Bellator 243: Michael Chandler Crushes Benson Henderson in One Round – MMA Breaking News

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By Anthony “Zute” George

All good things come to those who wait. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Benson Henderson tested these clichés with his long-awaited rematch against Michael Chandler, in the main event of Bellator 243. Indeed, it was to no avail, as Michael Chandler proved his first victory over Henderson was no accident by winning by a stunning knockout at 2:09 of the first round. Both men started out fast, delivering hard kicks and punches. However, Chandler added a new wrinkle to his game by switching to southpaw as the action was at a high level. In the southpaw stance, Chandler threw a right jab with the intention of it being a blinder for a crunching left hand that collapsed on Benson Henderson’s chin and ended the fight. After the fight, Michael Chandler put all the lightweight’s, and Bellator CEO Scott Corker on notice.

Undercard

Matt Mitirone Vs Tim Johnson:

In a battle of southpaw heavyweights, the fights trajectory changed immediately when an unintentional headbutt took the fight to the ground, with Johnson in top position. It was slow going for a while on the ground, but Johnson was trying to advance, allowing the fight to remain on the ground. Tim Johnson’s persistence paid off as he eventually put Mitrione in a vulnerable position and let his ground and pound loose. Ending the fight via TKO at 3:14 of the first round. One never wants to take credit away from such a blue-collar guy like Johnson; still, it is hard to imagine how this fight would have been different had referee Mike Beltran recognized that a headbutt caused Matt Mitrione to be in such a vulnerable position. Beltran’s inability to spot headbutts became an unwanted theme of the evening. Given the circumstances of the fight, an immediate rematch is warranted.

Myles Jury Vs Georgi Karakhanyan:

Myles Jury defeated Georgi Karakhanyan via split decision. Jury won on two cards, 30-27, and 29-28. Amazingly, one judge had Georgi winning 30-27. Ringside Report scored the bout 30-28 for Myles Jury. In this lightweight feature bout, both men let the strikes fly early in round one. Jury was more polished with his approach, working well off his jab. Georgi probably recognized this because he tried an unsuccessful takedown attempt that forced the fight against the cage. Jury stuffed another takedown attempt later in the round and prevented Georgi from getting any work done against the cage. Both men landed with strikes towards the end of the round, but Jury’s seemed cleaner. By the end of the round, Georgi had a cut above his right eye to worry about.

Jury switched to southpaw early in round two, and the pace slowed down as both men seemed winded, Jury more so than Georgi. Once again, the action transitioned to the fence, but nothing noteworthy occurred. The striking contest resumed for a bit in the middle of the cage, with neither fighter establishing dominance. Georgi once again tried to take Jury down against the fence. Still, Jury’s takedown defense was on point and the most consistent aspect of the fight thus far. When Georgi did manage to take Jury down, Myles managed to work his way back on the feet. With no one really putting their stamp on the second round, an even round would be justified.

In the crucial third round, Jury stood in his right-handed stance to start. He then went back to southpaw and landed some crucial elbows. Georgi did not like those elbows and went for another takedown that was stuffed by Jury. After trading strikes, Jury’s elbows and Georgi’s right hands, Georgi tried a guillotine choke that appeared tight at first, then Jury escaped fairly quickly. Jury took over on the ground after Georgi’s submission attempt. While Jury did not get much done, he was in top position and in control. Jury’s little elbows where enough to keep the fight on the ground. While Georgi did manage to get back to his feet with seconds remaining, he lost the round. 30-27 for Georgi is a joke of the score, and the announcing team on DAZN ignored it.

Curtis Millender Vs Sabah Homasi:

Sabah Homasi wins this catchweight fight at 175 pounds via a unanimous decision. Scorecards read 29-28 from all three judges. Ringside Report scored the bout 29-28 for Homasi. Sabah outworked Millender in the first two rounds. Still, Millender was still in the fight and put on a surge in the final round. He was active on the ground with submission attempts and ground and pound work and got the better of the standup portion of the round. The late surge was not enough to give Milldender the victory, however.

