Bellator Fighting Championships V results & review
Recapping BFC V with our live coverage from Dayton, Ohio
Bellator Fighting Championships continued the lightweight tournament on May 1st from Dayton, OH. The event featured one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in Eddie Alvarez. Bellator is broadcasted live on ESPN Deportes (only MMA deal with ESPN) with replays of the event available at www.bellator.com. Bellator kicked off their promotion with tournament bouts held across the nation in the Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight and Middleweight Division. In Dayton, the tournament resumed with the semifinals of the Lightweight Division. Semifinal bouts included underdog Toby Imada battling Jorge Masvidal and Eric Reynolds dueling with Alvarez. The winner of each bout received $50,000. The card in total included 9 fights.
BFC V Results:
Frank Carabello vs. Waylon Lowe 155 lbs - Lowe controlled all three rounds with his superior wrestling skills. You may recognize Waylon as he competed on the 9 th season on The Ultimate Fighter. Lowe’s wrestling backgrounds includes multiple National Championships with the University of Findlay located in OH. Lowe’s strength helped him escape any submission attempt by Carabello helping him cruise to a rather easy victory via UD. Lowe improved his record to 4-2.
Justin Edwards vs. John Troyer 170 lbs - This was an explosive fight with plenty of action. Both Edwards and Troyer were throwing leather as the crowd watched on in amazement. Troyer attempted to slow the pace by clinching and taking the fight to the ground but Edwards had an answer for each of Troyer’s tactics. Edwards, an Ohio native, was simply too much for Troyer as he landed a guillotine choke ending the fight in the 1st round via tapout. A happy Jorge Gurgel looked on as his pupil gained the victory. Keep an eye on Edwards. He has tremendous upside with only two professional fights on his record, 2-0.
Tammy Schneider vs. Jessica Pene 117lbs - A mismatch from the opening bell Pene dominated the fight resulting in the referee quickly stopping the fight due to strikes 1:35 into the 1st round. Pene improves her record to 6-0.
Pete Dominguez vs. Matt Jaggers 145 lbs- A good matchup with both fighters hailing from the Hoosier state. The fight quickly went to the ground with Jaggers attempting an assortment of submission maneuvers. Dominguez showed great technical skills by escaping what looked to be a fight ending RNC (rear naked choke). Jaggers proved to be too much in front a throng of fans as he landed another RNC and ended the fight in the 1st round. Jaggers improved his record to 11-5.
Dan “The Viking” Evensen vs. Raoul Romero Heavyweight – The Viking has competed at very high level including a loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 87. Evensen dominated the 1st round with strikes and proved to be surprisingly athletic avoiding Romero’s take downs. Evensen battered Raoul’s face in the 2nd round eventually leading to a TKO victory due to strikes 1:44 into the 2 nd round. The Viking improved his record to 11-4.
Sherman “The Tank” Pendergarst vs. Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran - With possibly the best nickname in all of MMA, The Mexicutioner executed The Tank with ease landing several heavy strikes early in the 1st round. Sherman resembled his nickname as he looked slow and unable to react while rapid bombs were connecting. Beltran got the victory via TKO 2:24 into the 1st round improving his record to 7-2.
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Josh Barnes vs. Dave “Pee Wee” Herman Heavyweight - Barnes is your classic bar room brawler throwing wild haymakers hoping to end the fight with one punch. Barnes’ unorthodox style gave Pee Wee problems throughout the early part of the 1st round. Herman connected with a knee that landed in the “nether regions” causing a temporary delay in the fight to allow Barnes to start breathing again. The crowd groaned as the replay was shown. The fighters touched gloves and Barnes immediately started to sling punches from all angles. Herman managed to gain some control in the clinch and slow the pace of the fight. Herman landed a flying knee which threw Barnes off balance opening a clear standing knee to Josh’s face. He collapsed to the ground; Herman pounced like a Lion ending the fight due to strikes. Herman improved his record to 15-1. Herman has the skills to be a top ten heavyweight in the world. He is only 24 years old.
LIGHTWEIGHT SEMIFINAL: Toby Imada 21-12 vs. Jorge Masvidal 17-3 - In what can only be described as an all time classic, both fighters displayed incredible quickness and tremendous hand speed and technical skills throughout the fight. Masvidal dominated both the 1st and 2nd rounds landing jabs that sounded like the cracking of a whip. Jorge’s boxing skills are 2nd to none in MMA. Entering the 3rd round, Imada’s right eye was badly swollen with blood trickling down his face. Imada winced noticeably with every punch Masvidal landed. Both fighters showed tremendous heart and conditioning as the fight continued with high energy throughout the fight. Toby shot in on Jorge but it looked to be defended well. Then, unexplainably, Toby ended up on Jorge’s back. In a scene almost impossible to describe that would appear too hard to believe for a movie script, Jorge is standing straight up with Toby’s legs around his neck. Toby’s face is on Jorge’s lower back. Toby sink’s in a reverse, standing triangle choke! Imada postures his back squeezing the air out of Jorge like a boa constrictor sending both fighters to the mat. Jorge’s is completely out as the referee stops the action to the shock of all in attendance. Imada advances to the Lightweight Championship in one of the most incredible endings in the history of MMA.
LIGHTWEIGHT SEMIFINAL: Eddie Alvarez 16-2 vs. Eric Reynolds 11-1 - Alvarez is one of the best lightweights in the world and entered the fight as a heavy favorite. Alvarez is known for his reckless abandoned resulting in some of the most exciting bouts in the sport. In this bout, Alvarez avoiding Reynolds reach advantage and took him to the ground at will. Eddie showed off all of his skills by using perfect form single leg and double leg take downs. He capitalized on the takedowns with tremendous jiu-jitsu techniques allowing him to jump to side guard and the full mount at will. Eddie pummeled and dominated Reynolds throughout the 1st and 2nd rounds. Alvarez continued to be the aggressor in the 3rd landing a hook and executed another punishing take down. He managed to land several strikes forcing Reynolds to give up his back. Eddie quickly sunk a RNC ending the fight 1:38 into the 1st round. Alvarez moves on to the Lightweight final where he will battle the heavy underdog Toby Imada in what should be a great matchup. Alvarez improves his record to 17-2.
A great night of action from Dayton, OH. Please visit ProFighting-fans.com for past and future columns on Bellator Fighting Championships.
By Steven T. Kelliher
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer