Bellator 98: Shlemenko vs. Cooper Results & Discussion

September 7, 2013
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut

Results:

MAIN CARD
Alexander Shlemenko def. Brett Cooper via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) - to defend middleweight title
Mikkel Parlo def. Brian Rogers via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26) - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Jason Butcher def. Giva Santana via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:12 - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Brennan Ward def. Justin Torrey via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 3:28 - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Perry Filkins def. Jeremy Kimball via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 4:18 - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Derek Anderson def. Patricky Freire via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Mike Mucitelli vs. Jeff Nader no-contest (accidental eye poke) - Round 1
Josh Diekmann def. Parker Porter via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:12
Ryan Quinn def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via submission (arm triangle choke) - Round 1, 2:34
Matt Bessette def. Nick Piedmont via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:41
Rico DiSciullo def. Glenn Allaire via KO (elbows) - Round 1, 1:21[/b]

Shlemenko, Shlemanko, MMA INCORPORATED!

Shlemenko brutal KO, round 1

Bellator Middleweight Tournamen Anounced. Cooper-Spang and the return of Giva Santana

Bellator MMA's Season 9 middleweight tournament gets underway on Sept. 7 with Brett Cooper vs. Andreas Spang, Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins, Mikkel Parlo vs. Brian Rogers, and Jason Butcher vs. Giva Santana.

Bellator officials today announced that all four of those opening-round contests take place at Bellator 98, which takes place Sept. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

As with all of Bellator's events, the evening's main card airs on Spike TV. The four tournament bouts join previously announced bouts of champ Alexander Shlemenko vs. Doug Marshall and a bantamweight tourney bout of Joe Warren vs. Nick Kirk on the evening's special three-hour main-card broadcast.

Cooper (19-8 MMA, 6-3 BFC) returns to action after earning his way into Bellator's Season 8 middleweight tournament before being eliminated by Marshall, who fights for the belt on the same card.

"I'm always proud to compete for Bellator," Cooper stated. "My goal is same as last time, to win the tournament and get the belt. I have made improvements since my last fight, and I'm looking forward to showing what I can do in front of the audience on Spike TV."

He meets Spang (8-2 MMA, 1-2 BFC), who was been unsuccessful in two previous tournament runs for the promotion.

Cramer (10-4 MMA, 7-2 BFC) has competed for the promotion since 2010 but entered his first tournament in Season 8, when he advanced to the semifinals before losing by TKO to Cooper.

"I am privileged to be fighting in another Bellator tournament, and I am anxious to put my training to test," Cramer stated. "I started off strong in the Season 8 tournament, and I had the chance to show people what I can bring to the cage, and I will continue to prove that I am one of the top middleweights in the game."

He meets "Filthy" Filkins (7-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC), who enters his first Bellator tournament after debuting successfully for the promotion this past November.

Parlo (9-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC), a Danish fighter, made his promotional debut this past October with a knockout win over Jared Combs. He returned in February, where he was handed the first loss of his professional career. He faces Rogers (10-5 MMA, 3-3 BFC), who enters his fourth Bellator tournament.

Butcher (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC), while undefeated, is the least experienced of the eight tournament competitors. Still, he's already fought three times under the Bellator MMA banner and earned first-round submission wins in all three outings. He faces Santana (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BFC), a submission ace known as "The Arm Collector" for his 13 career armbar wins.

With the additions to the card, the Bellator 98 lineup now includes:
Alexander Shlemenko vs. Doug Marshall - for middleweight title
Joe Warren vs. Nick Kirk - bantamweight tournament opening round
Brett Cooper vs. Andreas Spang - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Mikkel Parlo vs. Brian Rogers - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round
Jason Butcher vs. Giva Santana - Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/07/bellator-98-gets-middleweight-tourney-including-cooper-spang-cramer-filkins

^Not their best tournament but they have some good fighters in there.  A couple more prospects would have been good.

Cooper vs. Spang is a sick fight, I think this MW tourney is pretty decent.

CDF47 wrote:Shlemenko brutal KO, round 1

I got Shlemenko via TKO.

I got Shlemenko by TKO as well. i see him mixing up before he finishes him when he gases

I see Bellator is still milking the "baddest man on the planet" angle. I don't know if Warren would even say that anymore.

Slugger O'Toole wrote:I see Bellator is still milking the "baddest man on the planet" angle. I don't know if Warren would even say that anymore.

"Baddest Coach on the Planet" would be more apt, in my opinion.

There are some very good fighters on this card but this is one of cases where a big name like Rampage would help a lot to get some more viewers. I wonder if Warren can make it to the top again or if he´s past prime.

Slugger O'Toole wrote:I see Bellator is still milking the "baddest man on the planet" angle. I don't know if Warren would even say that anymore.

Lol, yeah they should skip that nickname.

Warren still thinks he's a champ lmao

Schlemenko vs rhino should be better then we anticipate.

Schlemenko is a great striker not duper heavy handed but he can ko you with flurries or kicks I see him just trying to punish Marshall and wait fir him to break and gas.

While I know schlemenko will win I want to express my thoughts that if Marshall connects early he could win.Marshall has shown really only improvement in his striking.

He was a brawler while wec lhw champ but now he has pretty decent muaythai kicks and kneese.

Not always technical but powerful
Should be a entertaining fight.

Patricky Freire meets undefeated lightweight Derek Anderson at Bellator 98, according to sources close to the situation.

Bellator kicks off its eighth season on Sept. 7 in Uncasville, Conn.

"Pitbull" Freire, a Bellator Season 4 lightweight tournament winner, returns to the cage 11 months after suffering a knockout loss in a first-round war against Eddie Alvarez. He's lost three of his last four fights.

