Bellator FC returns to Chicago, Illinois, tonight and BloodyElbow.com‘s Mike Fagan will be on the scene at the historic Chicago Theatre with live results and post-fight press conference coverage. Be sure to follow him on Twitter and join us back here at 8PM ET for the start of the live broadcast on Fox Sports Net.
The show is underway. Check the comments section for results from the opening fight and additional on-site commentary from Mike Fagan.
Zoila Frausto (7-1) vs. Jessica Pene (7-0)
Round 1: Frausto attacking early, though Pene blocks some nasty looking knees and head kick attempts. They clinch along the fence, trading knees inside as Pene looks for the takedown. Frausto manages to disengage with two minutes left in the round. Pene soon walks her back against the cage, though she eats a hard left from Frausto on her way in. Frausto escapes again and begins flicking out head kicks and Superman punches, but Pene is keeping her distance on the feet when they’re not clinching. Pene tries to pull guard, then attempts a leg lock. Nothing doing. Another Frausto head kick is blocked as the round ends. 10-9 Frausto.
Round 2: Frausto firing off leg kicks. Pene tries to walk her into the fence, but this time Frausto fends her off with a teep kick. Left hand from Frausto momentarily wobbles Pene, but Zoila doesn’t pounce. Now it’s Frausto pushing Pene into the cage. Pene eats a knee to the grill. With 15 seconds left, Frausto trips Pene down and unloads a couple hard shots from side control before the bell sounds. 10-9 Frausto.
Round 3: Pene catches a low kick from Frausto and tries to use it to take her down, but Frausto grabs Pene in a headlock and bullies her into the cage. Short knees and punches to the body by Frausto as they clinch. They separate. Three minutes left and this has been all Frausto. Pene has no answer for Frausto’s striking and no way to take her down. Beautiful spinning back-kick from Frausto lands right in Pene’s breadbasket, and that’s basically all she wrote. 10-9 Frausto.
BloodyElbow.com scores the bout 30-27 Frausto.
Zoila Frausto (8-1) def. Jessica Pene (7-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3, 5:00
Dan Hornbuckle (21-3) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-11-1)
Round 1: Blackburn rushes in with a hard combination immediately, but Hornbuckle easily dumps him to the mat. Blackburn works his way up the cage and drops Hornbuckle with an uppercut. Hornbuckle puts on a body triangle from guard, but eventually shoves Blackburn off of him and stands again. Blackburn is throwing fire, and Hornbuckle barely ducks under a vicious right cross. Hornbuckle lands a kick to the body for the third time in the round. 90 seconds left. Left head kick from Hornbuckle is blocked, but the follow-up to the body connects. Blackburn answers with a one-two and muscles Hornbuckle into the cage, where they end the round. 10-9 Blackburn.
Round 2: Hornbuckle opens with another solid kick to the body. It’s been his best offense so far. Hornbuckle strings together a few nice combinations before catching a devastating kick to the junk. Hornbuckle was throwing a left high kick and Blackburn’s counter right low kick sent Hornbuckle to the floor. They resume. Very even exchanges down to the last 30 seconds, where Hornbuckle misses a flying knee. Hornbuckle catches Blackburn with another left kick to the body, followed by a hard right hand. Teep kick from Hornbuckle in the final seconds sends Blackburn to the ground. 10-9 Hornbuckle.
Round 3: Blackburn tags Hornbuckle with a nice right straight, which Hornbuckle answers with a left and another kick to the body. Both men still swinging away and their faces are beginning to show it, with Hornbuckle cut on the nose and Blackburn bleeding near the corner of his eye. Hornbuckle’s left hook becoming the deciding factor in this round, and maybe the fight. Two minutes left. Hornbuckle feints left, then lands a hard outside thigh kick. Hornbuckle landing punches with increasing frequency. Blackburn tries for a takedown and Hornbuckle just matadors him. Flying knee and head kick attempts from Hornbuckle in the waning moments, but nothing lands hard. Both men smile and embrace as soon as the bell rings. Check that – Hornbuckle’s smiling, Blackburn’s face is a mess with cuts under both eyes. 10-9 Hornbuckle.
BloodyElbow.com scores the bout 29-28 Hornbuckle.
Dan Hornbuckle (22-3) def. Brad Blackburn (15-12-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Damian Grabowski (12-0) vs. Scott Barrett (10-1)
Round 1: Doesn’t take long for Barrett to press Grabowski into the fence. Shortly thereafter, a Grabowski knee catches Barrett low. They resume quickly and Grabowski stuns Barrett with an uppercut-hook combination. Barrett responds by lifting Grabowski high into the air and planting him on the mat. Barrett moves to half guard, looking to control Grabowski’s wrists, but Grabowski is staying busy on the bottom. Grabowski gives up his back momentarily, but Barrett gets too high and Grabowski sweeps. They stand briefly before Barrett scores a single-leg. Grabowski punching away to the head of Barrett from underneath as Barrett tries to stack him up and throw single shots. Grabowski lands an upkick, works to his feet and lands another uppercut before the round ends. Despite spending the bulk of the round underneath Barrett, I score this one 10-9 Grabowski.
Round 2: Time was apparently called in between rounds to check out Barrett’s eye, which Grabowski accidentally(?) gouged at the end of round one. Barrett elevates Grabowski again to begin the round, and they resume the familiar position from last round. Barrett doing very little from the top position while Grabowski stays busy, punching from closed guard. Grabowski angles for a submission, can’t find it, and Barrett passes to half guard. Grabowski tries to sweep unsuccessfully and has his back taken. Barrett rains down punches from back mount as Grabowski turtles, but again Barrett rides too high and Grabowski pops out the backdoor. Grabowski works from Barrett’s guard to the end of the round. 10-9 Grabowski.
Round 3: Grabowski landing punches at will in the opening minute, Barrett just walking forward with his hands at his waist. Barrett’s takedowns not working this round. Grabowski just pumping his right jab on the already-damaged face of Barrett. Right hands, knees and head kicks coming from Grabowski. Barrett answers with single arm-punches; to this credit, he’s taking everything Grabowski can throw at him and not going down. Barrett drives with everything he’s got into a takedown attempt and puts Grabowski on the mat with less than a minute remaining. That’s where it ends. 10-9 Grabowski, but I’m guessing the judges won’t agree.
BloodyElbow.com scores the bout 30-27 Grabowski.
Damian Grabowski (13-0) def. Scott Barrett (10-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Cole Konrad (4-0) vs. Rogent Lloret (9-1-1)
Round 1: Konrad catches a kick from Lloret and plows him down. Konrad working from half guard, trying to pin Lloret’s right arm between his legs for the crucifix. In the meantime, Konrad throws hammerfists and elbows from the top. Lloret attempts to sweep, but finds himself caught in a guillotine. He rolls out of it and they’re back to the feet. Nice right hand from Konrad to the body of Lloret. Lloret lands his only real offense in the last 15 seconds with some inside leg kicks. 10-9 Konrad.
Round 2: The two circle tentatively for the opening minute of the second frame. Konrad drops his hands and looks sideways at Lloret, as if to say “come on.” Konrad doesn’t look all that eager to engage, though. Konrad’s boxing actually looks much improved from his last outing. He’s landed some hard, hard right hands on Lloret here. Konrad catches a leg kick and lands another. Konrad trips Lloret to the mat with a minute left, but Lloret is near the cage and walks back up. Konrad lazily kneeing the legs of Lloret as they clinch, but it’s more than Lloret is doing. 10-9 Konrad.
Round 3: Another takedown from Konrad begins the final round. Lloret looked like he was considering rubber guard, but it’s hard with a man of Konrad’s size sitting in your guard. Boo birds making themselves heard now as Konrad’s offense from on top slows and Lloret just tries to tie up. 90 seconds left. Konrad scoots Lloret up against the cage, now working from half guard. Konrad lets Lloret up just before the final bell and does a little jog to show he’s still got juice left. 10-9 Konrad.
BloodyElbow.com scores the bout 30-27 Konrad.
Cole Konrad (5-0) def. Rogent Lloret (9-2-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Kolosci (14-6) vs. Kenny Robertson (9-0)
Round 1: Referee Don Clift presiding over this fight. Big pop for Kolosci leading in. Kolosci pressed up against the fence. The two trade knees. Robertson leans back and throws Kolosci to the mat. Robertson looking for a crucifix, but Kolosci scrambles out. Robertson has his back now with body triangle. Releases the body triangle now, and Kolosci turns into mount and works to half guard. Kolosci works his back to the fence, but Robertson keeps him planted there. Kolosci back in full guard, but taking shots. Roberts uses a can opener to open Kolosci’s guard. Robertson has back control now with one hook. Roberts had some sort of leg lock from the back. Very odd. Kolosci fights out and Robertson wins the scramble. I’ve got Robertson 10-9. Tempted to give a 10-8, but not enough damage.
Round 2: Robertson ducks under Kolosci’s punches and lands a takedown into side control. Robertson staying active with punches and elbows. Kolosci tries to scramble, makes it to his feet, but Robertson has head control. Landing knees now on the fence. Kolosci goes down to a knee (can we change this rule already!) and Robertson looks for the back. He slips off, Kolosci gets on top briefly, but Robertson ends up on top. Nice knee to the chest while Kolosci sits against the cage that was borderline legal. Robertson has one hook and now two hooks in back control. Hard to tell what just happened, but Kolosci taps and is grabbing his shoulder. Looks like some sort of arm bar.
Kenny Robertson (10-0) def. John Kolosci (14-7) via keylock at 2:41 of round 2
Kenny Knabjian (10-4-1) vs. Brian Gassaway (28-19-2)
Round 1: Andrew Krzeptowski the third man in the cage. Both of these guys are local and get nice pops, though Knabjian seems to have the crowd favor. Jab from Gassaway to start. Knabjian shoots, and the ensuing scramble ends up with him on top. Knabjian moves to half guard and lands punches. Knabjian grabs Gassaway’s far leg and uses it to pass it to side on the other side. Short elbows for Knabjian, and he’s thinking about going for the kimura. Gassaway scrambles and regains half guard. Knabjian staying really tight on top, but active with strikes. Gassaway retains guard, but Knabjian is landing some bombs from the top. Knabjian gets back to half guard now. Briefly looks for the kimura again, but hooks the leg instead. Gassaway explodes and he’s now on top in side control. Gassaway in mount now, postures up and throws some shots. Knabjian gives up his back. Gassaway has a choke locked in, but doesn’t have it fully. Knabjian “escapes” into mount. Gassaway throwing leather now. Round ends. Really tough to score. Gonna go with 10-9 Gassaway.
Round 2: Knabjian is red around the right eye. Just noticed that neither guy has any sponsors on their shorts. Knabjian lands a couple right hands. Slow place for the first thirty seconds. Nice right-left from Knabjian. Gassaway trying to establish the jab. Knabjian comes forward with a nice combination. Knabjian shoots. Transitions from single to double and gets the fight to the ground. Knabjian working the body from guard. Nice punches from the top, though his corner is asking for elbows. Gassaway grabbing in vain for the head or wrists of Knabjian to control posture without much luck. More punches from Knabjian. Referee stands the fighters up, not a bad decision. Gassaway lands a nice one too. Nice shot to the body from Gassaway. Knabjian works a takedown but lands with Gassaway on his back. Gassaway grabs an armbar, but doesn’t have the leverage. Round ends. 10-9 Knabjian.