Prelims:

Adam Borics Vs Mike Hamel:

Adam Borics wins a split decision over Mike Hamel. Two judges had Borics winning 29-28, while one judge had Mike Hamel winning by the same exact score. Ringside Report scored the fight 29-28 for Adam Borics. This contest had to be changed to a catchweight fight of 150 pounds to accommodate Mike Hamel agreeing to take the fight on short notice. Still, Hamel came into the fight weighing close to 155 pounds. The extra weight did him well in round one, as he was able to control Borics for a vast majority of the round and land some telling left hands. In round two, Borics landed with a crackling groin kick that halted the action early in the round.

The rest of the round took place on the feet, where Borics had a slight edge. Hamel tried to sell another groin kick to buy time late in the round, but referee Dan Miragliotta was not interested in the false advertising; it was a legal kick that landed on the thigh. With the fight up for grabs in round three, Hamel tried to take the fight to the ground during the first minute, but Borics defended well. Borics stuffed another takedown attempt during the second minute of the round. With the action against the cage, Borics landed some key knee strikes with his back to the fence. Simultaneous flying knee attempts forced the fight to the ground at around the 1:20 mark of the round. Hamel tried to work on the ground, but he did not get much done. Borics managed to fight his way back to his feet. Oddly, Hamel backed away with seconds remaining to go in the fight, as if he had the round won. It appeared as if Borics had won the round and the fight.

AJ Agazarm Vs Cris Lencioni:

Cris Lencioni takes a unanimous decision in this featherweight contest. Scorecards read 30-26, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Lencioni. Ringside Report scored the fight 30-26 for Lencioni. He was just the busier, more effective fighter throughout the three rounds. Agazarm had some decent moments on the ground but did very little damage when the opportunities arose. Unless you count the illegal headbutt he scored with when in top position during the second round. Lencioni indeed dominated the final round. These fighters had no love for one another and did plenty of bickering towards one another once the fight was over.

Valarie Loureda Vs Tara Graff:

Valarie Loureda won this flyweight battle by using Tara Graff’s aggression against her. Loureda put a lot of miles on her bicycle throughout the fight, but she was countering well in spots. She countered with an amazing counter right hand at 5:00 of round two to stop Graff. Indeed, Loureda earned a knockout victory at the end of the second round. Valarie Loureda remains undefeated and will be a tough matchup for any flyweight. Her energizer bunny style comes with a lot of countering skills that has a bite to it- a nightmare for anyone to deal with.

Grant Neal Vs Hamza Salim:

This battle of light heavyweights manifested into a showcase for Grant Neal. The undefeated mixed martial artist secured a unanimous decision by displaying solid dirty boxing skills, an effective ground game that was chock full of ground and pound and submission attempts, and a very solid chin. Salim cracked Neal early with strikes with very minimal returns. Salim also showcased the ability to withstand punishment. Still, all he had to show for his efforts was a busted open face courtesy of Neal’s ground and pound. Scorecards read in favor of Grant Neal, 30-26, 30-27. 30-24. While Neal certainly has a lot of tools in his MMA toolbox, we need to see him against much tougher blueprints than Salim to see where he is.

Nainoa Dung Vs Charlie Campbell:

This lightweight fight saw Charlie Campbell take round one by infusing an effective ground game to an evenly contested striking contest. In round two, the fight remained on the feet, which is known to be Dung’s, The Baby-Faced Assassin’s, wheelhouse. Nonetheless, Charlie Campbell shined on his feet as he stopped Nainoa Dung at 1:42 of the second round via vicious, debilitating, calf kicks.

Dalton Rosta Vs Mark Gardner:

In this middleweight bout, “Hercules” Rosta got off to a fast start with powerful strikes, then tossing Gardner to the floor. On the ground, it became interesting. Gardner tried an armbar submission that appeared to be troublesome for the undefeated Rosta. He defended it well, however, and managed to get the fight back on the feet. Rosta then went to work again with solid punches that hurt Gardner. The fight once again went to the ground. Rosta dominated from the top position and possibly secured a 10-8 opening round. That was the last round of the fight. Gardner suffered a grotesque cut above his left eye, and the doctor did not let Gardner continue. Dalton Rosta remains undefeated and looks like a very solid mixed martial artist.

Anthony “Zute” George is the Author of Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story, a new boxing book that covers the skilled champion from Auburn, Washington, as well as the scope of the times during his days of pugilism.

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