Andrey Koreshkov cruised to a unanimous decision at Bellator
122. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Adam
McDonough did not possess the weapons necessary to deal with
Andrey
Koreshkov.An effective sprawl, clean power punching and the occasional
spinning kick carried Koreshkov to a unanimous decision over
McDonough in the Bellator MMA Season 10 welterweight tournament
final at Bellator
122 on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula,
Calif. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for
Koreshkov (17-1, 8-1 Bellator).
McDonough (11-1, 3-1 Bellator) failed to establish himself as a
viable threat in the 15-minute match. Koreskhov kept the Minnesotan
bottled up near the cage, tearing into him with strong punching
combinations. The 23-year-old Russian was at his best in the second
round, where he landed a wicked spinning back kick to the face and
later had McDonough reeling with a right uppercut and follow-up
punches.
Koreshkov picked up where he left off in the third, ultimately
forcing his overmatched adversary to retreat to his back. There, he
met McDonough with a brutal knee to the ribs, as he put the
finishing touches on the one-sided decision.
Halsey Armbar Submits Cooper
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Halsey extended Cooper's arm.
HB Ultimate’s Brandon
Halsey submitted Brett
Cooper with a first-round armbar in the Bellator Season 10
middleweight tournament final. Cooper (20-10, 7-5 Bellator)
conceded defeat 2:09 into round one, submitting for the first time
in more than eight years.An NCAA All-American wrestler at Cal State Bakersfield, Halsey
(7-0, 5-0 Bellator) moved for an immediate takedown and executed
short elbow strikes from side control. The 27-year-old King of the
Cage alum then transitioned to the armbar and calmly advanced
toward a finish. Halsey eventually went belly-down with the
maneuver, hyperextending Cooper’s left arm for the tapout.
The victory qualifies Halsey for a shot at the Bellator
middleweight championship currently held by Russian striker
Alexander
Shlemenko.
Unbeaten McGeary Blitzes Valavicius
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McGeary destroyed Valavicius in short order.
Undefeated Englishman Liam
McGeary wiped out Egidijus
Valavicius with punches and knees in the first round of their
2014 Bellator Summer Series light heavyweight tournament semifinal.
McGeary (8-0, 5-0 Bellator) brought it to a close 2:10 into round
one, scoring his eighth finish in as many professional
appearances.Valavicius (27-11, 2-1 Bellator) never stood a chance. McGeary left
him badly bloodied with an early volley of close-quarters knees
before letting his hands fly. A right uppercut doubled over
Valavicius and left him vulnerable against the cage.
A Renzo
Gracie disciple, McGeary then dropped the hammer with a series
of unanswered knees and punches.
Baroni No Match for Parisyan
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Parisyan jumped all over Baroni.
The resurgent Karo
Parisyan took care of journeyman Phil Baroni
with first-round punches in a welterweight showcase. Baroni (15-18,
0-1 Bellator) wilted 2:06 into round one, as the Strikeforce,
Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships
veteran lost for the eighth time in 10 outings.Parisyan (24-10, 2-1 Bellator) softened the “New York Bad Ass” with
leg kicks and routinely beat him to the punch. The 31-year-old
judoka then jabbed into range, stunned Baroni with right uppercut
and followed him to the canvas. A burst of rights and lefts
followed, forcing referee “Big” John McCarthy to step in for the
stoppage.
Prelims: Lins Injury Sends Anundson to Tournament Final
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Sakai rallied to put away Frembling.
In preliminary action, American Top Team’s Kelly
Anundson (9-2, 3-0 Bellator) advanced to the 2014 Bellator
Summer Series light heavyweight tournament final when a knee injury
suffered by Luiz
Philipe Lins (9-1, 2-1 Bellator) left the Brazilian unable to
continue 1:40 into the first round of their 205-pound tussle;
once-beaten prospect Bubba
Jenkins (7-1, 4-1 Bellator) stopped Poppies
Martinez (29-10, 1-2 Bellator) with ground-and-pound 4:10 into
the first round of their featherweight tilt; Fernando
Gonzalez (21-12, 1-0 Bellator) sprang the upset and captured a
unanimous decision from Karl
Amoussou (17-7-2, 5-4 Bellator) in their welterweight clash,
earning 29-28 nods from all three
(+ Enlarge) | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Lins suffered an ugly knee injury.
judges; Millennia MMA representative Saad Awad
(16-6, 4-3 Bellator) put away Joe Duarte
(10-4, 0-2 Bellator) with elbows from his back 1:18 into round one
of their battle at 155 pounds; Augusto
Sakai (7-0, 2-0 Bellator) kept his perfect professional record
intact, as he dispatched Matt
Frembling (9-3, 0-1 Bellator) with knees and punches 3:32 into
the third round of their heavyweight confrontation; Sergio Rios
(8-0, 1-0 Bellator) knocked out Stephen Martinez (10-3, 1-1
Bellator) with a head kick and follow-up punches 20 seconds into
the second round of their lightweight affair; and Reign MMA’s
Manny
Lara withdrew from his heavyweight encounter with Dmitriy
Sosnovskiy due to illness.