Bellator 155: Carvalho vs Manhoef – live results, streaming video, play by play

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, free streaming video and detailed play-by-play as Bellator 155: Carvalho vs Manhoef takes flight from the Century Link Arena in Boise, Idaho.

Top billing goes to once-beaten Brazilian Rafael Carvalho, who, after snaring the middleweight strap from Brandon Halsey quite convincingly in his last outing, squares off with renowned kickboxing mauler Melvin Manhoef for his first title defense. Former featherweight champion Pat Curran collides with wily action-fighter Georgi Karakhanyan in the co-main slot, and former UFC featherweight Alexis Dufresne takes a Mt. Everest-sized leap in competition for her Bellator debut opposite elite veteran Marloes Coenen. Bouts pitting Joey Beltran vs. Chase Gormley and Augusto Sakai vs. Dan Charles round out the main card lineup.

Live streaming video of the preliminary card will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and live play-by-play will commence with the main card on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.

Main Card (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)

Rafael Carvalho vs Melvin Manhoef

R1: Manhoef lands an inside low kick a minute deep, but it’s a very tentative start to our main event. Carvalho lands a left kick to the body, measuring distance with an outstretched right hand. There’s not much cookin’ and the crowd lets them hear it at the two-minute mark. They get a pep talk from referee Big John McCarthy with 90 seconds left. Unfortunately, his urging goes entirely unnoticed by the fighters. 10-10.

R2: Manhoef lands a right body kick and Carvalho comes close to the cup on his response kick. Now it’s inside with a low kick from Manhoef, then he marches into the next one, torquing his hips over to dig deep into the inner thigh. Manhoef with a nasty right body kick that lands with a cracking thud. Glancing outside low kick from Carvalho before the crowd gets on the fighters again.

Short left hook grazes for Manhoef, then an outside low kick. Manhoef doubles up on outside low kicks, landing both. He goes back to the same kick, landing it three times in a row. Carvalho follows a step-in knee into the clinch but Manhoef takes a knee below the belt, then Carvalho throws an elbow as the ref is trying to intervene. After a stern warning to Carvalho, the fight is restarted. Manhoef has a high kick blocked. 10-9 Manhoef.

R3: Manhoef sits down on a counter-combo that puts Carvalho back on his heels. Carvalho reaches out defensively and accidentally pokes Manhoef in the eye. It’s another harsh warning from McCarthy before restarting them. Manhoef lands a right kick to the body before Carvalho forces a clinch, putting Manhoef on the cage. It’s getting chippy now as Manhoef complains about another foul before circling off the fence and separating long enough to plant a left hook on Carvalho’s chin.

Carvalho stays attached and hits an outside trip, falling into Manhoef’s closed guard. Manhoef surprisingly creates enough space to stand up but stays in the clinch. Carvalho circles his back off the fence but lands a knee low directly to the cup. And the fierce punishment is another mean-faced warning from McCarthy, saying “that’s the last time” for about the fourth or fifth time. Carvalho forces a clinch on the restart and manages to avoid punishing Manhoef’s genitalia in some way. Manhoef separates with a clean uppercut. 10-9 Manhoef.

R4: Carvalho glances with a short left and changes levels for a takedown attempt, but Manhoef pushes down on the head to repel it and flings a high kick that’s blocked. Jump knee attempt from Carvalho and he follows behind it with a successful takedown, falling in side mount. Cross-face elbows from Carvalho though no sense of urgency or continued aggression can be found on either side.

Manhoef bucks him off and scrambles back to his feet, separating. Carvalho lands a front kick to the body. Straight left glances for Carvalho. The crowd, emitting thunderous boos, really hates this fight and they’re not alone. 10-9 Carvalho.

R5: Two low kicks for Manhoef, who then whiffs with a Superman punch but lands another low kick. Now Manhoef is looking for counter left hooks, then he lands a strong kick to the body. Carvalho shoots a double leg and gets Manhoef to his knees but Manhoef stands up when he switches to the body lock.

Carvalho goes chest-to-chest in pursuit of a trip but Manhoef reverses it, landing on top. Carvalho gets back up and the exact same sequence repeats, though Manhoef is able to hold top position this time. Carvalho puts both heels on his chest and boots him off, escaping back to his feet. Inside low kick from Manhoef. McCarthy has to step in and motivate the fighters to engage once again, but time cannot tick away fast enough. 10-9 Manhoef. I have it 49-47 Manhoef.

Georgi Karakhanyan vs Pat Curran

R1: Karakhanyan opens with a left body kick. Curran keeping him at bay with tight combos and lateral movement. Karakhanyan buries a spinning kick to the body of Curran, who answers with an outside low kick. Jumping knee attempt from Karakhanyan is dodged, as is Karakhanyan’s next spinning kick. Curran with a one-two and a front kick to the body. Curran unbolts a picture-perfect left hook and it crumples Karakhanyan.

Curran pounces, falling into a high half guard and pushing down on the face, trying to posture up. Karakhanyan affects strong head and posture control, forcing a stalemate and allowing him to regain his wits. Curran looks to pass but Karakhanyan triangles his legs to prevent it. Curran peels his leg out and passes, then goes for a ballsy armbar from mount. Karakhanyan shakes him off and Curran ends up in his closed guard. 10-9 Curran.

R2: Karakhanyan telegraphs a double and Curran stuffs it with the front headlock, then puts Karakhanyan on his back. Full, open guard for Karakhanyan, then a loose armbar attempt. Karakhanyan goes to the guillotine and Curran passes to half guard, then moves to Karakhanyan’s back when he turtles. Curran puts one hook in falls onto his back with a body lock, intent on securing his other hook. And he gets it, taking full back mount at the halfway mark.

