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Bellator's latest event emanated from the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California and contained a total of fifteen fights.
Four of those featured on the main card which was headlined by an explosive Lightweight contest between knockout artists Saad Awad and Brandon Gritz.
Elsewhere on the card, Muay Thai standout Joe Schilling took on Keith Berry in the opener of the main card. It was a stacked event that enabled a strong finish of the month for Bellator.
Let's jump right into the results then, shall we?
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Bellator 219 Results - Prelims
David Rickels def. A.J. Matthews via TKO (3:24, Round 2)
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Shawn Bunch def. Dominic Mazzotta via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Dalton Rosta def. Cody Vidal via TKO (1:06, Round 1)
Joey Davis def. Marcus Anthony via KO (4:21, Round 1)
It should be noted that the following fights are post-main card bouts and are happening as we speak:
Janay Harding def. Marina Mokhnatkina via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Johnny Cisneros def. John Mercurio via Majority Decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rickey Furar def. Roman Puga via TKO (Doctor's Stoppage) (5:00, Round 2)
Sunni Imhotep def. Eugene Correa via KO (0:44, Round 1)
David Pacheco vs. Kelvin Gentapanan
Weber Almeida vs. Johnny Soto
Rickles paid homage to the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin by adopting the Texas Rattlesnake's persona tonight. This was epic!
#1. Joe Schilling (3-5) vs. Keith Berry (15-14-1) (Middleweight)
Schilling came into the fight with a victory over Will Morris at Bellator 210 in November 2018 while his opponent hadn't won a single fight in his last 5 attempts. Berry's last bout ended in a draw against Kevin Casey in January 2017.
Schilling was the obvious favorite as he was the man with the bigger frame, standing in at 6'3" with a reach advantage of three inches.
It didn't take time for Schilling to impose his striking dominance as he dropped Berry within the very first minute of the first round. He allowed Berry to get back up on his feet, who in turn, scored a takedown on Schilling. Schilling deployed kicks to the left leg and also used his knees and elbows to good effect. The round ended with Berry getting another takedown.
Schilling amped up the pressure in the second round, as despite going down to the mat again in the early goings, the Muay Thai exponent kept connecting with leg kick all throughout the round. The kicks forced Berry to shift stances and Schilling took advantage of the alteration with a step-in uppercut at the end of the second round. Berry felt it and retreated, only to eat another knee at the bell. Schilling took the second round as well.
Berry managed trip Schilling down early in the third round but as was the case with previous round, he couldn't do much damage. Schilling swept on top and got in a dominant top position. Rights, elbows and left strikes kept raining from the top. Schilling continued to pummel Berry, who was a bloody mess. Referee Mike Beltran let the fight go the distance even though it would have been apt to stop it a few minutes before the final bell itself.
Result: Joe Schilling def. Keith Berry via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
That was a brutally dominant performance from Schilling, especially the 10-8 third round in which he dished out some barbaric punishment on Berry from the top.
#2. Michael Jasper (13-4) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (21-3) (Welterweight)
The Welterweights took center stage next as Jasper and Koreshkov faced each other in the second fight on the main card.
Jasper was on a three-fight win streak going into the fight while Koreshkov had lost his last fight against Douglas Lima at Bellator 206.
Former Welterweight Champion Koreshkov used the leg kicks effectively in the first round. He mixed the kicks up nicely with the left jabs. There were moments when the spin kick too came out of the arsenal of Koreshkov. Jasper found it tough to deal with the rampant kicks of Koreshkov, however, he did get in a few good knees and avoided taking more damage in the first round that clearly went to Koreshkov.
Jasper showed some urgency in the second round as he looked to connect with a combination of quickfire jabs. All he could get was a body shot. Koreshkov kept Jasper guessing as the kicks telegraphed the hooks and jabs that came in. He rocked Jasper with a big right and scored a takedown soon after with one minute left to go in the second round. Koreshkov got another round in the bag.
The third round was quintessential fight management from Koreshkov as he relentlessly kept taking Jasper down. Jasper got up on the feet various times only to get slammed back down to the mat.
Result: Andrey Koreshkov def. Michael Jasper via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
It was a highly superior performance from the former Bellator Welterweight Champion as he nullified Jasper's gameplan with an all-rounded display that included a combination of kicks, strikes and some solid ground control.
#3. Shane Kruchten (12-4) vs. Daniel Straus (25-8) (Featherweight)
This was set to be Daniel Straus' first fight ever since he suffered a bad motorcycle accident. After undergoing extensive rehab, Straus was all set to make his return for the first time since he lost to Emmanuel Sanchez in October 2017. As for Kruchten, the San Diego native lost his last fight against Aaron Pico in January 2018 at Bellator 192.
However, this fight was all about Straus and his redemption story. The former Bellator Featherweight Champion didn't let ring-rust affect him as he emphatically finished off Kruchten in the first round itself.
Kruchten was the more animated fighter in the early exchanges as he used the feints and jabs to put Straus off his game. Straus cut the distance with a strong left strike and got his first takedown of the fight. Kruchten got back up and Straus then began to play his game. He forced Kruchten into moving weirdly and cracked him with a massive left hand. Straus rammed a visibly hurt Kurcthten into the fence and effortlessly took his back. Rear naked choke a job well done. Welcome back, Mr. Straus.
Result: Daniel Straus def. Shane Kruchten
That was a heartening win for the fans to witness as Straus has been through a lot in the past few years. It was a deserved victory for the former Champion as he looks to chart the path towards reclaiming the title he once held.
#4. Saad Awad (23-10) vs. Brandon Girtz (15-8) (Lightweight)
The main event was a fight between men with two contrasting fortunes. While Awad had lost just one of the last five matches, which was against Benson Henderson, Brandon Gritz had won just one of his last five bouts. Go hard or go home - that would have been Gritz' mantra going into the fight.
Gritz looked like a man focussed to get his career back on track as he stunned Awad with an overhand right in the first round. He was all over Awad as he transitioned between full mount and side control. Awad made his way back up to his feet, however, was still a bit wobbly as he looked to get in a few combinations.
Awad ended the round strong with a few kicks, hooks and a flying knee but Gritz got in more volume and had the biggest moment of the round, which may have scored the round in his favor.
Gritz managed to hurt Awad again in the second round but Awad somehow hung in there. There was a wild exchange in the middle of the second round which ended in a stalemate. Awad kept pressing forward and connected with knees and overhand rights. He missed a kick and fell to the mat. Gritz went for his back and got a few shots to Awad's head.
Gritz was looking to end the fight with a massive left while Awad too was looking for a showstopper himself. Gritz cracked Awad yet again and rushed in to finish the fight with some hammer fists, Awad got back to his feet. Both men were throwing bombs at each other with an intent to kill. Lots of power in every shot that was being thrown and the fight ended with both men standing on their feet. That was entertaining!
Result: Brandon Gritz def. Saad Awad via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
While Awad had his moments, Gritz did enough to get back into the winning column with a hard-fought victory.
