Bellator 44 Results and Play-by-Play

Sherdog.com will report from Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, N.J., at approximately 8 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results of Bellator 44, featuring the finals of the Bellator Season 4 lightweight tournament between Patricky "Pitbull" Freire and Michael Chandler.

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Gemiyale Adkins vs. Jay Silva
Round 1
Silva opens with a high kick that grazes Adkins and follows up with a low inside right kick. Silva throws out a right to set up a left kick that Adkins ducks underneath. The shorter Adkins counters with a right that misses Silva's chin and then moves in for a takedown. Silva stuffs the attempt and looks to spin around on "Baby Hercules." Adkins is holding on to Silva's right leg slowly grabbing a second. Adkins gains control and regains position pinning Silva up against the cage. Silva tries to work his way up but gets cracked with a left for his trouble and Adkins will not let go of that right leg. Silva turns Adkins into the cage and starts to reign down some rights with Adkins now stuck against the side of the cage. Silva now free from Adkins grasp and throwing more rights now with Adkins doing little to defend. Silva starts throwing some knees for good measure with Adkins working his way up but the ref stops the action after Silva hits a knee with Adkins still in a downed position. The ringside doctor comes in to check on Adkins and she gives the fight to go ahead. Both fighters touch gloves on the restart and Silva lands a left. The UFC vet follows with a right kick to the midsection of Adkins in succession. With 10 seconds left in the round, Silva goes for broke with some high-risk offense but nothing connects. However, he still takes the round 10-9 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.

Round 2
Silva opens the second round with two more sharp kicks connecting and Adkins missing one of his own. The stockier Adkins is finding it difficult matching Silva with any substantial offense on the feet. Silva comes in to clinch with Adkins and takes him down with little issue. Silva working from half guard on the Delaware native, taking his back halfway through the round. Adkins starts to turn into Silva putting Silva's back up against the cage but Silva is still throwing rights in the process. Adkins now turns all the way into Silva and the action manages to stand back up. After a brief scramble, Adkins takes the UFC veteran back to the mat but nothing comes from it as Silva stands back up just as quickly. Adkins is working hard for another single but the size is really playing to Silva's advantage.

If nothing else Adkins is showing his resiliency but its not finding much success. The bell sounds. Jay Silva takes the second frame 10-9 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.

Round 3
Adkins having a hard time getting inside on Silva in the standup game and it costs him early as Silva lands a strong left kick to the midsection. Adkins looks for another takedown and gets him down but again he can't do much with it. Silva turns into Adkins and again starts coming down with rights as Adkins is pinned against the cage. Silva comes in with knees now and Adkins is doing little to defend himself as the ref looks on. Silva keeps coming with rights and knees, waiting to be stopped, but referee Dominick Carolei doesn't budge. Adkins' corner telling their fighter he won the first two rounds as they look for him to summon some attack here with 90 seconds left in the round. Adkins manages to get back up to his feet holding on to Silva's legs but he's not following up with any advantage he may possibly have. 30 seconds left in the bout and Silva keeps throwing rights as Adkins looks like he's waiting for the bell to ring. The fight ends with another 10-9 round in favor of Silva, who takes the bout 30-27 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.

Official scores: Judge Suzanne Sanidad has the bout a wide 30-26, while Jeff Blatnick and Will Mason see it 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Jay Silva.

Jeff Lentz vs. Anthony Leone
Round 1
Red is the agreed upon theme in this bout with Leone sporting red trunks and Lentz red hair. Leone starts the round going to work on Lentz' legs with a series of low kicks. Lentz finally gets fed up and comes in on Leone but the WEC vet counters with a double leg. It proves unsuccessful and the subsequent scramble sees Leone pinned up against the cage. Lentz fails to take advantage of the position though and the action comes back to the middle with more kicks from Leone. Lentz tries to come in on Leone again but again Leone thwarts any attempts at sustained offense. Lentz finally tries to go after Leone with a back wheel kick but thatmisses. Leone tries to counter and the scramble sees Lentz toss Leone for his only sustainable offense in the round. Round one goes to Leone, 10-9 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.

Round 2
Knowing he lost the first frame, Lentz goes after Leone with an early takedown attempt and pins his foe up against the cage. A little more than 90 seconds in and Leone finally shrugs Lentz off and we're back to the center. Leone has been going to work on Lentz' lead leg and this round is no different. Lentz tries to answer with big flashy shots but nothing has landed flush to this point. Lentz pins Leone up against the cage again this time with 90 seconds left in the round but Leone has done well defending and keeping Lentz at bay. A scramble off the cage late sees Leone drop down for a leglock but nothing comes of it. A closer round, but is' still Leone's 10-9.

