Bellator 94 results and recap: Netwon and Rickels both earn title shots
It seems Bellator has been on somewhat of a streak ever since their newly formed partnership with Spike TV. When it comes to bringing excitement to the fans at home, Bellator has delivered on every occasion and tonight was no exception.
Another night of fights and another majority of exciting finishes, ranging the entire gamut of KO’s, TKO’s, Submissions, Low blow’s, Decisions and a little bit of controversy for good measure.
The prelims saw some great action, more specifically a solid right landed by Edson Berto knocking out the mouthpiece of his opponent Burno Carvalho, following it up with a slick heel hook to force the tap and finish the fight.
As I mentioned, the night wasn’t without it’s controversy. Dave “The Caveman” Rickels showed his durability in the lightweight finals against Saad Awad, getting taken down a few times in the first two rounds, and then coming back to land a solid right hand in a vicious exchange between the two, dropping Awad to the canvas at approximately the same time as the bell rang to signify the end of the round.
Awad however remained on the canvas for an additional 10 seconds or so, looking up and seeming conscious but not showing any signs of getting to his feet or corner.
The referee analyzed the fighter and waited for a reaction, but ultimately called the fight to a stop via TKO. Awad protested slightly but it was too late, the decision had been made and Rickels moves on to win the Bellator Lightweight tournament.
Dave Rickels now earns a title shot and will face off against Bellator Lightweight champion Michael Chandler at a future date.
Last but not least, coming off a shocking upset win and spinning backfist knockout of King Mo Lawal that can be found on highlight reels around the world, Emmanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton defeated Mikhail Zayats via unanimous decision, winning rounds 1 and 3 in the eyes of all three judges across the board.
Newton is now the Bellator light-heavyweight tournament champion, earning him a date with current champion Attila Veigh, giving us a rematch of their last fight which took place in July of 2012 and ended in a split decision in favor of Veigh.
Full results are below:
Main Card
205: Emanuel Newton def. Mikhail Zayats via unanimous decision
155: David Rickels def. Saad Awad via TKO @ 5:00 Rnd 2
170: Luis Melo def. Trey Houston via submission (arm triangle) @ 1:09 Rnd 3
135: Rodrigo Lima def. Ronnie Mann via uNanimous decision
Preliminary Card
145: Joe Taimanglo def. Ronnie Rogers via submission (north/south choke) @ 0:33 Rnd 1
115: Felice Herrig def. Heather Clark via split decision
115: Jessica Aguilar def. Patricia Vidonic via split decision
265: Augusto Sakai def. Rob Horton via TKO @ 4:01 Rnd 1
155: James Edson Berto def. Bruno Carvalho via submission (heel hook) @ 1:27 Rnd 1
155: Patrick Cenoble vs. Tony Fryklund is ruled a draw
170: Julien Williams def. Kenny Moss via submission (guillotine choke) @ 3:19 Rnd 1
