, prompting him to clinch again, but this time Matthews is quick to separate. Matthews gets the better of a few sloppy punching exchanges and then shuts down a single-leg takedown attempt. Sordi throws a lazy jab and gets zapped with a counter hook which sends him shooting for a desperation takedown. Matthews fends him off, so Sordi stands up and spins around to take Matthews’ back while standing.

Sordi jumps on Matthews’ back and tries to secure the position with a body triangle, while Matthews works to scrape him off with the help of the fence. Sordi slaps on a rear-naked choke and Matthews falls backward to the ground at the base of the fence. The choke looks tight, but Sordi is running out of time. Matthews rolls away from the fence and uses both hands to peel at Sordi’s arm, allowing him to survive until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Sordi
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Sordi
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Sordi

In a strange turn, Sordi has quit on his stool between rounds. A.J. Matthews is delcared the winner via technical knockout.

The Official Result

A.J. Matthews def. Emiliano Sordi via TKO (Retirement) R1 5:00

Derek Anderson vs. Brent Primus

Round 1

Anderson drops Primus with his first right hand of the fight but does not pounce and allows Primus to stand up. Staking out the center of the cage, Anderson tries to keep Primus at bay with long jabs, but Primus charges inside and ties up. The lightweights clinch on the fence, Primus working for a takedown from the outside. Anderson puts a hand on the mat to defend, allowing Primus to jump on his back and sink in both hooks. Primus is riding high as Anderson tries to shake him off. As they fall to the ground, Primus’ position improves; Anderson tries to roll over and then has to give up his back again as Primus nearly mounts him. Anderson finally shakes Primus, who fails on an armbar attempt and winds up on his back. Midway through the round, Anderson stands and wants Primus to do the same. Primus shoots for a long takedown, gets stuffed, but once again is able to turn the corner and jump on Anderson’s back. This time, Primus secures the position with a body triangle and starts softening Anderson with short punches. Primus goes for the armbar and again loses the position, and the lightweights come back to their feet to close out the round.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Primus
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Primus
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Primus

Round 2

Primus goes straight for the clinch and gets stuffed, then shoved against the fence by Anderson, who takes the outside position for a few seconds before opting to separate. Primus whiffs on a spinning backfist and eats a couple shots from Anderson in retaliation. Another clinch from Primus leads to yet another back-take, again secured via body triangle. Primus switches to hooks and digs for a rear-naked choke, but Anderson is doing well to fight off his opponent’s hands. Anderson flips over and takes top position, then drops a half dozen hard elbow shots on Primus’ face after a failed armbar attempt. Anderson pulls out of another armbar try from Primus and continues to work short ground-and-pound. He shucks the legs of Primus during a triangle attempt and scrambles back up to his feet.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Anderson
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Anderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Anderson

Round 3

Primus takes 30 seconds to complete a takedown, but when he tries to jump on Anderson’s back this time, he’s blocked by the fence. Instead, Primus wraps up a guillotine and jumps guard, but Anderson steps over and frees himself from the choke. Primus maintains top position in the scramble and steps over to full mount. Anderson gives up his back; Primus takes it and immediately begins grabbing for a rear-naked choke. Again, Primus gives up the position to try an armbar which lasts only a few seconds. Anderson is on top midway through the final round, trying to regain some ground with punches on the mat, but both men are looking very tired at this late stage.

Primus opens his guard and sits up against the fence, grabbing for a kimura or armbar, but Anderson has his arms wrapped around Primus’ waist and isn’t giving space for a submission to materialize. Anderson also isn’t doing much on top down the stretch, just maintaining the top and holding Primus on the ground. With under a minute to go, Anderson stands up and asks Primus to follow. Anderson scores with a pair of clinch knees before Primus pops him with a jab. Both men stick jabs, then a leg kick lands for Anderson, and the 155ers finish the fight in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Primus (29-28 Primus)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Primus (29-28 Primus)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Primus (29-28 Primus)

The Official Result

Brent Primus def. Derek Anderson via Split Decision (29-27, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Maria Rios