Round 3
Both featherweights exchange punches early but then a left high kick by Lentz clips Leone's eye. Leone puts his hand to his eye clearly showing he was affected but the ref lets the action go and Lentz takes advantage jumping on Leone. Lentz eventually gets Leone to his back form the scramble and starts to work from half guard. Leone works a guillotine though with Lentz on his heels against the cage. Leone fights off the submission attempt but he's still in trouble with less than two minutes to go in the round. Leone looks for Lentz' leg but Lentz sprawls well, staying away from the takedown attempt. Lentz has spent most of the round in a dominant position but hasn't put Leone away as the Ithaca native is defending well. The round ends with Lentz jumping up on the cage to the delight of the hometown crowd. Lentz wins the last round 10-9, but loses 29-28 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.

Official scores: All three judges -- Jeff Blatnick, Will Mason and Suzanne Sanidad -- score the bout 29-28 for the winner unanimous decision, Jeff Lentz. The Jersey crowd is elated at the announcement.

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Brett Cooper
Round 1
Shlemenko catches a Cooper kick and attacks with punches, knocking Cooper to his backside momentarily. A Shlemenko side kick narrowly misses his target. Shlemenko clips Cooper with a spinning back fist, following up with a volley of punches and knees to the body that force Cooper to shoot for his legs. Shlemenko steps away and stays standing. Cooper kicks again, and a massive right hook from Shlemenko to the bell. Cooper's eyes are marking up. He shoots for a double, but is stuffed. A five-punch combo for "Storm" grazes. Shlemenko whiffs on another spinning back fist, but backs Cooper up against the fence with a hard one-two. A spinning back kick and a spinning back fist land for Shlemenko and Cooper is rocked. However, Cooper retaliates with a wild hook that stumbles the Russian. It's an absolute war now, as Shlemenko turns the tide back in his favor with a set of vicious knees that send Cooper sprawling to the mat. Incredible action through four minutes. Shlemenko punches into Cooper's guard, but the Californian rolls forward and gets in on a takedown attempt. Shlemenko shuts him down. Back on the feet, Shlemenko can't land his spinning back fist, but his one-two lands. Right hooks land for both fighters before the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Shlemenko
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Cooper

Round 2
Shlemenko lands his lead hook on a stalking Cooper, who returns fire with a side kick. A lunging elbow from Shlemenko lands on Cooper's arms. Spinning hook kick from the Russian collides into Cooper's high guard. Cooper fires a low kick, then counters a Shlemenko punch rush with a right hand. Shlemenko leaps at Cooper, and eats an overhand right that puts him on the mat momentarily. Shlemenko scrambles back up, and Cooper grabs a rear waistlock. Cooper tries to slam his foe, but the Russian shuts him down. Cooper knees the back of Shlemenko's thighs. Cooper looks for another suplex, but can't get Shlemenko off the mat. Cooper switches to a double for a moment, but Shlemenko sprawls. The Russian spins out and gets to top position, and lands a massive punch to the body.

Shlemenko lets Cooper stand with a minute to go, and cracks him with another nasty spinning back fist. A one-two grazes for Shlemenko, but when he tries to follow with a spinning back fist, Cooper ducks under, gets a waistlock, and drives him into the fence. Cooper tries hard for another takedown from the waistlock, but Shlemenko spins away and flurries on him at the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cooper
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Shlemenko
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Cooper

Round 3
Shlemenko opens with a strong flurry of lefts and rights and yet another spinning back fist to the ledger. The unofficial count has Shlemenko at 9 for the bout. Shlemenko moves in on Cooper looking to clinch but Cooper shrugs him away. A little more than a minute in and Shlemenko connects with another big shot on Cooper and moves Cooper up against the cage. The Russian hits a left and then a spinning back fist with the right and Cooper looks to take Shlemenko down but to no avail. Halfway through and Shlemenko is the more successful of the two in the standup this round. Shlemenko's offense seems to be winding Cooper this round. Cooper starts to mount some offense with a right and looks to bring the fight to the ground but Shlemenko wants none of it imploring Cooper to get back up. With 30 seconds left in the round, Cooper starts to go after Shlemenko opening up with rights and lefts. Shlemenko throws a lazy left that Cooper makes him pay for with an uppercut as the bout ends.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Shlemenko (29-28 Shlemenko)
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Shlemenko (29-28 Shlemenko)
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Shlemenko (29-28 Cooper)

Official scores: Judge Suzanne Sanidad sees it 30-27, Jeff Blatnick has it 30-28 and Jon Bilyk scores it 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Alexander Shlemenko. "Storm" qualifies for the Bellator Season 5 middleweight tournament with the win.

