Bellator 162 Results: Play-by-Play & Round-by-Round Scoring

Steve Garcia vs. Ronnie Lawrence

Round 1

Garcia attacks with two spinning back kicks, but both of the strikes are blocked. Lawrence retaliates with a sharp low kick to the thigh but the bantamweights remain on the outside, sizing each other up. Lawrence misses a left to the head and is countered by a spinning back kick to the body that lands cleanly, though he shakes it off. Garcia bobs and weaves and continuously changes from southpaw to orthodox, mixing in kicks to the legs and body. A left jab – right high kick from Lawrence lands at the halfway mark of the round, but it’s not entirely clean. They clinch against the cage, with Lawrence pressing his foe and looking for the takedown. A pair of lead lefts from Garcia after they split off the cage, followed by a decent kick upstairs. Lawrence inadvertently kicks Garcia in the groin, though the damage in minimal. Garcia misses a wild left hook and falls to his back, but from there he’s able to pull guard and threaten with a triangle. Lawrence shrugs it off at the bell. 10-9 Garcia

Round 2

The 135-pounders trade low kicks as soon as the frame begins; Garcia’s appear to be harder. Lawrence attacks with his own spinning back kick and it connects to his foe’s ribcage. Garcia is able to dish out a few loopy hooks and counters up top, but he is met with a pair of thudding low kicks. Garcia wants no more of the stand-up game for now and shoots in, but he’s tied up. From there, he backs Lawrence into the cage and tries to rip him to the ground, but fails. Ronnie escapes out to his left and resets in the center of the cage. Lawrence backs away from missing one of his high kicks but he has to swallow a foot to the face in return. He blocks most of it, but the attack still knocks him off-balance. With a minute remaining, it’s still anybody’s round. Garcia’s wild, herky-jerky approach allows him to connect with a few errant punches toward the end and he barely wins the round. 10-9 Garcia

Round 3

Both men come out firing missiles early in the third and they each land a few solid punches to the head. It’s not long before the bantams regroup but Lawrence is a little more aggressive early. Garcia misses a spinning back kick to the body and it allows Lawrence to tie him up and slam him into the cage. Lawrence can’t drag him to the canvas and watches his foe slither away to the safety of the center of the cage. Garcia flails with another wild left hook but is easily dodged and tied up. Garcia is warned twice about grabbing onto the cage to prevent the takedown at the midway point. Garcia dishes out a sneaky elbow to the head on the inside just as he frees himself form the clinch. With about 70 seconds left, a Garcia left hook to the face drops Lawrence onto his back. Garcia dives in to finish him, but Lawrence has enough wherewithal to pull guard. Garcia can’t pass and rides out the clock for what should be a unanimous decision win. 10-9 Garcia

The Official Result

Steve Garcia def. Ronnie Lawrence via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) R3, 5:00

Ricky Rainey vs. Gilbert Smith

Round 1

Smith fires off a pair of low kicks to open the fight. Rainey is using his much longer reach to paw with the jab, tossing in a few lead rights here and there. “Chocolate Thunder” has a left head blocked but he’s relentless with his attacks. Rainey remains calm, though and stuffs his knee into Smith’s body a few times before being taken down. Smith is in his foe’s guard and is trying to pass to his left, but Rainey sneaks on a triangle. Smith easily fends it off and winds up back in full guard. Rainey bridges to create space and explodes back to his feet with about a minute left. After exchanging – and missing – wild punches, Gilbert ties his opponent up and searches for the takedown again. Rainey’s defense is solid, though, and is able to stay on his feet during the clinch. Rainey delivers a series of hard knees to the head just before the bell, landing two of them cleanly but Smith shakes them off. The late rally wins Rainey the round. 10-9 Rainey.

Round 2

Rainey opens the stanza aggressively, landing a few punches to the head before catching Smith with a glancing knee to the face in the clinch. Smith cracks his foe with a nasty left shin to the gut and then scores a beautiful inside trip takedown. Smith just misses with a powerful left hand from on top and it allows Rainey to suck him down into his guard. Smith is relentless in trying to pass, but again, Rainey explodes back to his feet. Gilbert chases him down and ties him up against the cage, trying to drag him down again. Rainey tags the shorter welterweight with a hard lead right after they separate, but “Chocolate Thunder” walks right through it. With a minute left, Smith again shoots in, but Rainey stuffs him like a turkey. Smith slaps a few low kicks on his adversary’s thighs just before the bell. It’s an extremely close round that could go either way but Rainey’s better overall and cleaner strikes get it. 10-9 Rainey

Round 3

Rainey opens the frame with a flurry of punches to the head and body, but virtually none of them land cleanly. Smith misses a takedown and winds up having his back taken, but he scrambles out of harm’s way and shoots in for a textbook double-leg. Rainey pulls guard once he hits the deck. After a few moments on the ground, Rainey attempts a triangle and then an oma plata, but Gilbert bursts through both en route to getting back to his feet. Smith quickly shoots back in and scores a single-leg, but Rainey is able to climb back to his feet. Smith ties his foe up against the cage but he can’t get another takedown. With two minutes left in the fight, Rainey unloads a nice knee to the chest against the cage. After separating, Smith swings for the fences with left and rights hooks, but he’s just a few inches short with each punch. Smith is exhausted as he tries for a takedown, but Rainey steps over it. Rainey thinks armbar from on top but opts against it and instead rides out the bell. 10-9 Smith

The Official Result

Rickey Rainey def. Gilbert Smith via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3, 5:00

Arlene Blencowe vs. Julia Budd

Round 1

Budd takes some time to get warmed up and pops Blencowe with a terrific one-two through the guard. A hard inside leg kick from Blencowe connects. Blencowe continues to walk forward and throws punches, but she’s a little too far outside for them to connect. Budd is moving well on the outside, but she’s not yet using that long reach to capitalize. Blencowe gets inside with a loopy overhand right and ties her up but Budd is able to power her way through to a takedown. Budd is in half guard on top and threatening with a key lock but quickly abandons it. It’s a very close round but the powerful takedown for Budd wins it. 10-9 Budd.

Round 2

Blencowe storms out of her corner and goes with the body kick, but she just misses. Budd tosses out a sweeping left hook but she finds only air. Blencowe misses with a left hook, which allows Budd to scoop up the leg. It takes a little while but the Canadian eventually scores the takedown. Budd quickly moves to side control, but the Aussie is able to roll over and stand back up. Budd is all over her opponent and shoves her hard into the fence again. Blencowe is furiously trying to get the taller fighter off, but Budd is relentless. Another takedown for the Canuck, who takes her back, with both hooks in. Blencowe rolls over in an effort to escape, but Budd is like a boa on her back. Budd flattens her out and fishes for the rear-naked choke, but she can’t sink it. It’s a mauling on the ground late for Budd, who easily wins the second. 10-9 Budd

Round 3

Budd is keeping a safe distance early, keeping the Aussie away with push kicks to the belly. Blencowe is hesitant as she tries to get inside. Budd goes with a high kick but Blencowe blocks it. At the midway point of the round, it remains a glorified kickboxing match with Budd easily keeping the smaller fighter away. Budd hasn’t attempted a takedown yet in the round. Finally, with just under two minutes remaining, the Canadian scoops Blencowe up and slams her down hard and lands in side control. Budd is threatening with an arm-triangle, but Blencowe fends it off well and rolls out of it. Blencowe explodes out and pops back up to her feet, but Budd stays on her back. Blencowe kicks Budd’s legs but Budd eventually stands up. Just before the horn, Blencowe is taken down again, icing the round for Budd. 10-9 Budd

The Official Result

Julia Budd def. Arlene Blencowe via Majority Decision (29-29, 30-27, 29-27) R3, 5:00

Dan Charles vs. Virgil Zwicker

Round 1

Charles comes right out with a hard right leg kick. Charles follows that up with a left kick to the body and then a right to the head, but Zwicker is unfazed by all of them. Zwicker walks through a left hook and drills Charles with a left of his own. Charles takes it well and sets up a left high kick, though Zwicker blocks it. Zwicker swallows Charles’s heel thanks to a push kick to the face and from there, the blood flows freely from Virgil’s mouth. Charles decides that he’s had enough on the feet and scores a powerful double-leg takedown. Charles threatens with a cross-body kimura, but Zwicker slips out of it and up to his feet. Another front kick to the mouth from Charles punctuates the round. 10-9 Charles

Round 2

Charles avoids a left-right combo the head and dishes out a sneaky straight right to the gut. Charles is keeping away from his foe early as he looks to pick him apart from the outside. Zwicker tags the naturally larger man with a series of rights to the face, but he absorbs a push kick to the belly. Zwicker misses with a spinning backfist but Charles is off-balance and can’t capitalize on the miss. An uppercut on the inside, followed by a left hook buckles Charles’s legs. Charles shoots in and misses badly and when he gets back to his feet, he is wobbly. Charles turns away and looks completely gassed with about two minutes left. Zwicker clubs him with another uppercut in the clinch and then adds a pair of knees to the body. Charles drops to his knees and Zwicker tees off. He is in deep trouble but referee David Ferguson allows it to continue. Finally, when Charles covers up again, Zwicker unloads with punches until it’s finally waived off.

The Official Result

Virgil Zwicker def. Dan Charles via TKO (Punches) R2, 4:31

Bobby Brents vs. Chase Gormley

Round 1

The two big boys come out swinging wildly but Brents scores a takedown on the inside. Brents clears the space and stands up, but his follow-up bombs miss their targets badly. Back on his feet, Gormley is using his reach and jab to keep a safe distance. Brents ducks inside and clips the taller man with a right hook to the head and Gormley is rocked. Brents closes the gap and tries to take him out, but Gormley clears his head and regroup. Gormley slams a left kick to the ribs of Brents, but he’s not bothered by the strike. A left jab from Gormley precedes a hard right low kick, the latter of which hurts Brents. They trade jabs in the center of the cage and Brents laughs at his foe as he says something to him. It winds up being a close round but Brents’ powerful knockdown wins it. 10-9 Brents

Round 2

Gormley’s corner is yelling at him, demanding him to let his hands go in between rounds. Gormley inadvertently lands a kick to the groin but Brents shakes it off in less than a minute. Gormley doesn’t heed his corner’s advice just yet as he continues to fight identically to how he did in the first. They trade low kicks while Brents talks to his opponent and laughs. Gormley backs away as he tries to utilize his jab, but Brents continues to walk right after him. Brents eats a series of jabs to the head and body, but none of them give him any real concern. Gormley really picks up the pace late in the round but nothing hard or clean has landed. With about 30 seconds left, an errant finger finds a home in Brents’ right eye. He’s given time to recover. When the fight resumes, Brents opens up but it’s not enough to win the round. 10-9 Gormley

Round 3

After Gormley misses a takedown attempt, Brents unloads a furious barrage of punches to the head and body. Gormley covers up but has to eat a pair of wicked elbows on the inside. Brents can’t close the show and backs off as he’s punched himself out. There’s a small cut around Gormley’s left eye a minute in. Gormley has recovered completely and busts the shorter man up with jabs and rights to the head. From there, he shoots in for an easy takedown. Brents scoots to his knee against the cage and then explodes back to his feet. Unless Gormley closes the show with a finish, Brents is two minutes from scoring the moderate upset, but he is exhausted. Gormley is very active with his left jab late in the round and is slowly stealing the round back. Gormley mixes up his kicks to the legs and body with jabs to the face. Brents complains of a low blow but John McCarthy yells at him that it was clean. Gormley’s dominance late wins him the round 10-9.