Karakhanyan deftly peels one hook out and spins to face Curran, regaining his guard. Karakhanyan switches to a guillotine, then hits a sweep as Curran focuses his attention on defending it. Curran closes his guard and gets strong posture control. They’re stood up with 30 seconds left. Karakhanyan lands a low kick to the upper thigh. 10-9 Curran.

R3: Curran stuffs another takedown to start the final frame. Karakhanyan looks for lead left hooks and Curran lands a low kick. Now a glancing counter right from Curran. And another. Karakhanyan answers with a clean right upstairs. Chin-post single leg attempt from Curran and Karakhanyan takes him down during a knee attempt.

Karakhanyan passes to half guard but Curran quickly regains full guard. Back elbow from Curran in guard. Step-over pass for Karakhanyan into half guard. Karakhanyan gets in arm triangle position but Curran sees it coming and recomposes full guard. 10-9 Karakhanyan. I have it 29-28 Curran.

Augusto Sakai vs Dan Charles

R1: Sakai allows himself to be cornered and eats a right from Charles before they clinch up, separating shortly after. Outside low kick is there for Sakai. Charles glances with a front kick to the body. Heavy outside low kick from Sakai. Now a push kick from Charles. And another. Sakai answers with an outside low kick. Charles leads with a right hand downstairs. Sakai, now pressuring Charles, tries to go inside with a kick but lands it square on the cup, and Charles goes down. We pause as Charles writhes on the canvas in pain.

He takes his time but is eventually ready to resume. Rear-leg front kick to the body from Charles on the restart. They throw low kicks simultaneously but Sakai’s again homes in on the cup, and Charles has to walk off another nut-shot. Sakai is docked a point. Charles goes back to the front kick on the restart.  10-10 round; 10-9 Charles with the point deduction.

R2: Sakai lands a right body kick. Charles answers but his digs deep into Sakai’s ribs with the shin. More front kicks from range from Charles. Sakai has a head kick blocked. Like the heavyweight contest earlier, the action here is largely unremarkable. Charles with more front kicks and a glancing left. 10-9 Charles, I guess.

R3:Charles hits a blast double early and lands in Sakai’s guard but he’s unable to maintain control, and Sakai escapes back to his feet. Charles blocks a heavy right kick from Sakai. Sakai gets a little more aggressive with kicks from outside but neither fighter is willing to commit on any threatening offense.

Sakai comes forward with a one-two and grazes with a low kick. Left body kick and a front kick to the face both land for Sakai, who mad-dogs Charles after the bell rings, then motions to the crowd and puts his hand to his ear in an attempt to incite … something. The crowd remains relatively silent. 10-9 Sakai. I have it 29-28 Charles.

Dan Charles vs. Augusto Sakai is ruled a majority draw (30-26 Charles, 28-28 x2)

Alexis Dufresne vs Marloes Coenen

R1: Dufresne shoots early and puts Coenen on her back with a trip. Coenen angles for an armbar but Dufresne slips out and maintains top position. Strong under-hook for Coenen, looking for a sweep with an opposite-side butterfly hook in. Coenen nearly hits a guillotine sweep as Dufresne clings to a body lock with her head buried.

Coenen sits up and buries two rights to the ribs, then hits a sweep. Coenen lands a short head-butt and is warned by the ref. Dufresne with a right-side over-hook, looking for a triangle. Now heel kicks to the back and ribs from Dufresne, who then turns it into a triangle and locks it up. Short elbows to the head from Dufresne, still with the triangle cinched. Dufresne switches to a triangle/armbar and forces the tapout immediately.

Chase Gormley vs Joey Beltran

R1: Gormley comes out flicking a bevy of low kicks. More lead-leg low kicks for Gormley, staying out on the fringe. Beltran answers with an outside low kick. And another. Gormley glances with a half-blocked overhand right. They trade a few more low kicks as the patient pace continues.

Gormley flings a one-two and follows with a hard low kick to the upper thigh, then he repeats the sequence with the same success. Beltran dings him with a clean right hand, then follows with two glancing rights. Gormley fires back with a right upstairs. Beltran lands short on a right. 10-9 Gormley.

R2: More low kicks for Gormley. Another hard low kick set up with his hands. Beltran with an outside low kick before covering up on a Gormley counter flurry. They exchange one-twos with Beltran delivering the heftier output. Beltran slips in a clean right. Beltran glances with a clubbing right.

Left body kick for Gormley. Beltran follows a triple jab with a right hand upstairs. Now it’s a right kick to the body from Gormley. They trade left hands. Gormley lands another body kick and Beltran closes the round with an aggressive flurry. 10-10.

R3: Beltran blows out Gormley’s mouthpiece with a charging medley of wide hooks. Gormley recovers and forces a clinch, briefly getting the rear waist cinch before Beltran slips out and separates. Glancing outside low kick from Beltran.

Beltran ups his output with more low kicks and punches but catches an overhand right from Gormley. Double hooks to the body and a glancing right hook upstairs from Beltran, who then swats Gormley with a right to the ribs. 10-9 Beltran. I have it a 29-29 draw.

Preliminary Card (Bloody Elbow, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Marcin Held defeats Dave Jansen by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Casey Johnson defeats Brendon Raftery by submission (rear-naked choke) R2 1:16
Joe Hamilton defeats Tyler Freeland by submission (rear-naked choke) R1 0:22
Vince Morales defeats Hamilton Ash by KO (punches) R2 2:32
Jesse Brock defeats Olly Bradstreet by submission (rear-naked choke) R3 3:57

Untelevised

Veta Arteaga vs. Jackie Vandenburgh
Scott Thometz vs. Josh Tyler
Will Noland vs. Sean Powers
Eric Cronkhite vs Ricky Steel