Giedrius Karavackas vs. Sam Oropeza
Round 1
Oropeza's fans came out to this bout in droves. Oropeza throws four consecutive left kicks with varying degrees of effectiveness but the crowd chants as if he knocked him out. A scramble about halfway through the round sees both fighters exchange shots and Karavackas end up taking Oropezas back working for position. Karavackas works his position and takes Oropeza down with it but Oropeza gets right back up with Karavackas still on his back. The entire crowd starts a chant for Oropeza as he turns into Karavackas with less than a minute left, working in his guard. Oropeza finds a home for a few huge lefts from the top toward the end of the round and the crowd is loving every second of it.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Oropeza
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Oropeza
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Oropeza

Round 2
A flurry of right hands for Karavackas backs Oropeza into the fence, and Karavackas grabs underhooks. Oropeza snakes free, and Karavackas lands a heavy hook on the exit. Hard body kick for Oropeza lands right under the guard of Karavackas. Karavackas clinches up and lands a stream of knees while Oropeza digs hard to the ribs with punches. Karavackas bulls Oropeza to the fence, and hits a brilliant outside trip into half guard, then scarf control. Karavackas tries to lock up a scarf hold neck crank, but Oropeza turns his head out and slides up the fence. Hard pummeling inside, and Oropeza lands a high knee from the outside before driving Karavackas to the floor. Oropeza postures up in guard and cracks Karavackas. Karavackas punches back from his guard, but the Philadelphia Fight Factory product smashes him with a heavy elbow before the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Karavackas
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Karavackas
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Karavackas

Round 3
Karavackas rushes Oropeza and puts him on the mat immediately. Oropeza looks for a leglock, and Karavackas smacks him with hammerfists from top, forcing him onto his back. Karavackas lands a crushing right hand on top, and passes under Oropeza's legs to scarf control again. Karavackas forces Oropeza's arm into a crooked armlock between his leg and cranks the neck with a deep scarf hold armlock. Karavackas punches away on the trapped Oropeza. Crushing positional dominance by Giedrius Karavackas. Karavackas keeps punching away, wrenching on Oropeza's neck and twisting his arm. Oropeza nearly escapes, but Karavackas keeps him pinned landing left hooks to the face. The punches aren't crushing, but this is an absolute schoolyard beatdown by the judoka now.

Oropeza's arm comes free from between Karavackas' legs, but Karavackas resets it. He pushes his hips down, and rips on the neck of Oropeza, finally forcing the tap from the scarf hold armlock. The fight ends officially at 3:59 of the third round. Incredibly impressive display from Giedrius Karavackas.

Hector Lombard vs. Falaniko Vitale
Round 1
A Lombard head kick lands on Vitale's arms. Lombard feints and throws a massive left-handed heater, but it flies of Vitale's head. Vitale ducks under two more explosive Lombard hooks, and lands a right-hand lead of his own. "Niko" circles around while Lombard holds firm in the center of the cage. A teep from Vitale pushes Lombard back. Lombard lands a jab, but Vitale hits him with a right hook to the body. Vitale kicks to Lombard's legs, but lands firm on the cup, and referee Dan Miragliotta grants Lombard a brief reprieve to compose himself. Lombard walks it off and the fight is quickly resumed. Lombard is tripped to the canvas for a moment, but leaps up and rushes the Hawaiian with a bevy of punches, but Vitale blocks them. A chopping overhand lands for the Bellator champion. The last two minutes of the round consist mostly of staring, as the two paw at each other aimlessly to the dissatisfaction of the crowd until the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-10
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-10

Round 2
Lombard comes underneath a Vitale jab and explodes with a series of hooks that put "Niko" on his heels. However, Lombard can't quite a really clean power shot through Vitale's guard. Lombard glances with a knee from the clinch. Vitale steps forward and Lombard grazes him with a pair of overhands. A thumping kick from the Bellator champ is absorbed on Vitale's arms. Lombard continues to throw body and head kicks, but can't pass Vitale's guard. The Hawaiian veteran lands a hard right cross, and Lombard drops low and puts him on the mat with a double-leg. Vitale walks up the fence to his feet, where he's met with a hook and an elbow from Lombard. Vitale circles and paws, while Lombard cracks him with leg kicks. "Shango" lunges with a left hand at the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Lombard
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-10
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-10

Round 3
More active first minute of the third round, as the pair trade power hand leads. Vitale ducks low, looking to go to the body, and Lombard cracks him with an enormous right hook to the chin. Vitale hits his knees, and Lombard stares him down. As the Hawaiian tries to get to his feet, he collapses to his back. Referee Dan Miragliotta is forced into action to rescue the badly rattled Vitale 54 seconds into the third round.