Anderson, who trains with UFC fighter Robbie Peralta at Xplode MMA, makes his Bellator debut with an undefeated record of 9-0 (1 no-contest). Anderson finished his opponent in all of his nine wins, six of them in the first round.

Alexander Shlemenko puts his middleweight title on the line at Bellator 98’s main event against Doug Marshall, Season 8’s middleweight tournament winner. Former featherweight champion Joe Warren returns to action for the first time in 2013 in the co-main event when he faces Nick Kirk. The main card, which airs live at Spike TV, will also feature two 185-pound quarterfinals: Brett Cooper takes on Andreas Spang, and Dan Cramer meets Perry Filkins.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/8/8/4602214/patricky-freire-meets-undefeated-derek-anderson-at-bellator-98

fka wrote:Warren still thinks he's a champ lmao

Schlemenko vs rhino should be better then we anticipate.

Schlemenko is a great striker not duper heavy handed but he can ko you with flurries or kicks I see him just trying to punish Marshall and wait fir him to break and gas.

While I know schlemenko will win I want to express my thoughts that if Marshall connects early he could win.Marshall has shown really only improvement in his striking.

He was a brawler while wec lhw champ but now he has pretty decent muaythai kicks and kneese.

Not always technical but powerful
Should be a entertaining fight.

If Radev was able to knock out Shlemenko, then Marshall is more than able to.

Fight master final will be held on this event, but most likely be burry in the prelims which doesn't make a lot of sense for me, since the program viewers would want to watch who wins it

After suffering a broken hand in training, Season 8 Middleweight Tournament Winner Doug Marshall will have to put his title shot on hold. Using the Bellator Tournament Championship Replacement Clause for the first time, Bellator fighters and executives voted to determine their choice of which fighter would earn their title shot.

After consideration, reigning Bellator Middleweight World Champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko will now face Season 8 Tournament Finalist Brett Cooper. The night will also feature the opening rounds of Bellator’s Fall Season Middleweight Tournament, the live “Fight Master” Tournament Final, and the return of “The Baddest Man on The Planet” Joe Warren.

The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 8 p.m. EST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 6:00 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office, with tickets starting at just $30 dollars.

Displaying a strong performance in last season’s tournament, Cooper is eager to get in the cage with Shlemenko and not only capture his first Bellator World Title, but also wipe his 2011 loss to Shlemenko off his record.

“My goal has always been the same, get the belt,” Cooper said. “I’m always making improvements and this is an incredible opportunity I’m not going to pass up. When we fought in 2011, it was an absolute war, and I’ve grown into a much different fighter over the last few years. I’m 26 years old, and this is my time to take the next step.”

The full fight card for Bellator 98 from Mohegan Sun Casino has been finalized and the highly talented middleweight division includes Bellator veterans Brian Rogers and Andreas Spang, submission ace Giva Santana and Denmark’s Mikkel Parlo.

The full fight card is listed below:

MAIN CARD

Bellator Middleweight World Title Fight: Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (47-7) vs. Brett Cooper (19-8)

Bellator Bantamweight Feature Fight: Joe Warren (8-3) vs. Nick Kirk (10-2)

Bellator Middleweight Tournament Opening Round: Justin Torrey (7-0) vs. Andreas Spang (8-3)

Bellator Middleweight Tournament Opening Round: Perry Filkins (7-1) vs. Jeremy Kimball (10-3)

Bellator Middleweight Tournament Opening Round: Brian Rogers (10-5) vs. Mikkel Parlo (9-1)

Bellator Middleweight Tournament Opening Round: Jason Butcher (6-0) vs. Giva Santana (18-2)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight Feature Fight: Derek Anderson (8-0) vs. Patricky Pitbull (10-4)

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Jeff Nader (5-5) vs. Mike Mucitelli (5-0)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Dave Vitkay (12-12) vs. Brennan Ward (5-1)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Andrew Calandrelli (6-3) vs. Ryan Quinn (7-4-1)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Nick Piedmont (8-3-1) vs. Matt Bessette (11-4)

Bantamweight Feature Fight: Glenn Allair (3-1) vs. Riso Disciullo (debut)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Josh Diekman (12-5) vs. Parker Porter (5-3)


http://www.bellator.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23600&ATCLID=209208262

Cooper is more of a well rounded threat but I see schlemenko breaking him throughout the duration.sooooo glad they have that tournament champion clause it works for everyone Marshall still gets the shot he earned when he's healthy,fans still get a main event with a very competitive fight,and the champ gets to fight no worries about title staying fresh and getting paid.

Definitely agree.

Although he lost to Marshall, Cooper looked much improved from his last bout against Shlemenko, so hopefully the fight turns out to be better this time around.

I expected Cooper to beat Rhino so I'm perfectly fine with this new match up as well. I've got Shlemenko to keep the title, possibly TKO on the feet but I could see it going to a close decision.

Anyways that sucks about the broken hand for Marshall. As goofy as he was and as annoyed by his antics as I was, I was actually getting pumped for the fight against Storm.

Joe warren still haven't been cleared by the commission!

His participation is still in doubt...

Themmareport.com

Will add the link soon!

Luke Thomas ‏@SBNLukeThomas 10m

Joe Warren ruled ineligible to compete at Bellator 98 by Mohegan Sun athletic commission http://sbn.to/1fEUKqo


Wonder what it could be.


I don't know if I want to live on a planet where the baddest man on the planet doesn't fight Saturday  

Baddest Man on the planet? What planet is that? Among dwarfs, gnomes, midgets, leprechauns and hobbits?

That's unfortunate.

I wonder what the deal is.