Bellator 127 Results: Play-by-Play & Updates

Justin Baesman vs. John Mercurio

Round 1

After almost 30 seconds of posturing and sizing each other up. Mercurio delivers a thudding kick to Baesman’s thigh. Another. Baesman tries a push kick-spinning back fist combo but misses. Meanwhile, Mercurio is leg kicking the heck out his foe. Baesman is starting very slowly, which has become an issue for him. Mercurio goes upstairs with a few punches but misses. In the meantime, he lands another crackling shin to Baesman’s thigh. Baesman misses badly with a desperate spinning head kick halfway through. Baesman charges in with another back fist but misses. Mercurio counters with a hard hook but it just clips him. Finally, Mercurio lands a flush left hand, but Baesman takes it well and shrugs it off. Baesman charges in again and is able to land a few decent strikes as he presses the taller Mercurio into the cage. They clinch along the fence and trade light knees until the bell. 10-9 Mercurio.

Round 2

Mercurio is stalking his foe down, backing him away. Baesman tries to keep him at bay with a few kicks but they are rather lazy. Mercurio delivers another thudding leg kick. Baesman looks a bit confused and can’t get into a rhythm. Mercurio digs in two more leg kicks and they are starting to hurt Baesman. Mercurio lands a short left hook on the end of a three-punch combo but Baesman takes it well. Three minutes in and Baesman is still apprehensive with his strikes.

Mercurio goes low but Baesman tags him with a right hand, his best punch of the fight thus far. Mercurio continues to stalk his prey, but he is not cutting off the cage well enough. Baesman is finally opening up more, but it leads to him eating a counter left hook. Baesman misses a spinning back kick just before the bell. 10-9 Mercurio.

Round 3

Baesman opens up with a two-punch combo, and then follows that up with a right/left that glances off Mercurio’s head. Mercurio backs up as Baesman gives chase and throws about a dozen blows. Mercurio blocks most and then explodes out of his defensive shell, forcing Baesman to quickly retreat back across the cage. Baesman just misses with a switch kick/knee. Baesman goes to the head kick three straight time. They are mostly blocked, but Mercurio is now bleeding from his nose. Mercurio is still stalking him down, but he’s not as effective with his strikes. Mercurio is bleeding heavily from his nose halfway through the final round. Hard left kick to the ribs from Baesman, who has seized control of the action. Baesman digs a hard left hook to the body after his left/right upstairs are blocked. Hard leg kick from Mercurio crackles throughout the arena. Baesman tries a jump kick but it’s easily blocked. Baesman has been backing away ever since that last leg kick as Mercurio walks him down. Very close round. 10-9 Baesman (29-28 Mercurio).

The Official Result

Justin Baesman Def. John Mercurio Decision (Split) [29-28, 28-29, 29-28] R3 5:00

Johnny Cisneros vs. Ricky Rainey

Round 1

Cisneros comes out in a low crouch, giving the already much taller opponent even more of a height advantage. Rainey goes high with a front kick but it misses. Cisneros launches a wild right hand, but that, too, misses its mark. Rainey drops an elbow as Cisneros comes in, but “The Tattooed Warrior” blocks it and clinches. Rainey pins him along the fence but eats a short left elbow. Cisneros reverses the position and lands some knees. Rainey eventually backs out and delivers two solid left knees to the face, but Cisneros walks right through them both.

Rainey backs out again to regroup. Cisneros charges in for a takedown, but as he reaches for the leg, a left knee floors him. Cisneros rolls over and tries to recover but Rainey is already raining down a series of hammer strikes until it’s stopped. The official time of the TKO is 3:18 of the first round.

The Official Result

Ricky Rainey Def. Johnny Cisneros TKO (Punches) R1 3:18

Malik Merad vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Round 1

Sokoudjou blasts the taller Frenchman with a nasty leg kick, almost taking him off his feet. After 20 seconds, he lands another. Merad is cautious and hasn’t thrown a strike for the first minute. Another hard leg kick by Sokoudjou. Another brutal leg kick almost spins Merad completely around; this one clearly hurt him. Sokoudjou comes inside but Merad clinches and then pulls guard. There is a gruesome welt already growing on the outside thigh of Merad. Sokoudjou is looking to open the lankier fighter’s guard, but Merad is playing it safe and keeping him close. The Cameroon native lands a decent left elbow, but it’s nothing earth-shattering. A hard elbow crashes on Merad’s head, exploding his forehead. Merad is bleeding all over from the strike. The blood is literally squirting out of the laceration while Sokoudjou breaks to guard and scoots over to side control. Sokoudjou tries a keylock but Merad defends it well. Sokoudjou is all over him and tries another key lock. Merad shrimps out and tries to recover his guard, but Sokoudjou simply stands up and backs away. Merad is stood up by John McCarthy just before the bell. 10-8 Sokoudjou.

Round 2

Merad is very passive until Sokoudjou comes in with another leg kick. Merad lands a short left hook, but it’s mostly blocked. Sokoudjou utilizes a short inside trip and brings the lanky Merad back down. Merad quickly pulls guard and keeps him close. Merad tries to sweep Sokoudjou, but the stockier fighter delivers another thudding elbow. Merad is bleeding badly again and simply pulls him into his tight closed guard. McCarthy stands them up after a minute of no action. Merad throws a few wild punches, but Sokoudjou parries them and then scores another takedown into the half guard of Merad.

The Frenchman is able to scoot to full guard, but he’s not trying any submissions or sweeps. Sokoudjou lands a short elbow. Merad rolls to his side, looking for a possible kimura from his guard. Sokoudjou creates a few inches of space and unloads a huge left elbow. Sokoudjou slams two more elbows/forearms into Merad’s skull, prompting McCarthy to immediate step in, halting the mugging.

The Official Result

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Def. Malik Merad TKO (Elbows) R2 4:04

Keith Berry vs. Joe Pacheco

Round 1

Berry is moving briskly with his left jab. Pacheco lands a decent right hand. Berry goes right back to the jab, but eats another short right hand that seemed to shake him. The middleweights are very active for the first 90 seconds with their punches. Berry cracks him with a slick left hand off the jab. Berry’s right eye is already swelling up and reddening from the few hard jabs Pacheco landed. Berry pops him with a double jab/right hand down the pipe, but Joe counters with a straight right of his own. Berry closes the gap and throws a multi-punch combo, but they are mostly parried. Pacheco slips and counters with a hard right hand, but the Vegas-based fighter takes it well. Berry lands a few decent right uppercuts before eating a jab from his foe to create space. Pacheco snaps Berry’s head back with a jab/right. 10-9 Pacheco.

Round 2

Berry sticks the jab out several times early, controlling the distance. Hard left jab from Pacheco rocks Berry, who stumbles back across the cage. Pacheco closes the gap but by the time he reaches Berry, his head is cleared. Nice jab/right hand by Berry. Pacheco answers with a sizzling right hand on the inside, cutting Berry just above his right eye. Pacheco is bleeding slightly from his nose, but lands another short right hand. Berry resets and pops him with a jab, but misses with a big right hand. Berry is bleeding heavily from around the outside of his right eye, ala Stallone in Cobra and the Rocky movies.

Pacheco jabs him again and follows it up with a right. Berry comes back hard with a nice right/left of his own. Berry is now bloody from his nose and then laughs at Pacheco when he tags him with a right. Close round but Pacheco got it. 10-9 Pacheco.

Round 3

Berry paws with a double left jab and eats a right hand over the top. Left jab/right leg kick from Berry. Pacheco comes in with a decent left hook. Right hand down the pipe from Pacheco, but it’s countered by a right from Berry. Pacheco throws a left and then shoots in for a double, but Berry sprawls and locks up the neck. Berry doesn’t really have the guillotine and eventually abandons the hold. They reset in the center of the cage and trade jabs. Halfway through the round and Berry is pouring blood again. Big right/left from Pacheco knocks Berry’s mouthpiece out. Berry smiles and backs away, allowing Pacheco to clinch. After the mouthpiece is reinserted, Pacheco lands a jab and moderate left hook. Quintuple jab by Berry, who might need a knockout to win. Pacheco counters with a right hand over the jab. Pacheco shoots in again but he misses the takedown badly. Berry, with ten seconds left, charges with a knee to the belly and a wild punch, but Pacheco avoids them. 10-9 Pacheco (30-27 Pacheco).