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Final
Patricky Freire vs. Michael Chandler
Round 1
Heavy feinting starts the lightweight tournament final. Freire misses with a lunging overhand right. Some 30 seconds later, he comes back with another one that glances off Chandler's cheek. Chandler crouching low and exploding with one-twos, but he can't locate Freire. Chandler throws a jab and a low kick, but the kick lands clean on Freire's cup, prompting referee Keith Peterson to momentarily halt the bout. Freire takes a moment to recover, and we're off again. Chandler is attacking with punches and kicks but can't land clean. Freire picks him off with a series of right-hand counters. Chandler continues to presses forward, and shoots a double-leg. Freire stuffs it, but Chandler doesn't relent, pressing forward with punches and kicks.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-10
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-10
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Chandler

Round 2
A hard overhand right for Chandler gets the second round rocking, but just as the former Mizzou wrestler gets confident, Freire smashes him with a lunging knee. Chandler stumbles back, and the Brazilian is all over him. However, Chandler gets his ground and swings back. The wrestler now goes airborne, throwing a flying side kick at the Brazilian, taking a spill afterwards. Wild action in the second frame. Finally, the pace halts for a moment and they clinch up. Chandler drives a knee between the legs of Freire, dropping him to the mat with another low blow that prompts Peterson to again give Freire a moment's pause. Upon the restart, Chandler continues pushing forward, pumping his jab. Freire continues to try to catch Chandler with a right-handed counter, but can't find his mark.

Uppercut and hook land for Freire as Chandler darts into the pocket. Chandler rushes with a double-leg takedown, and Freire easily limplegs free. Chandler continues to stick his jab out, tagging the Brazilian while "Pitbull" looks for counters. Hard left hook lands for Freire, but Chandler gets a hold of his leg and drives Freire to the mat. Chandler immediately sets to work, punching away from half guard. Heavy elbows land for the former Mizzou Tiger. Freire tries to scoot up the fence, but Chandler crushes his face with another elbow and a torrent of punches at the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Chandler
Sam Genovese scores the round 10-9 Chandler
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 10-9 Chandler

Round 3
A low kick from Michael Chandler again hits Freire in the groin. The Brazilian goes down in a heap, and referee Keith Peterson immediately deducts a point from Chandler. This time around, Freire uses the full five minutes to recover from the foul. Upon resumption, Freire lands a left hook. A hard jab and a right cross follows for Chandler. Left hook from Freire backs Chandler up. The striking is super-competitive, but Chandler drops levels and drives for a double-leg. Freire pops back to his feet, and Chandler drives him into the fence, locking his hands, elevating his foe and slamming "Pitbull" to the mat. Chandler gets busy with elbows. Freire tries to sweep and stand up, but Chandler drives him back to the mat, and busts him up from half guard with right hands. Chandler continues to pound away as the third round expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 9-9 (29-28 Chandler)
Sam Genovese scores the round 9-9 (29-28 Chandler)
Lutfi Sariahmed scores the round 9-9 (29-27 Chandler)

Official scores: All three judges -- Jeff Blatnick, Jon Bilyk and Suzanne Sanidad -- score the bout 29-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Michael Chandler. Chandler is the Season 4 lightweight tournament champion, and the next challenger to Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez.

Randy Smith vs. Jamall Johnson
Round 1
Smith starts off the heavyweight tussle pawing with a jab. Johnson ducks down under another right from Smith and hits a double-leg, taking the bigger Smith down. However, Smith manages to get back up to his feet. Johnson hits a looping hook and Smith continues to paw out his jab and miss. Johnson throws out another right that connects but Smith counters with his biggest offense of the night, a hook that staggers his foe. The action comes in bursts, but when it comes, Johnson gets the better of things. Another takedown from Johnson toward the end of the round gives him the first on the Sherdog.com card, 10-9.

Round 2
A good minute goes by without either fighter doing much of anything. Johnson finally connects with a hook but Smith counters with a big shot of his own. Smith clipped Johnson low in the exchange as well and referee Dominick Carolei steps in to give Johnson his time to recover. On the restart, Smith starts firing in bunches, and then ducks down and hits a double leg on Smith. He quickly takes his back after that and works a rear-naked choke. It's all over after that. Johnson finds a home for the submission and Smith taps. The end comes at 4:16.