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Bellator 225, which emanated from the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, is now in the books. For a fight fan that loves finishes and hates laborious fights that go the distance, Bellator 225 was a card made in heaven.
14 fights, 14 finishes, seven KOs, seven Submissions, nine first-round finishes. Now those are outstanding statistics. It was the third event in the promotion's history after Bellator 36 and Bellator 168 to have no decisions.
Let's not waste any more time and get right into the results and highlights of Bellator 225:
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Bellator 225 Results: Prelims
Connor Dixon def. Kastroit Xhema via (armbar) (2:08, Round 3)
Nick Newell def. Corey Browning via (arm triangle) (3:15, Round 1)
Austin Vanderford def. Joseph Creer via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) (5:00, Round 2)
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Sabah Homasi def. Micah Terrill via KO (0:17, Round 1)
Ricky Bandejas def. Ahmet Kayretli via KO (1:21, Round 1).
Khonry Gracie def. Oscar Vera via submission (armbar) (2:50, Round 1)
Chris Disonell def. Mike Kimbel via TKO (4:54, Round 1)
Aviv Gozali def. Eduard Muravitskyvia submission (heel hook) (0:11, Round 1)
Jon Manley def. Thiago Rela via submission (rear naked choke) (4:47, Round 3)
Bellator 225 Results: Main Card
#1 Tyrell Fortune (6-0) vs. Rudy Schaffroth (6-0) (Heavyweight)
Heavyweights. Undefeated. Guaranteed fireworks. This is how a kickstart the main card.
Round 1: Both men touched gloves and off we went. They read each other in the early goings. Schaffroth was the one who pushed forward in the first few seconds, however, not much action ensued in the first minute.
Fortune drew first blood with a straight right. Schaffroth countered with a 1-2. Fortune shot for the single leg but it was stuffed with ease. Fortune went for the straight right but Schaffroth ducked. Solid inside leg kick from Fortune. Schaffroth knocked Fortune down and the favour was repaid in equal measure as Schafforth himself lost his balance as a result of a hard kick from Fortune.
They clinched in the centre for a few seconds before circling again, looking for a clean shot. Fortune's inside leg kicks were snappy and seemed to be hurting his opponent.
That was a proper heavyweight round. Both fighters conserved their energy and scouted for that one killer blow. Fortune attempted the takedown on two occasions but failed.
Round 2: This was the first time Schaffroth went into the second round in his career. Fortune began the second round in orthodox position as Schaffroth was in southpaw.
Lead left from Scaffroth. Body kick from Schaffroth, who followed it up with a big right. Fortune was fortunate enough to duck away in time as that would have broken his skull in half.
Fortune connected with another powerful low inside leg kick that put Schaffroth off balance. He followed up with a huge right hand that rocked Schaffroth. Fortune knew the finish was around the corner and he unleashed a barrage of strikes upon his wobbly opponent.
Schaffroth fell to the mat but was still in the fight despite absorbing a lot of punishment from the bottom. The hammer firsts didn't seem to be doing the job. Fortune seamlessly transitioned and took Scahffroth's back, locked in the Rear Naked choke and forced the tap. Smooth and clinical.
Result: Tyrell Fortune def. Rudy Schaffroth via submission (Read Naked Choke) (2:10, Round 2)
Fortune predicted a day before the fight that he would take the fight to the second round and submit Schaffroth. Call him Mystic Tyrell or a fighter who executed his strategy to perfection, but it was an impressive performance that extended his undefeated streak to 7 wins.
#2 David Rickles (21-5) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (21-0) (Catchweight - 175 Pounds)
Bellator veteran and the king of walkouts, David Rickles looked to extend his Bellator record of having the most fights in the promotion on a special note by handing an undefeated prospect his first loss. It wasn't going to be easy as his opponent, Yaroslav Amosav, hadn't tasted defeat in 21 professional bouts.
Round 1: Rickles shifted stances early on. Fakes and feints galore. Amosov got the first shots in. Leg kick and a straight right. Rickles tried to push forward but Amosov tried to keep him at bay with outside leg kicks.
Amosov shot for the takedown and managed to get Rickles down to the mat. Amosov used his head and shoulders to great effect to pin Rickles down while being in full guard. Amosov kept punching to the side of the body along with occasional strikes to the side of the head.
Rickles got in some offence from the bottom but Amosov was all over the Bellator veteran. He rose up and landed a few big shots. Nasty short elbows from Amosov.
Rickles got up on one foot but Amosov slammed him back to the mat. Rickles got back up with 10 seconds to go and attempted a wild flying knee as the first round came to a close. 10-9 Amosov.
Round 2: Solid combination from Amosov to begin the round. Good high kick to follow which was defended well by Rickles. Amosov easily took Rickles down yet again.
Amosov continued to dominate the positions in full guard. Rickles thought, was landed some really good strikes from the bottom. Elbows and punches from the back were good but Amosov was the man on top here as he dictated the pace.
He shifted to half guard and landed a few strikes. Back into full guard. Big overhand shots from both sides from Amosov. A massive elbow followed the overhand shots.