The Official Result

Keith Bery Def. Joe Pacheco Decision (Split) [29-28, 28-29, 29-28] R3 5:00

Sergio Rios vs. Saad Awad

Round 1

After 45 seconds, Rios throws a wild head kick, misses and falls to his back. Awad simply stares at him until the Brazilian climbs back to his feet. Awad lands a decent front kick, slips backward and is tagged by a stinging right hand. Awad is hurt and crumbles to his back, and Rios is all over him. Awad recovers and lands in Rios’ open guard. Awad slams several thunderous right hands onto Rio’s face, forcing a scramble. Rios is back on his feet and regroups. The two lightweights swing wildly with everything they have, but neither lands the crippling bomb they seek. Awad connects with a right hand, sending Rios down, but “Pichilinga” springs back up. They swing for the fences again, landing nothing. Awad lands two right hands, but Rios takes them both well. Rios lands a push kick after taking a leg kick. Awad unloads a massive right hand dead on the jaw, sending Rios down. The Brazilian tries to pull guard but Saad is all over him with hammer fists. Time expires, saving Rios from an almost certain stoppage. 10-9 Awad.

Round 2

A short right hand from Rios forces Awad to stumble backward, but he looked more off-balance than hurt. They circle around and then Awad drops Rios with a straight right hand. Rios falls into the cage and onto his butt. Awad stands over him and lands several strieks, but then backs away, letting him back up. Rios is rocked and when he’s up, he backs away, looking to pull guard. Awad stand shim up again and then lands a right hand that stings him. Rios is gassing out badly and is desperately trying to get the fight to the ground.

Saad cracks him a few times with hammer strikes while Rios is on his side, and then stands up. Rios eats another big right hand and stumbles back onto hi s back. Awad casually strolls over to his wounded prey and lands a series of strikes, defending the exhausted submission attempts. Rios turtles up and then absorbs a nasty knee to the body. Awad switches over to punches to the side of the head. Rios rolls over a leg lock but his exhaustion thwarts it. Awad perfectly defends every sub attempt and patiently batters him with punches, elbows and hammer fists. 10-8 Awad.

Round 3

Rios stumbles to the wrong corner. When he finally gets to his own, it appears as though he’s telling his corner “no.” He’s shaking his head “no” repeatedly. Rios eventually stands up and answers the bell for the third. Awad is not aggressive for the first 30 seconds of the round, instead opting to jab and move. Rios goes for a head kick but it’s easily blocked. Awad lands a right hand, and then digs a right to the body. Rios wants no part of his American adversary as he backs away. Right/left rocks Rios, who stumbles back into the cage. Awad backs away and resets. Rios lands a nice hand over the top, but then eats a left hand for his effort. Rios is starting to move forward now and lands a glancing head kick. Awad unloads decent combo upstairs but then unfurls a thudding right uppercut to the gut. With a minute left, Rios clearly needs a knockout or submission to win. Rios opens up wildly with ten seconds left, but Awad defends it all. 10-9 Awad (30-26 Awad).

The Official Result

Saad Awad Def. Sergio Rios Decision (Unanimous) [30-26, 30-27, 30-27] R3 5:00

Nick Moghaddam vs. Ray Sloan

Round 1

Sloan opens up with two pesky leg kicks. Moghaddam is in a tight shell and eats a left jab. Sloan is having some issues with the major eight-inch reach advantage of his taller foe. Sloan finally lands a decent right hand, but Moghaddam takes it well. Sloan digs a left hook to the gut and then steps away. Moghaddam is very wooden in his approach coming forward while Sloan is loose and bouncing around in all directions. Spinning back kick by Sloan, but Moghaddam shrugs it off. Moghaddam touches him with a loopy right hand, but it does no damage. Sloan goes to the body with a right cross. Moghaddam is inadvertently kicked directly in the groin but only takes a few moments rest before resuming. Sloan goes to the body with the right hand again and then follows it up with a leg kick. Moghaddam lands a leg kick of his own but then accidentally pokes Sloan in the eye with an errant finger. Sloan recovers quickly and unloads flurry of punches, but nothing meaningful lands. 10-9 Sloan.