Round 1

Macfarlane comes out firing punches but can’t connect cleanly through Rios’ high guard. A jab gets through for Macfarlane and she slips off center to dodge Rios’ counter fire. Referee Mike Beltran warns Rios for leaving her outstretched hand open during an exchange. Rios catches a low kick and trips Macfarlane to the ground, then pounces and tries to pass to side control. Macfarlane holds her in deep half guard and shrimps underneath, fishing for a kimura as Rios works to advance. Macfarlane uses the kimura to sweep to top position and lands in half guard on Rios’ right side. With 1:45 on the clock, Macfarlane stands and allows Rios to get up as well. Another trip takedown lands for Rios inside the final minute, but this time she stands over Macfarlane to kick at her legs. Macfarlane drives forward, gets to her feet and backs Rios against the cage to finish the round with a combination.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane

Round 2

Macfarlane comes over the top with a hard right hand, but Rios eats it and continues to walk forward. The pace has slowed early in round two, with neither woman landing much clean offense through the first two minutes. Macfarlane is still on her back foot, still mixing up her punches to the body and head when she does throw, still outlanding Rios. An ill-advised clinch knee from Macfarlane allows Rios to grab hold of her and spin around to take the Hawaiian’s back. Macfarlane runs toward the fence, grabs it to avoid a takedown and then begins working another kimura as she did in round one. Rios is out of danger quickly this time and knees Macfarlane’s body, then stomps her feet as she presses the viral video star against the cage. Rios continues to bully Macfarlane in the clinch down the stretch, not allowing her to get off the fence. Finally, Macfarlane separates herself with 30 seconds remaining. A left hand from Macfarlane appears to hurt Rios in the closing moments, and Macfarlane finishes the round rushing Rios against the cage.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Macfarlane

Round 3

Macfarlane hits Rios with a series of leg kicks, then a hard right hand over the top which causes Rios to clinch in the center of the cage. The flyweights fall to the ground in the whizzer position, scramble up and over to the fence, where Macfarlane grabs for a single-leg takedown. Rios stuffs the shot and puts a couple left hands on Macfarlane’s face before shoving her away. With three minutes on the clock, Rios touches Macfarlane’s jaw with a step-in knee and follow-up hook. Macfarlane swings some tired arm punches in close quarters, allowing Rios to wrap her up on the fence. Rios digs into Macfarlane’s body with a pair of hard right hands, then the women are separated by referee Beltran to finish the exchanging.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Rios (29-28 Macfarlane)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Rios (29-28 Macfarlane)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rios (29-28 Macfarlane)

The Official Result

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane def. Maria Rios via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Arlene Blencowe vs. Marloes Coenen

Round 1

Blencowe connects with a few solid right hands in the pocket early, but 30 seconds into the round, Coenen changes levels and plows the Australian to the ground. Coenen passes quickly from side control to the back of Blencowe, who kneels and puts her head on the mat, trying to escape out the back door. Coenen is locked on, not going anywhere, and she torments Blencowe with short, sharp right hands while squeezing her midsection with a body triangle. Blencowe has nowhere to go, just burying her face in the mat while referee George Allen has a close look from nearby. Inside the two-minute mark, Coenen hops off Blencowe’s back and begins driving knees into her midsection. Blencowe tries to stand and has her back re-taken in the process, with Coenen dropping backward to pull her back to the canvas. Coenen only has one hook in this time, but she still manages to ride out the round in the dominant position.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Coenen
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Coenen
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Coenen

Round 2

Blencowe once again opens the round by tagging Coenen with quick punches, even stuffing the Dutch veteran on a clinch attempt. Once Coenen gets inside and wraps up Blencowe, however, it’s only a matter of seconds before they both hit the ground.

Coenen jumps on Blencowe’s back, then transitions to an armbar, but Blencowe stacks her up and shakes her off. The featherweights come back to their feet, where Coenen botches a throw and winds up with Blencowe on top of her in side control. Blencowe lets her back up and socks Coenen with a few more punches before “Rumina” executes a speedy trip takedown. Coenen goes straight after an armbar, this time belly-down, extending Blencowe’s left arm all the way. When the arm begins to bend in the wrong direction, Blencowe has no choice but to tap out.

The Official Result

Marloes Coenen def. Arlene Blencowe via Submission (Armbar) R2 3:23

Josh Burns vs. Justin Wren

Round 1

Wren tries to get in the pocket and gets swept out by a hard right hand from Burns. “The Big Pygmy” grabs hold of Burns and shoves him up against the fence to deliver a knee to the gut. Wren gets an underhook on the right and throws a few left hands, but Burns is doing well to stifle his offense in the clinch. Referee Jason Herzog breaks up the big men for inactivity and they reset in the center. Wren is spoting a bloody nose, while Burns has a small cut dripping from the corner of his left eye. An overhand right from Wren appears to hurt Burns, and Wren once again pushes him to the fence. Burns complains of a knee to the groin but there’s no stoppage from referee Herzog, and Wren continues to hold him against the cage. Both men begin throwing right hands to the body, though only for a few seconds as both already look exhausted with one minute remaining in the opening frame. Burns breaks out of the clinch and denies a long double-leg from Wren.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Wren
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Wren
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Wren

Round 2

Wren rushes to clinch on the fence but is turned around by Burns, who can’t do anything with the position before being reversed again. Wren fails on a sacrifice throw, and now the heavyweights circle back to the middle of the cage. Not much action until midway through the round, when a knee to the gut sends Burns stumbling backward toward the fence, seemingly more off-balance than injured. Wren tries to follow up with a series of knees to the body and head, but he fails to put away Burns and has to back away. Wren is spent, leaning over to rest with hands on knees, but Burns doesn’t look to be in much better condition, and now he’s leaking blood from his left eye. Wren clinches again, grabs the Thai plum and hits Burns in the face with a few more knees. The big men take a breather on the fence with 30 seconds remaining, then they come alive as Burns socks Wren with a pair of punches to break the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Wren
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Wren
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Wren

Round 3

Burns emerges for the final frame with a swollen and cut left eye which required the doctor’s clearance between rounds. He’s walking after Wren, loading up his right hand to hunt for the homerun shot he’ll need in order to win this fight. Instead, when he gets into range, Burns grabs hold of Wren and clinches him against the cage. The heavyweights are only tied up for a few seconds before referee Herzog separates them again. Burns inches forward on Wren, backing him up toward the fence. When they’re nearly at the cage, Wren grabs hold of Burns and pushes him to the fence. Burns gets double underhooks and reverses the position, now inside the final 90 seconds.

Herzog calls for action, and Wren obliges by reversing Burns against the cage. Wren exits the clinch with a knee to the face; Burns hardly reacts, instead just standing stock-still in front of his opponent. Both men lean over to rest with their hands on their knees in the middle of the cage. They go upright and Wren snaps off a couple jabs, just keeping Burns out of striking range. Burns uses his last bit of energy to swing haymakers at Wren but he can’t find the button before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Wren (30-27 Wren)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Wren (30-27 Wren)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Wren (30-27 Wren)

The Official Result

Justin Wren def. Josh Burns via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) R3 5:00

Saad Awad vs. Patricky Freire

Round 1

The lightweights spend the opening minute circling one another, Awad testing the range with a few leg kicks. Freire comes alive with a hard, chopping kick to the outside of Awad’s lead leg, then goes back to cutting angles. Freire comes pawing inside with a left hand but gets cut off by an Awad left hook. More low kicks score for “Pitbull” before a straight right hand knocks Awad backward to the fence. Awad recovers quickly and shoots for Freire’s legs, but the Brazilian sprawls all over it. Down to the last two minutes of the round, and still neither man has gained a clear advantage. Freire gets a quick takedown but can’t hold Awad on the floor for more than a few seconds. Awad touches the chin of Freire with a left hook, then backs up and dodges as Pitbull comes sailing in with a flying knee. The lightweights finish the opening round clinched on the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Awad
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10

Round 2

Freire finds the mark with a few punching combinations in the opening minute of the second stanza, mixing in a few leg kicks when Awad stays in front of him for long enough. A standing elbow to the nose of Awad lands clean and hard. Awad strikes back with a crisp left cross that slows the Brazilian’s roll momentarily. Freire tries a single-leg in the center of the cage and nearly has his back taken as Awad tries to jump on, but the Pitbull shakes him off and winds up on top in Awad’s closed guard. They’re on the ground for only a few seconds when referee Mike Beltran calls for more work. Freire stands up and has to defend a high single-leg as Awad drives forward to try a takedown of his own. With 1:40 on the clock, the lightweights reset in the center of the cage. Awad lands an uppercut and follows up with a couple hard right hooks, but he’s bleeding from his nose after absorbing damage earlier in the round. Freire ducks under a punch and tries to pick Awad’s ankle, but the Californian sprints away.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Awad
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Awad
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Awad

Round 3

Freire lands a leg kick and opens up with a series of three or four hooks, but they bounce off the forearms of Awad as he backpedals.

