Tony Imada Submits Jorge Masvidal at Bellator 5

First, the event’s official results, including a “Submission of the Year” candidate in Tony Imada’s standing inverted triangle choke of Jorge Masvidal (pictured at right):

Lightweight Semifinals:

• 155: Eddie Alvarez def. Eric Reynolds via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 3, 1:30
• 155: Toby Imada def. Jorge Masvidal via technical submission (inverted triangle choke) — Round 3, 3:22

Non-Tournament Bouts:

• 265: Dave Herman def. Josh Barnes via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:46
• 265: Joey Beltran def. Sherman Pendergarst via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:24
• 265: Dan Evensen def. Raoul Romero via submission (strikes) — Round 2, 1:44
• 145: Matt Jaggers def. Pete Dominguez via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 4:03
• 117: Jessica Pene def. Tammie Schneider via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:35
• 170:  Justin Edwards def. John Troyer via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 3:12
• 155: Waylon Lowe def. Frank Carabello via unanimous decision

Also, long-time MMAFrenzy.com reader DBiz sent in his recap of the card after attending the event at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio:

First off, it’s important to note that the weather took a turn for the crappy today. Lots of rain and hydroplaning up the highway. That may account for the poor attendance. I would like to think so, seeing the quality of the card.

First fight of the night was Frank Carabello and Waylon Lowe in a lightweight contest. Carabello was the Ohio connection in this fight and the crowd seemed to be behind him for that. Unfortunately, that was the best thing he had going for him. Lowe, quite brutally honestly, bull rushed Carabello at will. And once on the ground, he laid on him very successfully. Carabello was never in any danger, either to win or to be KOed or submitted. Unanimous 30-27 decision for Lowe.

Next up are welterweights John Troyer and Justin Edwards. The first minute was intense, with both fighters just letting the gloves fly. Referee Greg Franklin (brother of Rich) had a hard time keeping up there. Edwards put Troyer on his back with a brutal slam and won the fight at 3:12 in the first by guillotine choke.

Next up was Tammy Schneider vs. Jessica Pene. Weighing in at a stiff 117 lbs, both ladies appeared game coming into the cage. Schneider started the first with some good strikes, but Pene escaped and took her back. The fight ends quickly thereafter by TKO due to strikes. Pene improves to 6-0.

Featherweights Pete Dominguez and Matt Jaggers take over the cage. To start this fight, both managed some good jabs and leg kicks before Jaggers took Dominguez down with a throw, coming to rest in mount. Dominguez gave up his back and fought off multiple attempts for a rear naked and a series of strikes. In the end, Jaggers managed to secure the choke for another first round finish.

The big boys come out to play next. Dan Evensen, weighing in at a svelte 252 met up with Rauol Romero who tipped the scales at 222. Both fighters came out throwing the high heat. Two minutes into the first, Evensen appeared gassed. His takedown resulted in Romero using the cage to come back to the feet. After eating a couple of good strikes, Romero grabbed Evensen’s leg and whipped him down. Transition to mount and a few punches later the round ended. Score card guru bsbiz says split round for Evensen.

The second round started with a slow take down and the Boo Birds descended from the rafters. Evensen took his time moving from half guard to side control and finally to mount. After several hard strikes, the ref dove in to stop the fight, TKO :44 into the second round.

Bsbiz and I immediately took a liking to one of our next heavyweights: Sherman Pendergarst. The name just rolls off the tongue. His opponent was Joey Beltran.

Here I must point out that someone needs to work on nicknames. Sherman “Tank” Pendergarst was taking on Joey “The Mexecutioner” Beltran. That is too wrestling for me.

This was a slow fight. Almost unbearably so. The first minute and change was a series of sloppy nothings from both sides. Finally Beltran landed a nice 4-punch combo, a couple of open palm slaps, and finally a big right to put Pendergarst down. A few solid strikes later, the fight is called TKO at 2:44 in the first.

Big noise for heavyweights Josh Barnes and Dave Herman. Both were relatively local, but Herman had the larger following. The first round opened with a vengeance. Wild punches, kicks, and knees from both men made the Boo Birds a distant memory. As Barnes began to Gas, Herman wrapped up a muay thai clinch and…a low knee. Time out while Barnes huddled in the corner recovering.

When the fight resumed, Herman resumed right where he left off with crisp strikes and a flying knee that barely missed. Finally a solid knee to the chin put Barnes down and Herman finished him with strikes in the first.

Finally, the meat of the evening’s activates: The Bellator Lightweight tournament semi final matches. In the first, Toby Imada took on Jorge Masvidal. The first thing we noticed was a size difference. Masvidal looked very tall compared to Imada and it showed throughout the fight. The fight began with a feeling out period: 3 cautious leg kicks in the first 45 seconds. After that, Masvidal did a great job at using his reach to keep Imada out and unable to do damage. Masvidal got a good take down but Imada fought back to his feet. Imada landed an inside and an outside leg kick in rapid succession and round 1 drew to a close.

In the second Imada looked fresh still, with great head movement in avoiding Masvidal’s wicked left jab. In spite of good movement, he can’t seem to get inside on Masvidal to do any damage. After a series of left jabs, it looked as if Imada may have had a cut opened over his right eye. Round two drew to a close after more back-and-forth action.

Imada opened the third with a couple of solid rights but Masvidal countered with his reach and a nice high kick. After taking a knee, Imada landed a low blow uppercut and was sent to a neutral side while Masvidal recovered. Masvidal went back to work on Imada’s eye with his left jab before Imada tried to take his back. The fight ended with a TKO when Imada choked out Masvidal with a backwards triangle.

Finally, Eddie Alvarez took on Eric Reynolds. Strangely, both fighters weighed in at 157.5 lbs. I suppose Bellator had no choice but to make it a lightweight semi final since both weighed in the same and no one wanted to drop half the remaining fighters.

From the opening horn, Alvarez controlled the fight with a simple plan: strike his way in and take Reynolds down. Reynolds had excellent defense, fighting off strikes with a knack for climbing up the cage to free himself. The round ends with little visible damage to either fighter.

In the second, Alvarez again took Reynolds down and we were treated to a look at Alvarez’s ground offense and Reynolds’ rather impressive ground defense. As soon as Alvarez took his back, Reynolds was able to reach back and hold his leg to give himself a chance to scramble back to his feet. Alvarez immediately planted Reynolds with a slam and proceeded to mount where he landed some big shots.

Reynolds was able to buck Alvarez out of mount, but it was a quick move to side control and then to Reynolds’ back. The round ended with Alvarez attempting an arm triangle.

At the beginning of the third, Alvarez took Reynolds down where Reynolds latched on a body triangle. Alvarez postured up and landed some shots. When Reynolds loosened his hold, Alvarez took the back and finished the fight at 1:30 in the third with a rear naked choke.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest Bellator news and results.

UK coach Michael Bisping  is joined by assistants Mario “Sucata” Neto and Dave Jackson while US coach Dan Henderson has tapped Heath Sims, Cyril Diabate, Ricardo Feliciano, and Gustavo to help him coach the American squad.

Team US will choose the first matchup, but are concerned about Team UK’s extended two week layoff compared to just a few days since the US fighters last stepped into the octagon. The team eventually settles on having welterweight Mark Miller square off with Team UK’s Nick Osipczak.

With Bisping having been unable to watch Team US’ opening fights in person, the UK coaching staff and Osipczak review tape of Miller and devise a game plan. Osipczak, who fought his opening fight as a southpaw, will switch to orthodox for this fight in an attempt to disrupt the plans of Miller, which were likely to rely on his southpaw stance.

Back at the house, the season’s pranks commence with Team US writing on a shirt Team UK left behind and, later at the gym, the US goes up “2-0″ in the pranks by writing on a pair of wrestling shoes which are left behind.

In the 170-pound contest, Osipczak and Miller engage on the feet and the canvas until Osipczak secures a guillotine and nearly submits Miller, who appears to tap but the referee allows the bout the continue with Miller escaping the hold. In the second round, Osipczak knocks Miller out cold with right head kick that immediately halts the contest and puts the UK squad up 1-0.

TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS

• Mark Miller – Eliminated by Nick Osipczak on Episode 4
• Jason Pierce
• Damarques Johnson
• Frank Lester

LIGHTWEIGHTS

• Richie Whitson
• Santino DeFranco
• Cameron Dollar
• Jason Dent

TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS

• David Faulkner
• Dean Amasinger
• Nick Osipczak (1-0)
• James Wilks

LIGHTWEIGHTS

• Ross Pearson
• Martin Stapleton
• Jeff Lawson
• Andre Winner

Before we get to the fights the US and UK teams as well as the fighters who must still fight their way onto the squad head to The Ultimate Fighter house. The fighters get along well, except for Browning, who opts to lob eggs onto the basketball court where the other fighters are assembled. Back in the house, Browning gets his drink on then gets into it with Team UK before eventually smashing an egg on potential teammate Jason Pierce, who wisely chooses not to respond to the instigator.

The next day is the first workout for both teams and the trash talking begins between Team US and Team UK coach Michael Bisping. After the workouts we’re onto this week’s bouts.

Frank Lester joined Team US after opponent Kiel Reid knocked himself unconscious when his head hit the mat during an attempted slam.

In the final elimination bout, Jason Dent filled the final Team US opening with a first-round TKO of Rob Browning.

Team US coach Dan Henderson wins the coin toss and will pick the first matchup on next week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9.

With the final two bouts now in the books, the official US and UK teams are:

TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS

• Mark Miller
• Jason Pierce
• Damarques Johnson
• Frank Lester

LIGHTWEIGHTS

• Richie Whitson
• Santino DeFranco
• Cameron Dollar
• Jason Dent

TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS

• David Faulkner
• Dean Amasinger
• Nick Osipczak
• James Wilks

LIGHTWEIGHTS

• Ross Pearson
• Martin Stapleton
• Jeff Lawson
• Andre Winner

We next learn that John-David Shackelford will be unable to compete on the show due to a herpes lesion and he’s quickly dismissed from the competition.

Christian Fulgium is the next US fighter to struggle with shedding weight, coming in two pounds over the welterweight limit on his first weigh-in attempt. With 40 minutes to go before he has to hit 171-pounds Fulgium, who comments that he’s stopped sweating, hops on the treadmill in an attempt to drop the extra weight but it’s obvious he’ll be unable to do so, collapsing to the floor. White informs Fulgium that failing to make weight is a decision he’ll regret for the rest of his life and sends him packing.

With two fighters already dismissed only six of the eight elimination bouts can take place as scheduled. The results of the bouts are:

US WELTERWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUTS

• Mark Miller def. Kevin Knabjian via TKO (strikes) — Round 2
• Jason Pierce def. Steve Berger via unanimous decision — Round 3
• Damarques Johnson def. Ray Elbe via TKO (strikes) – Round 1

US LIGHTWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUTS

• Richie Whitson def. Paul Bird via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1
• Santino DeFranco def. Waylon Lowe via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2
• Cameron Dollar def. Tom Hayden via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2

With six bouts now in the books, White reveals the two replacement fighters: Rob Browning (Junie Browning’s younger brother) and Frank Lester. Next week, we’ll see Jason Dent square off with Browning in the final lightweight opener while Kiel Reid takes on Lester in the last welterweight eliminator.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com each Wednesday for recaps of The Ultimate Fighter 9.

Michael Bisping

PRESS RELEASE; NEW YORK, March 9 — More than two centuries after the United States achieved its independence from England, friction between the two nations is about to flare up again when “The Ultimate Fighter: United States Vs. United Kingdom” premieres Wednesday, April 1 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT on Spike TV.

For these 32 up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters, two things are on the line: bragging rights for their respective countries, and a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Season nine of Spike TV’s wildly successful original series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” features 16 lightweights (155 lbs) and 16 welterweights (170 lbs). They will train and compete under the watchful eye of the coaches, “The Ultimate Fighter 3? champion and top middleweight contender Michael Bisping, and former concurrent PRIDE champion of the 185 lbs and 205 lbs divisions and U.S. Olympian, Dan Henderson.

Each of the 32 contestants must fight his way into the Ultimate Fighter House by winning a preliminary bout that will be featured during the first two episodes (April 1 and 8). The remaining 10 episodes will feature the victorious 16 fighters and their quest for the coveted “Ultimate Fighter” crown.

The 32 fighters for “The Ultimate Fighter: United States Vs. United Kingdom” include:

Fighting to Represent the United States

Welterweight:

• Ryan Biglar — A member of team Cobra Kai in Las Vegas, Biglar is a 24-year-old jiu-jitsu artist originally from Guam.
• Ray Elbe — Born and raised in Arizona, the 25-year-old Elbe (20-11) has spent parts of the last three years perfecting his muay thai skills in Phuket, Thailand.
• Christian Fulgium — Fighting out of the Gladiator camp in Lafayette, Louisiana, Fulgium is a wrestler with a combined 6-2-1 mixed martial arts record.
• DaMarques Johnson — Johnson, a member of Elite Performance in Salt Lake City, Utah, began training in mixed martial arts in 2001 while serving in the military. He has since amassed a 13-6 mixed martial arts record.
• Kevin Knabjian — Born and raised in Chicago, Knabjian (10-3-1) wrestled at Division 1 Eastern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in Business Management. Knabjian trains out of Gilbert Grappling in Chicago.
• Mark Miller — A 5′ 10″ welterweight muay thai artist, Miller (10-4) trains out of Dino Costeas MMA and Toro Muay Thai in Chicago.
• Jason Pierce — A former soccer standout at the University of Illinois at Springfield, Pierce (9-0) trains with Bettendorf’s Miletich Fighting Systems camp.
• Kiel Reid — Born and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa, Reid (8-1) returned to the area in 2005 to take up mixed martial arts full-time with the Miletich Fighting Systems camp.