Amosov went into half guard and patiently worked his way into a D'arce choke. He got the arm and elbow in place and cranked Rickles' neck until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Result: Yaroslav Amosov def. David Rickles via submission (D'arce choke) (4:02, Round 2)
Amosov handed Rickles his first submission loss. Quite a feat there for the "Dynamo", who seems like the real deal if you ask us. Striking - check. Wrestling- big check. Submission - double check! His performance and his spotless record remind us of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Maybe he is Bellator's Nurmagomedov. Anyway, moving on...
#3 Taylor Turner (3-5) vs. Alejandra Lara (7-3) (Women's Bantamweight)
The women took centre stage next as Taylor Turner welcomed former Flyweight title contender Alejandra Lara to the Bantamweight division.
Round 1: The fight didn't take time to get rugged as both women clinched early. Lara smartly executed a trip and took Turner down.
Turner fought her way back up to her feet. They clinched again against the cage. Good knees from the clinch from Lara, who scored another takedown. Lara in half guard. She isolated Turner's left arm and connected with some good rights.
Turner forced her into an open guard. Lara got up and landed a big left straight to the jaw while coming down. Great posture from Lara. The fans popped for that. Turner looked to be in trouble but she survived an onslaught.
Lara jumped back into Turner's guard. Turner gave up her back and Lara had two options. The first was to work towards a Rear Naked Choke. She took the second option and began unloading rights and lefts. The heavy shots were just too much for Turner to absorb, who covered up until the referee stepped in. Pure dominance from the Colombian.
Result: Alejandra Lara def. Taylor Turner via TKO (strikes) (3:44, Round 1)
That was Alejandra Lara's first fight at Bantamweight and she looked stronger than ever. Moving up could spark a much-needed resurgence for "Azul".
#4 Timothy Johnson (12-5) vs. Vitaly Minakov (21-1) (Heavyweight)
Former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minkov's last fight ended up being his first professional MMA loss and he needed a big win to bounce back from that forgettable outing against Cheick Congo from February earlier this year. He emphatically did just that.
Round 1: Minakov went for the heavy shots from the get-go. He took big strides and wasted no time in going for the takedown.
Minakov slammed Johnson down with a german suplex which would have made Brock Lesnar proud. Johnson tried to break away but Minakov's grip and relentless pressure prevented him from doing so.
Johnson got some relief and both men moved around in the centre of the cage. Minakov fired a push kick to Johnson's gut and followed it up with a swift and well-placed straight right to Johnson's jaw. It was a weird right kick-right hand combination that surprisingly worked really well.
Johnson wobbled and took a few steps back on his heels. Minakov pressed forward and grazed the top of Johnson's head, who was dazed at this point. Minakov landed two brutal punches - a left and a right, as Johnson fell on his hindquarters up against the cage, and that was all she wrote.
Result: Vitaly Minakov def. Timothy Johnson via KO (1:45, Round 1)
Minakov notched up his 13th career knockout. The New Emporer seems to be back to his best as he looks to get back in contention to reclaim the Heavyweight Championship he once held.
#5 Matt Mitrione (13-6) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (28-6) (Heavyweight)
The first time these two men met inside the cage back in February, the fight ended in a no-contest due to an accidental groin strike. The sequel was a must but did the towering heavyweights get it right this time around? Let's find out.
Round 1: Mitrione started hot with a straight left and a body kick. High kick, forward pressure, uppercuts and that left hand! Mitrione meant business.
Kharitonov was having a hard time keeping up with Mitrione's pace. The former UFC Heavyweight was doing a great job of reading Kharitonov's jab. Mitrione stayed busy with his combinations. Matt mixed it up with the inside leg kicks and occasional high kicks.
Kharitonov landed a few good shots to the body. They clinched near the cage. The fight was momentarily stopped after Mitrione lost his mouthpiece.
Kharitonov's jabs started landing. He connected with a good right, followed up with a body shot and a knee to the gut. Mitrione's mouthpiece slipped out for the third time in the first round and he got a warning from the referee. Strong start for Mitrione but Kharitonov clawed his way back with his dirty boxing.
Round 2: Mitrione began the second round in southpaw. Kharitonov enjoyed a good start to the round. Jabs, punches to the body and a few kicks to round it up from Kharitonov.
Mitrione's mouthpiece fell out yet again as a result of Kharitonov's grazing shot. Mitrione looked around in frustration and Kharitonov capitalized on it. He stunned Mitrione with an uppercut and followed it up with a nasty looking knee strike. Mitrione was flat on his back and Kharitonov applied the finishing touches with a few hammer fists. Kharitonov won thanks to his hands and Mitrione's wretched mouth guard.
Result: Matt Mitrione def. Sergei Kharitonov via TKO (1:24, Round 2)
Could the fight have panned out differently had Mitrione not struggled with his mouth guard? Maybe. However, take nothing away from PRIDE veteran Kharitoniv, who showed his striking prowess when it mattered the most and notched up his 29th career victory.