Round 3: Good scrap so far. Both guys are slower now. Gassaway lands a nice stiff jab. Another, but Knabjian counters with a left hook. Nice exchanges from both. Another nice jab from Gassaway. Right hand counters a Knabjian jab. Gassaway stuffs a shot. Double jab from Knabjian is followed by a right hand. Gassaway one-two with a left high kick to finish. Gassaway lands another combination. Knabjian clinches and has Gassaway on the fence. Drops down for a double, but Gassaway is defending well for now. They disengage and back at center. Gassaway’s jab is paying dividends now. Lazy jab from Knabjian gets him a left hook for his trouble. Knabjian’s corner wants him to change levels, but he doesn’t have the energy for a takedown. Gassaway landing the better shots as this round goes on. Knabjian just puts his head down and charges, but Gassaway shrugs him off. Gassaway landing an overhand right now. Good back and forth action. I have round three 10-9 for Gassaway and the fight for him 29-28. Fun fight.
Brian Gassaway (29-19-2) def. Kenny Knabjian (10-5-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Knabjian’s corner was not happy with the decision.
Torrance Taylor (8-7-1) vs. Shonie Carter (49-24-7)
Round 1: Shonie has an entourage of women carrying his various belts. Also a female fire eater. Good pop from the crowd. David Smith is our referee. Ring announcer Michael Williams lets us know this is at a catchweight of 172 for those wondering if Carter tried to drop any more weight. The fighters trade leg and body kicks to start. Nice right hook from Carter as Taylor jumps in. Nice superman punch from Taylor. Leg kick from Taylor leads to a Carter takedown. Taylor works back to his feet, though Shonie has his back. Shonie works a throw, but the fighters end up back in their vertical bases. “Shonie” chant rings through the theater. Nice shots from Taylor. Shonie responds. Low kick then high kick from Taylor. Attempted axe kick misses from Taylor but he follows up strong with a combination. Two minutes left, and we’re pretty even so far. Shonie grabs a clinch and has Taylor up against the fence. Taylor more active with his back against the fence, but he spins Carter around. Taylor throwing good knees to the midsection and thighs. Taylor lands a takedown just as the round ends. Taylor 10-9.
Round 2: More kick trading to open. Taylor lands a punch combination. They clinch and trade position along the fence. They fall to the ground and Taylor lands on top. Weird scramble and they’re back to the clinch with Taylor in control. Taylor on top on the ground. They’re standing again, Taylor has the back, but Carter spins around. Carter with a trip takedown into guard. Taylor sweeps and they stand after the scramble. I’m starting to think the extra cut took something out of Carter. Right high kick from Taylor. Carter is backing up when they’re at distance. One-two from Taylor. Carter with a one-two and head kick, all blocked by Taylor. Nice inside leg kick from Taylor. Nice left hands from taylor. Shonie fighting back, but he doesn’t look all there. Glancing head kick from Taylor. Desperation punch from Carter almost lands flush on the chin. Taylor has Carter’s back in the turtle. Carter stands and works for a kimura. Ten seconds left and Taylor lands a head kick after disengaging. Taylor 10-9.
Round 3: Crowd trying to rile up Carter. Taylor with nice combinations to open. He’s taking the fight to Carter now. Clinch against the fence. They disengage. Carter complains about something. Can’t tell if it was his eye or a groin shot. Ref asks if he wants to stop and Carter gives an emphatic “no.” Taylor comes right at him after the brief break. Carter doesn’t have much at this point. Taylor pressing Carter up against the fence. Action is slow here. Carter works for a trip, but Taylor ends up on top in half guard. Short punches from Taylor. Women in the crowd are cheering, but I’m not sure for what, unless they’re Taylor fans. More short punches from Taylor. Carter’s right in front of his corner and they aren’t offering much advice for him. Carter’s corner looks beaten. More short punches and now elbows from Taylor. Carter covering up. Regains himself and tries to use the fence to roll Taylor over to no avail. Taylor keeping active from top. Carter turns over and Taylor has back control now. Nice heel strike from the back from Taylor. Ten seconds left and we should be on our way to a 30-27 Taylor decision. Fight ends with Taylor on top in mount throwing big punches. Carter needing help to get on the stool. He looks like someone who just got beat up.
Terrance Taylor (9-7-1) def. Shonie Carter (49-25-5) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
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