Awad works from the southpaw stance, now switches back to orthodox, making it tough for Freire to set up his strikes. Awad tries another standing back-take and gets pushed away by the Brazilian. Freire remains the busier puncher, although Awad seems to be landing with better accuracy when he throws. Awad flicks out jabs to keep Freire at bay, but Freire keeps coming forward as the fight enters its final minute. More jabs come from Awad, while Freire’s output has dropped off almost completely in the last 60 seconds. Freire tries a last-second takedown and winds up getting elbowed in the side of the head as time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Freire (29-28 Awad)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Freire (29-29 Draw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Freire (29-29 Draw)

The Official Result

Patricky Freire def. Saad Awad via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Brandon Girtz vs. Melvin Guillard

Round 1

Guillard fakes a high knee against the shorter southpaw Girtz, who’s crouched low and appears ready to shoot at any moment. Thirty seconds in, Girtz does just that and ragdolls Guillard to the ground with a slam takedown. Guillard scrambles up and gets double-legged back to the canvas, where Girtz lands in side control on the UFC veteran’s left side. Girtz drives a few knees to the body of Guillard, then switches to right hands. He leans across Guillard’s body and elbows his ribs on the right side; Guillard is doing very little underneath, just allowing Girtz to knee and elbow his body as the round enters its last two minutes. Girtz continues to grind down Guillard from cross-side control in the last 60 seconds. He briefly attempts a kimura but quickly releases in favor of more ground-and-pound.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Girtz
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-8 Girtz
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Girtz

Round 2

Guillard lunges with a few big punches toward Girtz, who’s shaking out his hands at the start of round two. A right hook connects for Guillard, but there’s not much in the way of volume coming from “The Young Assassin.” Girtz ducks in behind a right hand, grabs Guillard around the waist and once again ragdolls him to the ground. Guillard scrambles back to his feet, only to be slammed back down to the mat. Girtz goes belly-down on an armbar, but Guillard escapes it with ease and the lightweights are soon back on their feet with 3:00 on the clock. Guillard’s left eye is nearly swollen shut from the right hands Girtz landed in round one, but the UFC veteran is still the one pressing the action. Girtz is on his back foot, constantly circling away from Guillard until it’s time to try for a takedown. Guillard tries to grab the Thai plum and gets shoved away. Girtz ducks under a left hand from Guillard and hits another takedown with 40 seconds on the clock. Guillard is back on his feet 10 seconds later after sitting and working his way up against the fence. Both men land solid right hands down the stretch and they head back to their corners nodding at one another.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Girtz
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Girtz
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Girtz

Round 3

Girtz gets inside on a single-leg and spins Guillard to the ground in the center of the mat within 20 seconds of the round beginning. Guillard puts him in closed guard and tries to cover up as “Cold Roll” swings hard left hands. Girtz passes to half guard on Guillard’s right side but stalls out there, and the action slows as neither man has space to land strikes. Midway through the frame, Guillard puts Girtz back in full guard and lands a few slicing elbows to the top of his head. Girtz tries to retaliate with punches, but Guillard is doing a good job of controlling his opponent’s arms and negating the space. Referee John McCarthy brings the fighters back to their feetwith 1:40 left in the bout. Guillard tries a leaping knee, walks forward on Girtz and hits him with a hard switch kick to the body.

Girtz looks spent, backing up and trying to avoid damage as Guillard pushes the pace. Guillard catches up with him at the fence to land a left hook and a follow-up knee to the jaw. Girtz covers up and circles away; Guillard has one minute left to finish this, and he’s doing everything in his power to make that happen. Girtz catches a front kick and grabs hold of Guillard with a rear waistlock. Guillard tries to throw him to the ground but winds up back on the bottom with 20 seconds remaining. Guillard kicks away Girtz and gets to his feet, then charges at Girtz with a flying knee at the bell. It’s too late; this one is going to the judges.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Guillard (29-27 Girtz)
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Girtz (30-26 Girtz)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Guillard (29-27 Girtz)

The Official Result

Brandon Girtz def. Melvin Guillard via Split Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-29) R3 5:00