Bellator 36: The Weekend MMA Review
By Ben Bieker
Main Event:
Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (8-1-0) def. “Razor” Rob McCullough (19-7-0) by TKO at 3:11 of round 3
Rob was well on his way to a come back win in this fight. He got totally beat down in the first round. Patricky got the fight to the ground and was controlling it. He even put Rob in a few submissions then busted him up. In, the second he came back and used his superior standup to control Patricky. Landing multiple leg kicks, he was going to come in strong in the third. The problem was he got a little too confident. He opened up a little too much and Rob got caught. When Rob landed that leg kick he dropped his left hand, and Patricky crushed Rob with a right hand. I thought the situations would have been reversed with Rob landing a punch like that, but it was not to be. There is only one veteran left in this tournament with three relatively unknowns left to prove themselves and make a name in this tournament.
Next for Patricky Freire: Lloyd Woodard is in his immediate future.
Next for Rob McCullough: 3-3 in his last 6 and 4-4 in his last 8 something needs to change for Rob. This was his chance to make it back to the top, but he lost. Tachi Palace fighting is a good home for him for now. Gabe Ruediger just got dropped from the UFC and a matchup between the two for the TPF Lightweight title could bring some notoriety to the company.
Co-Main Event:
Toby Imada (29-16-0) def. Josh Shockley(6-1-0) by submission at 1:19 of round 1
Can’t say much about a fight that lasted a little more than a minute. Josh, essentially, sealed his own fate in this fight. He was hitting Toby from the outside and even though he professed that he wanted to be the first man to stop Toby in this tournament. He had a chance to but decided to take it down instead. When he did he got submitted. He was doing fine until Toby’s ground game wrapped him up, and submitted Josh while getting slammed.
Next for Toby Imada: He will be taking on Michael Chandler later this year.
Next for Josh Shockley: He should fight Marcin Held. Both need redemption after their fights.
Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (11-0-0) def. Carey Vanier (10-4-0) by TKO at 0:46 of round 2
In the first round, these two fighters clinched immediately and traded knees on the inside. Carey kept looking for the takedown, but Lloyd was able to shutdown those attempts. Lloyd was able to get off the cage and started to open up. Carey was able to get in down about two minutes in, but Lloyd was able to stand right back up. You can tell that Woodard had the better of the stand up as he hurt Carey every time they were on the feet. The rest of round one played out the same as Woodard would have brief moments of winning the standup with Carey trying to get it to the ground.
The second round did not last long. Carey came out with a tight defense and looked willing to strike. That was a bad idea. Woodard dropped Carey with a short left hand, and they scrambled on the ground, and then got back to their feet. From there Woodard dropped Carey again and then finished him on the ground. When Carey was dropped he never regained his senses as Woodard never let up. Woodard has that killer instinct and that looks to be trouble for everyone.
Next for Lloyd Woodard: He will be taking on Patricky Freire in what should be a standup war.
Next for Carey Vanier: I’d like to see a rematch with Rich Clementi since the first was so close. He could beat Rich in dominating fashion then it would prove a lot for Carey’s young career.
Michael Chandler (6-0-0) def. Marcin Held (10-2-0) by submission at 3:56 of round 1
This fight proved that wrestling is the best base to have in MMA. Given back in the day that BJJ did dominate many American wrestlers, but if you are fighting in MMA today everyone has some knowledge of BJJ. Marcin is no world renowned black belt either. Michael showed his knowledge of the ground game early when he got into trouble after a takedown. His leg was contorted into many gruesome positions by Marcin, but eventually he got free. At 24 Michael has a bright future ahead of him, and, on the same page, at 19 Marcin has a bright future ahead of him to. For Marcin he will get beat on by the bigger American fighters so maybe a drop to 145 would be good for him.
Next for Michael Chandler: Toby’s win puts these two on a collision course
Next for Marcin Held: Neither he or Josh Shockley got to perform here. Maybe these two meet up later to show that deserves a spot in the next tournament to redeem them.
Quick Predicts for the next Round
Patricky Freire vs. Lloyd Woodard will end with Lloyd dictating the pace and winning by a unanimous decision.
Toby Imada vs. Michael Chandler is a toss up as the fight will again come down to Michael being able to defend the ground game. He can dictate where the fight goes, but he will have to be able to make the right choice. I think Toby is a little too experienced for him, and he will end this fight by submission.