Alexander Shlemenko was up against a real test in Brennan Ward in the Bellator 114 main event. Ward found himself on Shlemenko’s back multiple times in the first round, once working a face crank, once managing to lock in a body triangle and do some work.
Still, it was the middleweight champion who was having the best moments on the feet. Shlemenko opened up more in the second round, working to the body and head with a variety that seemed to throw Ward off just enough that his desperation led to him getting out of position and getting caught in a choke by Shlemenko. Once Shlemenko locked it in, he forced the very quick tap.
Here’s how the finish looked, as captured in GIF format by Zombie Prophet:
The featherweight tournament semi-final bouts were the low point of the broadcast. Desmond Green fought to a very safe decision win against Will Martinez, using top control and a very conservative striking game to get the decision win. The judges saw the bout 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 all for Green.
Matt Bessette and Daniel Weichel put on a fight that was better than Green/Martinez, but still shouldn’t convince anyone that this tournament is going to produce a winner that belongs in the conversation with the very solid top end of the bellator featherweight division.
Weichel worked a top game in rounds one and three that scored him the unanimous decision, but there wasn’t much by way of excitement in the fight.
The show opened with a really fun scrap between Brett Cooper and Kendall Grove.
Grove had a tremendous first round, scoring a takedown and taking the back. While he wasn’t able to lock up a rear naked choke, he did end the round throwing bombs while Cooper covered up and tried to survive to the bell.
Round two saw Grove throwing some solid combinations and working knees while Cooper jumped in with uppercuts and hooks. Eventually, Cooper caught Grove with a big punch that dropped him and followed up with a series of shots that eventually put him to sleep.
Again, Zombie Prophet caught the finish: