Cheick Kongo def. Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
In the Bellator 139 main event Cheick Kongo proved he still has some fight left in him at age 40, dispatching former Heavyweight Champion, Alexander Volkov in a fight deserving of the boos hurled by the crowd. Coming off a loss to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal at Bellator 134, Kongo looked to prove that he still had a championship run in him. Instead, fans had to settle for a three-round snooze fest. It was evident early in the first round that Kongo had no intention of keeping the fight on the feet, and would eventually land the early takedown, dictating the pace for the rest of the fight. Though he wouldn’t get the finish, the fight would mostly be contested with Kongo on top of Volkov for all three rounds, just doing enough to avoid a stand up by referee John McCarthy, but doing nothing save opening up a small cut on Volkov’s forehead. Kongo would coast to a unanimous decision victory, and though it was a dominant win it was hardly a contender worthy performance.
Dave Rickels vs John Alessio Ruled a No Contest – Knee to the Head of a Grounded Opponent (Round 1 2:24)
In the co-main event of the evening we were treated to a fight that was nothing if not odd. After dominating a seemingly uninterested Alessio on the feet for the better part of the first round Dave “The Caveman” Rickels dropped Alessio and was looking like he would get the finish, when only a punch or two away, Caveman landed an illegal knee to the head of his downed opponent forcing the referee to step in and halt the action. A clearly devastated Rickels, whom immediately knew he had committed a foul, fell to his knees in the middle of the octagon. After what seemed like longer than the allotted time out, Alessio, for the second time in four contests, chose not to continue. Luckily for Rickles, with the referee having decided the illegal knee was unintentional, the fight was ruled a no-contest. Though it was a disappointing end, Rickels was well on his way to a career performance and one-sided-win before the stoppage and his next fight should reflect that.
Hisaki Kato def. Joe Schilling via knockout – superman punch (Round 2, 0:34)
Though he has gained a reputation as a dangerous and hard to beat kickboxer, “Stich Em’Up” Joe Schilling has yet to find his footing inside the cage. After starting his MMA career with a dismal 2-4 record, Schilling looked determined to turn things around against Japan’s Hisaki Kato on Saturday. After an early barrage on Kato, Schilling quickly found himself on his back where he would stay for most of the round. He would briefly make his way back to his feet near the end of the first, only to be hit with an onslaught of punches that extended past the end of the round. Prior to the fight Kato had stated that Schilling was a “big glove fighter” — making reference to his kickboxing — while he was a small glove fighter and he certainly backed it up in round two. When Schilling came out in the second with his hands low, Kato capitalized by launching a Superman Punch square on the jaw of Schilling, knocking him unconscious. Though many had questioned his ground game upon his transition to MMA, few had questioned the chin of Schilling who suffered the first KO loss of his MMA career. Following the defeat one has to wonder how much of a toll years of Muay Thai/Kickboxing wars have taken on the 31-year-old.
Pat Curran def. Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kicking off the main card Emmanuel Sanchez faced by far the biggest step up in competition of his young career. He looked confident out of the gate, wasting no time engaging the former two-time featherweight champion Pat Curran. Clearly trying to lure the crafty vet into a dog fight, Sanchez was ever the aggressor stalking Curran around the cage in an attempt to overwhelm the former champ. Curran, however, would show his experience using crafty footwork and good in-and-out movement to thwart the attack of the younger Sanchez, before landing a solid one-two combination that rocked Sanchez nearing the end of the first round. Sanchez, able to recover in between rounds, would gain a bit of momentum in round two catching Curran with a couple of solid punches, but sensing danger, Curran would show his experience, taking down Sanchez and finishing the round on top. Curran would want nothing to do with Sanchez on the feet in round three, landing an early takedown, and following a quick scramble on the feet, landed a second takedown, stifling a frustrated Sanchez while securing the unanimous decision. Coming off the first two-fight losing skid of his career, the fight was a must win for Curran. Though it wasn’t his most exciting performance, it was a dominant and much needed win against a dangerous prospect, and showed the former champ still has some gas in the tank.
Bubba Jenkins def. Joe Wilk via TKO – strikes (Round 2, 1:00)
Aaron Ely def. Jeimeson Saudino via submission – guillotine (Round 2, 2:17)
Augusto Sakai def. Daniel Gallemore via TKO – injury (Round 2, 5:00)
Bryanna Fissori def. Iony Razafiarison via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alex Huddleston def. Javy Ayala via submission – rear naked choke (Round 1, 1:12)
Bobby Cooper def. Pablo Villaseca via split decision (29-28, 29-29, 29-28)
Gaston Reyno def. Greg Scott via submission -guillotine (Round 1, 1:17)