The Official Result

Chase Gormley def. Bobby Brents via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) R3, 5:00

Hisaki Kato vs. A.J. Matthews

Round 1

Kato opens the fight with a left head kick but it’s blocked. A follow-up kick to the ribs isn’t, but Matthews shakes it off. Matthews swats at his foe’s right leg with a powerful low kick, which forces the Japanese fighter off balance. Kato clips Matthews with a left hook and it stings him. They swing for the fences and a right to the bad badly hurts Kato. Matthews doesn’t chase him down, allowing his head to clear. A pair of left uppercuts, followed by a thwacking body kick backs Matthews off. Matthews walks into a left check hook, but it doesn’t land cleanly. Matthews is plucked in the eye during an exchange and he’s given time to recover. When the fight resumes, Kato unloads a furious assault of left kicks to the ribs and right arm. Matthews continues to storm forward but he’s jacked by a left uppercut. His legs instantly turn to rubber and he’s felled by another left uppercut. Matthews is in serious peril as Kato unloads on him but he somehow climbs back to his feet. With only a few seconds left, Kato pours on lefts and right until Matthews collapses against the cage, forcing referee Blake Grice to intervene.

The Official Result

Hisaki Kato def. A.J. Matthews via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:58

Ryan Couture vs. Goiti Yamauchi

Round 1

Couture blocks a head kick as soon as the fight begins. Couture avoids a few punches before tying Yamauchi up and taking him down. Yamauchi closes his guard and quickly latches on a textbook armbar. Couture tries to slip out but he can’t and has no choice but to tap out.

The Official Result

Goiti Yamauchi def. Ryan Couture via Submission (Armbar) R1, 1:01

Bobby Lashley vs. Josh Appelt

Round 1

The two men circle each other, pawing with jabs and low kicks. A loopy right hook catches Appelt on the jaw and he stumbles into the cage. Lashley doesn’t chase after him and instead takes his time in tying his shorter opponent up. Lashley has Appelt pressed into the cage but he opts to back off and resets in the center of the cage. Applet is poked in the right eye and backs away, but referee Blake Grice doesn’t see it. Lashley shoots in and easily takes him off his feet and into half guard. Appelt rolls over to avoid the incoming punches, but the hulking former pro wrestler is all over him. Appelt rolls over onto his back before turtling up, but Lashley is all over him. Appelt tries getting back to his feet, but Lashley takes his bloody victim back down. Lashley continues to club away at Appelt against the cage and it looks grim. Appelt again rolls over and moves to half guard and somehow survives the round. 10-8 Lashley

Round 2

Appelt shoots in as soon as the round begins but he is caught in a guillotine. Lashley lets go of the choke and picks up where he left off in the first as he is on top and pounding away. Lashley moves to full mount with four minutes remaining but he’s not landing anything truly hard or clean. Appelt rolls over again, gives up his neck and Lashley quickly ends it with a rear-naked choke. Appelt tapped out before the choke was actually sunk.

The Official Result

Bobby Lashley def. Josh Appelt via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R2, 1:43

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Kendall Grove

Round 1

Grove is on his toes immediately, dancing away from Shlemenko and keeping his long reach in play. Shlemenko lands a nice, heavy left kick to the body. A spinning back kick from the Russian misses but Grove doesn’t make him pay. Grove lands a knee to the head that’s partially blocked, but Shlemenko quickly ties him up and forces him into the cage. The two middleweights exchange punches in the center of the cage and a left hook drops the Hawaiian. Grove climbs back to his feet but Shlemenko is there to lock in a standing guillotine. “Da Spyder” escapes it and the hurts the Russian with a left hook. Shlemenko backs into the cage and ties the much taller fighter up to clear his head. They separate off the cage and when they regroup, Shlemenko digs another nasty left kick to Grove’s body. Shlemenko connects with a spinning back fist late in the round before tying Kendall up. 10-9 Shlemenko

Round 2

The middleweights come out on fire early, swinging wildly with punches to the head. Grove backs off to gauge the distance, causing the Russian to miss badly with a spinning back fist. A nasty left hook to the liver and right hook to the head drops Grove. The Hawaiian doubles over in agony and Shlemenko pounces. A tidal wave of punches pour onto Grove, who is trying to cover up and survive, but he can’t. When he can’t escape the wrath of the former champ, referee John McCarthy has no choice but to step in.

The Official Result

Alexander Shlemenko def. Kendall Grove via TKO (Punches) R2, 1:43