Lightweight:

• Paul Bird — A stand-up fighter, Paul Bird (4-1) trains in West Des Moines, Iowa out of the Des Moines MMA camp.
• Santino DeFranco — 26-year-old Santino DeFranco trains out of Southwest MMA in Tempe, AZ. A 5′ 10″ jiu-jitsu specialist, DeFranco holds a 13-4 mixed martial arts record.
• Jason Dent — Submission specialist Jason Dent owns and operates Griffon Rawl gym in Mentor, Ohio. He holds a combined 19-9 mixed martial arts record with bouts against Roger Huerta at UFC 63 and Gleison Tibau at UFC 68 under his belt.
• Cameron Dollar — A member of Fight Factory in Colorado Springs, CO, Dollar (4-1) has trained with TUF alums Cory Hill and Noah Thomas.
• Tom Hayden — Tom Hayden, 4-0, is a ground specialist who trains out of TUF 2 alum’s Jorge Gurgel camp in West Chester, OH.
• Waylon Lowe — Fighting out of Jorge Gurgel’s camp in Ohio, the 28-year-old Waylon Lowe owns a 5-2 mixed martial arts record.
• Josh Souder — A well-rounded fighter out of Team Prodigy in Ohio, the 5′ 7″ Josh Souder owns a 7-2 overall mixed martial arts record.
• Richie Whitson — Born and raised in Alaska, the heavy-handed Whitson holds a perfect 4-0 mixed martial arts record. He currently trains out of Temecula, CA with Team Quest.

Fighting to Represent the United Kingdom

Welterweight:

• Dean Amarasinghe — Rough House Gym’s Dean Amarasinghe (4-1) is a 5′ 10″ grappler from Nottingham, England.
• James Bateman — 5′ 10″ striker James Bateman (2-1) trains with Grimsby NHB in Grimsby, England.
• David Faulkner — 5′ 9″ ground specialist David Faulkner trains with Wolfslair in Widnes, England. The 28-year-old born in Kirkby holds a 2-1 mixed martial arts record.
• Tommy Maguire — 20-year-old Tommy Maguire trains in Wisbech, England with Tsunami Gym. The 5′ 7″ stand-up fighter holds a 5-2 mixed martial arts record, with three wins coming via TKO.
• Che Mills — Born is Gloucester, England, 6′ 2″ welterweight Che Mills (7-2) trains with Mark Weir’s Range Fighting in the UK.
• Nicholas Osipczak — Sporting a perfect 3-0 record, Nicholas Osipczak trains in London, England with Pancrase UK.
• Alex Reid — Alexander Reid trains in London, England with the London Shoot Fighters. The 33-year-old stand up artist is 10-9-1 in his twenty mixed martial arts bouts.
• James Wilks — Born and raised in England, 30-year-old fighter James Wilks has trained with Eric Paulson in Orange County, California since 2000. The 6′ 1″ striker is 5-2 in his mixed martial arts career.

Lightweight:

• James Bryan — Lightweight James Bryan (3-1) is a 25-year-old stand up fighter from Somerset, England.
• Dan James — Dan James, 3-0, is a stand up artist fighting out of Swansea, Wales. The 5′ 10″ fighter has won two of his fights by TKO.
• Gary Kelly — Wolfslair fighter Gary Kelly (2-1) is a 25-year-old striker from Liverpool, England.
• Jeff Lawson — 5′ 6″ lightweight Jess Lawson (13-2) trains with Team Bulldog out of Dorset, England.
• Ross Pearson — 24-year-old striker Ross Pearson (9-3) is a member of Sunderland Jiu-Jitsu & MMA Club in Sunderland, England.
• Martin Stapleton — Born in Manchester, England, 25-year-old Thai boxer Martin Stapleton (5-1) trains with Quannum Combat Arts.
• AJ Wenn — Cambs, England’s AJ Wenn is a well-rounded fighter training out of Tsunami Gym. The 24-year-old has a 7-2 mixed martial arts record.
• Andre Winner — Lightweight Andre Winner (9-2-1) trains out of Rough House in London, England.

During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: United States Vs. United Kingdom,” these 16 men who survived the prelims endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, muay thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition between the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at The Ultimate Fighter House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon.

The two finalists will square off in a live finale Saturday, June 20 on Spike TV, when the two weight class winners will be declared “The Ultimate Fighter” and net the aforementioned contract and a cash prize. UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.