Round 2

Moghaddam opens the round with three consecutive leg kicks, all of which turn Sloan to the side. Sloan retaliates with a few punches, but Moghaddam is already out of harm’s way. Sloan charges after his foe with a four-punch flurry, but they all fail to hit their intended targets. Very slow paced fight two minutes in. Hard leg kick by Moghaddam, who is still in a defensive shell. Sloan misses with a wild right/left. Finally, Sloan cracks him with a left hand, which sends Moghaddam down onto the seat of his trunks. The fall was more from a slip than the punch and Moghaddam is immediately back on his feet.

Sloan charges in and clinches, but nothing comes from it and he separates. Moghaddam backs away with his chin way up and Sloan nails him with a shin to the ribs. Sloan rushes in with another flurry just before the bell but nothing clean or hard lands. 10-9 Sloan.

Round 3

Moghaddam throws a meager leg kick early. Sloan counters with a loopy right hand, but it’s just a glancing blow. Sloan still is having a hard time getting in on the inside. Left jab by Sloan, which busts up Moghaddam’s mouth. They clinch with Moghaddam’s back against the fence. They separate and size each other up in the center of the cage. Sloan lands a counter right hand as he backs up. Moghaddam is still very defensive and backs away from Sloan repeatedly. Sloan lands a right/left and then tries a jump knee, but he misses. Sloan changes levels and scores the takedown. Moghaddam pulls Sloan into half butterfly. After a scramble, Moghaddam is back up but Sloan has him from behind, landing knees to the back of his thighs. Sloan drags him back down, but Moghaddam is able to spin on the way down and is now standing over him Moghaddam crushes Sloan with a scorching right hand, but the smaller man took it well at the bell. 10-9 Sloan.

The Official Result

Ray Sloan Def. Nick Moghaddam Decision (Unanimous) [30-27, 30-27, 30-27] R3 5:00

Christian M'Pumbu vs. Kendall Grove

Round 1

Grove immediately floors M’Pumbu with a straight right hand. Grove pounces on him and lands a few strikes, but the former light heavyweight champ covers up and recovers. Back to their feet, M’Pumbu clinches and presses Grove into the fence. M’Pumbu’s head appears to be totally cleared as he has two underhooks. Grove defends the takedown well and reverses position. When they separate, Grove lands a glancing knee. They are squared up and trading jabs, though grove looks more comfortable in the exchanges. “Da Spyder” misses a looping overhand right, which opens him up for a shot. Grove quickly sprawls and forces a clinch along the fence again. The two lanky fighters trade knees while in the clinch. After separation, Grove lands two jabs and then a straight right to the gut. 10-9 Grove.

Round 2

They trade jabs and moderate legs kicks early. M’Pumbu pops him with a slick right hand through the guard, snapping his head back. Neither man is overly aggressive, instead opting to counter each other. Grove clinches him again, but this time they quickly separate. M’Pumbu delivers a solid overhand right that momentarily stuns him, forcing Grove to shoot in. They clinch and Grove presses him into the cage. Grove drops down for the single leg and he lands it. M’Pumbu rolls over and inverts himself and looks for the knee bar. Grove fends it off and M’Pumbu eventually rolls back onto the seat of his trunks. After a brief scramble, M’Pumbu turtles up.

Grove lands some hammer strikes, and then quickly takes his back, sinking in a rear naked choke. Grove gets a hook in and then sinks the choke, forcing the tap, ruining M’Pumbu’s middleweight debut.

The Official Result

Kendall Grove Def. Christian M'Pumbu Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 4:14

Rafael Silva vs. Robert Emerson

Round 1

Silva quickly tries a spinning back kick but misses by a foot. Emerson rattles off two fierce jabs, but they stop short. Emerson tags him with a right hand coming, but Silva takes it well. The Brazilian regroups and then counters an Emerson left with a perfect right hand, dropping the American onto his back. Emerson is rocked badly and Silva pounces. Emerson is able to pull his foe into his half guard, but Emerson’s head is still foggy. Silva cracks him with a few decent left hands, but Emerson is starting to clear his head. Emerson eventually switches his hips and recovers his full guard. After a standstill, referee Michael Bell stands them back up. Short left hook on the inside lands for Emerson. Silva changes levels and shoots in for a deep double leg. Emerson fights it off but is eventually taken down with his back to the fence. Silva is slinking over and trying to take Emerson’s back. He gets it for a few seconds, but Emerson is able to spin and face his opponent, eventually getting to half guard. Silva is using his weight perfectly, not allowing Emerson to move at all. Rafael delivers a series of moderate left hands at the bell. 10-9 Silva.

