The Mac
08-20-2010, 05:01 PM
On a night full of decisions, Cole Konrad, Damian Grabowski and Zoila Frausto all punched their tournament semifinal tickets with unanimous nods at Bellator 25.
All three contests were featured on the evening's FOX Sports Net-televised main card – though it was non-tournament action between Dan Hornbuckle and Brad Blackburn provided the night's only real fireworks.
Bellator 25 took place Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago.
The main event saw Konrad do what he does best. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion used his superior grappling abilities to ground opponent Rogent Lloret for much of the 15-minute contest and allowed very little room for a counterattack. With six submission wins to his credit, Lloret was considered a viable threat from his back, but the openings simply never materialized.
Konrad's (5-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC) top game proved effective once again, and the undefeated heavyweight netted his third-straight decision win in a largely uneventful affair. Meanwhile, Lloret (9-2-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees an eight-fight win streak snapped.
The evening's second heavyweight tournament fight featured what appeared to be heading toward a surprising upset but resulted only in an upset Scott Barrett.
The stocky Barrett pushed forward against the undefeated Grabowski throughout the 15-minute fight, and in the opening two rounds he was able to work to top position frequently. However, once there, Barrett did very little with the top position while Grabowski fired off shots from underneath and worked to sweep and stand on each attempt. Still, the positional battle was unquestionably in favor of Barrett, and it appeared he might have a pair of rounds in the bank as he entered the final frame based solely on positional dominance and takedowns.
Exhausted, Barrett continued to move straight ahead in the final round. But with his hands down and mouth open, Barrett absorbed blow after blow from Grabowski. It looked as if the Polish import might be earning a 10-8 round, but a final Barrett takedown seemed to prohibit that score.
Nevertheless, many observers (including the Bellator broadcast team) felt Barrett was going to cruise to a decision win. Instead, the crowd favorite was given a 30-27 nod on all three judges' cards.
Grabowski (13-0 MMA, 1-0 BFC) remains undefeated with the win while advancing to the tournament semifinals. Meanwhile, Barrett (10-2 MMA, 1-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak halted with the loss.
Grabowski and Konrad join Neil Grove as semifinalists in the heavyweight bracket.
In a welterweight special attraction, season-two tournament semifinalist Hornbuckle outlasted a game Blackburn and a nasty kick to the groin to claim a unanimous-decision win.
Blackburn opened with effective boxing and outstruck Hornbuckle en route to claiming the opening round. But as time wore on, Blackburn's crisp attacks lessened in frequency, and Hornbuckle was able to effectively mix in kicks and knees along with his punches from range.
The groin shot came in the second round and looked damaging in live action. But Hornbuckle battle through the adversity over the final round-and-a-half. Blackburn's face began to show the effects of the punishment in the final frame, and though he battled valiantly until the end, "Bad" Brad fell short on all three judges' cards, 29-28.
With the win, Hornbuckle (22-3 MMA, 3-1 BFC) rebounds from a June loss to eventual tournament winner Ben Askren. While his effort was commendable, Blackburn (17-12-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) falls just short in his Bellator debut and has now dropped three-straight fights overall.
The night's main card opened with striking sensation Frausto taking a one-sided decision win over the previously undefeated Jessica Pene. The submission-oriented Pene was unable to overcome Frausto's capable takedown defense at any point in the 15-minute affair, and while the "Warrior Princess" wasn't able to display her flashy attacks, she was able to easily claim all three rounds of the fight.
The contest wasn't especially entertaining, with most of the action taking place in the clinch, but Frausto's win was undeniable, and she was awarded all three rounds on all three judges' cards.
With the win, Frausto (8-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) joined Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii in the 115-pound female tournament semifinals. Pene (7-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC) loses for the first time as a professional.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
•Cole Konrad def. Rogent Lloret via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Damian Grabowski def. Scott Barrett via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Dan Hornbuckle def. Brad Blackburn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Zoila Frausto def. Jessica Pene via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
•Terrance Taylor def. Shonie Carter via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)*•Brian Gassaway def. Kenny Knabjian via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)*•Kenny Robertson def. John Kolosci via submission (keylock) - Round 2, 2:41*•Eric Kreigermeier def. Keoki Cypriano via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:16
* - Bout contested following main event
All three contests were featured on the evening's FOX Sports Net-televised main card – though it was non-tournament action between Dan Hornbuckle and Brad Blackburn provided the night's only real fireworks.
Bellator 25 took place Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago.
The main event saw Konrad do what he does best. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion used his superior grappling abilities to ground opponent Rogent Lloret for much of the 15-minute contest and allowed very little room for a counterattack. With six submission wins to his credit, Lloret was considered a viable threat from his back, but the openings simply never materialized.
Konrad's (5-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC) top game proved effective once again, and the undefeated heavyweight netted his third-straight decision win in a largely uneventful affair. Meanwhile, Lloret (9-2-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees an eight-fight win streak snapped.
The evening's second heavyweight tournament fight featured what appeared to be heading toward a surprising upset but resulted only in an upset Scott Barrett.
The stocky Barrett pushed forward against the undefeated Grabowski throughout the 15-minute fight, and in the opening two rounds he was able to work to top position frequently. However, once there, Barrett did very little with the top position while Grabowski fired off shots from underneath and worked to sweep and stand on each attempt. Still, the positional battle was unquestionably in favor of Barrett, and it appeared he might have a pair of rounds in the bank as he entered the final frame based solely on positional dominance and takedowns.
Exhausted, Barrett continued to move straight ahead in the final round. But with his hands down and mouth open, Barrett absorbed blow after blow from Grabowski. It looked as if the Polish import might be earning a 10-8 round, but a final Barrett takedown seemed to prohibit that score.
Nevertheless, many observers (including the Bellator broadcast team) felt Barrett was going to cruise to a decision win. Instead, the crowd favorite was given a 30-27 nod on all three judges' cards.
Grabowski (13-0 MMA, 1-0 BFC) remains undefeated with the win while advancing to the tournament semifinals. Meanwhile, Barrett (10-2 MMA, 1-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak halted with the loss.
Grabowski and Konrad join Neil Grove as semifinalists in the heavyweight bracket.
In a welterweight special attraction, season-two tournament semifinalist Hornbuckle outlasted a game Blackburn and a nasty kick to the groin to claim a unanimous-decision win.
Blackburn opened with effective boxing and outstruck Hornbuckle en route to claiming the opening round. But as time wore on, Blackburn's crisp attacks lessened in frequency, and Hornbuckle was able to effectively mix in kicks and knees along with his punches from range.
The groin shot came in the second round and looked damaging in live action. But Hornbuckle battle through the adversity over the final round-and-a-half. Blackburn's face began to show the effects of the punishment in the final frame, and though he battled valiantly until the end, "Bad" Brad fell short on all three judges' cards, 29-28.
With the win, Hornbuckle (22-3 MMA, 3-1 BFC) rebounds from a June loss to eventual tournament winner Ben Askren. While his effort was commendable, Blackburn (17-12-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) falls just short in his Bellator debut and has now dropped three-straight fights overall.
The night's main card opened with striking sensation Frausto taking a one-sided decision win over the previously undefeated Jessica Pene. The submission-oriented Pene was unable to overcome Frausto's capable takedown defense at any point in the 15-minute affair, and while the "Warrior Princess" wasn't able to display her flashy attacks, she was able to easily claim all three rounds of the fight.
The contest wasn't especially entertaining, with most of the action taking place in the clinch, but Frausto's win was undeniable, and she was awarded all three rounds on all three judges' cards.
With the win, Frausto (8-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) joined Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii in the 115-pound female tournament semifinals. Pene (7-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC) loses for the first time as a professional.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
•Cole Konrad def. Rogent Lloret via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Damian Grabowski def. Scott Barrett via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Dan Hornbuckle def. Brad Blackburn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Zoila Frausto def. Jessica Pene via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
•Terrance Taylor def. Shonie Carter via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)*•Brian Gassaway def. Kenny Knabjian via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)*•Kenny Robertson def. John Kolosci via submission (keylock) - Round 2, 2:41*•Eric Kreigermeier def. Keoki Cypriano via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:16
* - Bout contested following main event