Round 2

Silva opens up the frame with a sizzling low kick. Emerson misses a few punches and then absorbs a leg kick. Silva shoots in for another deep double and lands it, right into Emerson’s guard. Silva is looking to pass to his left, but Emerson’s guard is slick. Silva scoots out to half guard and then after a terse scramble, briefly takes Emerson’s back. Emerson spins out and springs back up to his feet, but Silva is all over him. The Brazilian clinches him and then drags Emerson to the ground again. Emerson has Silva in half butterfly, but isn’t getting any real space to open his hips for a submission or a sweep.

Back to full guard and eating short bursts of punches, Emerson opens his hips and looks for an armbar, but doesn’t come close to it. Bell stands them again. Silva fires off three stiff jabs. Emerson unloads a powerful left hook that sends his foe sprawling across the cage and into the fence. Emerson charges after him, but Silva immediately ducks under and lands another double. They end the round with Silva controlling Emerson’s legs. 10-9 Silva.

Round 3

Emerson delivers a thudding left kick straight to his adversary’s stomach. Silva quickly creates and angle, shoots in and finishes another superb takedown. Emerson quickly pulls full guard and then scrambles back up to his feet. Emerson rocks Silva with a left hand and then pops him with a slick 1-2, but the Brazilian intelligently shoots in and lands another takedown. They scramble up, Silva controls him from behind and takes the American down yet again. Emerson gets to half guard, but Silva flattens him and controls his head. Rob is able to close his full guard, but Bell again stands them up. Silva connects with a solid push kick to the face. Emerson lands a right hand and then follows it up with a stinging right leg kick. Emerson is fighting out of desperation now, and is throwing kicks from all angles. After a left hook to the body lands cleanly, Silva has had enough and shoots in again, scoring the takedown. They scramble on the ground and Silva takes his back, though he doesn’t have full control. Emerson looks for the back elbow, but Silva once again drags him down, where the fight ends. 10-9 Silva.

The Official Result

Rafael Silva Def. Robert Emerson Decision (Unanimous) [30-27, 29-28, 29-28] R3 5:00

Karo Parisyan vs. Fernando Gonzalez

Round 1

Gonzalez goes high with a head kick just seconds into the fight, but Parisyan doesn’t even blink as it passes his face. They both fight as a measured pace until “The Heat” shoots in for a single leg, but misses. Parisyan closes the gap and looks to clinch, but Gonzalez delivers a sinister left uppercut, dropping the judoka to his knees. Parisyan is hurt badly and Gonzalez pounces on him. Parisyan tries to recover to his guard but Gonzalez is all over him, landing a plethora of hammer fists and punches.

Parisyan is desperately trying to defend and escape but his nemesis won’t let him breathe. Several more punches come raining down until referee Mike Beltran finally has seen enough and pulls him off, giving the veteran the biggest win of his career.

The Official Result

Fernando Gonzalez Def. Karo Parisyan TKO (Punches) R1 1:43

Daniel Straus vs. Justin Wilcox

Round 1

Wilcox fakes a shot and then lands a glancing leg kick to start the fight. Straus ducks under a wild right hand and shoots in, but he misses the takedown. Wilcox launches himself into the air with a flying knee, but it misses badly. After he resets, “The Silverback” charges in and runs right into a murderous left hook. Wilcox crumbles onto his knees and when he tries to figure out what happened, the former Bellator featherweight champion flattens him with a few devastating right hands. Big John McCarthy is in between the two immediately, ending the fight. Wilcox stumbles up to his feet and staggers across the cage.

Huge knockout in a must-win fight for Straus, who inches ever closer to another crack at the title.

The Official Result

Daniel Straus Def. Justin Wilcox TKO (Punches) R1 0:50