Bellator 100: Lima vs. Saunders Results & Discussion

September 20, 2013
Phoenix, Arizona

Results:

MAIN CARD
Douglas Lima def. Ben Saunders via knockout (strikes) - Round 2, 4:33  
War Machine def. Vaughn Anderson via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 4:01  
Rick Hawn def. Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)  
Ron Keslar def. Sergio Junior via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Brent Weedman def. Justin Baesman via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 3:20

PRELIMINARY CARD
Efrain Escudero def. Zack Surdyka via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Travis Marx def. Brandon Bender via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:28 - bantamweight tourney semifinal
LaRue Burley def. Bubba Jenkins via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 3:40
Clifford Starks def. Joe Yager via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Liam McGeary def. Beau Tribolet via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 0:26
Siala-Mou Siliga def. Dan Charles via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 1:26
Adam McDonough def. Johnny Buck via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:51

Bellator MMA will make its first visit to Phoenix in September for Bellator 100.

Promotion officials on Friday announced the card, which will feature the delayed Season 8 welterweight tournament final, plus the start of the Season 9 170-pound tourney.

Bellator 100 will take place Sept. 20 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix. The main card will air live on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com. Tickets for the event now are on sale starting at $25.

In the main event, Douglas Lima (24-5 MMA, 6-1 BFC) meets Ben Saunders (16-5-2 MMA, 7-2 BFC) in the delayed Season 8 tournament final in the welterweight division, a fight that also is a rematch of the Season 5 tourney finals. The two were scheduled to meet at Bellator 93 in March, but consecutive Lima injuries pushed the fight back.

And also on the main card, the Season 9 170-pound tournament gets underway with four opening round bouts featuring Justin Baesman (14-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Brent Weedman (21-8-1 MMA, 7-3 BFC); Vaughn Anderson (16-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. War Machine (13-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC); Luis Melo (29-11 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Matthew Riddle (7-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC); and Mark Scanlon (9-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Herman Terrado (11-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

Lima knocked Saunders out at Bellator 57 to win the Season 5 welterweight tournament and advanced to a title shot against Ben Askren. But he dropped that fight by unanimous decision. After a TKO win in November of this past year, he picked up knockout wins the Season 8 tourney's opening round and semifinals against Michail Tsarev and Bryan Baker, giving him three straight and 12 wins in his past 13 fights.

"I can't wait for this fight," Lima stated. "I have been injured back-to-back, but this time I'll be 100 percent and we're going to have one of the best fights of the year. I am ready to fight for the belt and I am coming hard."

Saunders will be hoping to change his Bellator tournament fortunes. The UFC vet, who went 4-3 in that promotion, lost to Lima in the Season 5 tourney finals, then dropped a decision to Baker in the Season 6 semifinals. But since then, he has wins over Brian Warren, Koffi Adzitso and Raul Amaya, the latter two to get him to another fight against Lima.

Baesman will make his UFC debut on a four-fight win streak, including a split-decision victory over UFC veteran Daniel Roberts in June. Overall, he's won eight of his past nine fights. Weedman is one of Bellator's most veteran fighters, and he'll take part in his fifth Bellator tournament. He was bounced in the semifinals in Season 4, opening round in Season 5 and lost to Rich Hawn in the Season 6 finals. In Season 8, he beat Marius Zaromskis in the opening round, but he had to bow out before the semifinals with an injury.

Anderson debuts for Bellator without a loss since September 2007. Since then, he has gone 11-0-1, with a draw with UFC standout Dong Hyun Kim in 2009 keeping him from perfection. Fourteen of his 16 wins have come by stoppage. He'll meet War Machine, who made his long-awaited Bellator debut earlier this summer and stopped Blas Avena with a first-round TKO in his first fight since November 2011.

Riddle will make his Bellator debut after fighting his entire pro career for the UFC. He was cut from the promotion after testing positive for marijuana twice in three fights, turning two wins into no-contests. Instead of having four straight UFC wins, he has two and two suspensions. Melo – "Sergio Junior" – won his Bellator debut with an arm-triangle choke submission over Trey Houston in March at Bellator 94. That gave the Brazilian six straight wins.

Scanlon, who lost to Pascal Krauss at UFC 122 in his only top-tier competition thus far, will fight for the first time in Bellator. The native of England, a former lightweight, fought three times in a four-week stretch earlier this summer, going 2-1 with a pair of submissions. Terrado will debut for Bellator on the strength of seven straight wins, including a knockout win over A.J. Matthews for Strikeforce in April 2011.

The Bellator 100 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)
Douglas Lima vs. Ben Saunders - Season 8 welterweight tournament final
Justin Baesman vs. Brent Weedman - welterweight tournament opening round
Vaughn Anderson vs. War Machine - welterweight tournament opening round
Luis Melo vs. Matt Riddle - welterweight tournament opening round
Mark Scanlon vs. Herman Terrado - welterweight tournament opening round

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/07/bellator-100-heads-to-phoenix-with-lima-saunders-season-9-170-tourney

The fight card is set for next month's Bellator 100 event, and a host of notables are now part of the night's preliminary card.

Bellator 100 takes place Sept. 20 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix. The main card, which includes a previously announced and delayed Season 8 welterweight tournament final between Douglas Lima (24-5 MMA, 6-1 BFC) and Ben Saunders (16-5-2 MMA, 7-2 BFC), airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

The main card also features the opening round of the Season 9 welterweight tournament, but the prelims have some familiar names, as well.

In the featured bout, former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and top MMA prospect Bubba Jenkins (4-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on fellow featherweight Larue Burley (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Additionally, K-1 world champion kickboxer Siala-Mou "Mighty Mo" Siliga (3-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) returns to MMA for the first time in three-and-a-half years when he meets Dan Charles (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), an Arizonan and undefeated Rage in the Cage veteran.

In light-heavyweight bouts, undefeated Liam McGeary (4-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on Beau Tribolet (7-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), and recent UFC competitor Clifford Starks (8-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets Joe Yager (5-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Additionally, Johnny Buck (12-8 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on fellow welterweight Adam McDonough (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

In bantamweight action, 10-year vet Travis Marx (20-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) looks for his sixth win in seven fights when he meets undefeated Brandon Bender (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who's won 11 consecutive bouts via submission.

In the curtain-jerker, "The Ultimate Fighter 8" winner Efrain Escudero (19-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) fights fellow lightweight Zack Surdyka (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).


The official Bellator 100 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)
Douglas Lima vs. Ben Saunders - Season 8 welterweight tournament final
Luis Melo vs. Matthew Riddle - welterweight tournament opening round
Mark Scanlon vs. Herman Terrado - welterweight tournament opening round
Justin Baesman vs. Brent Weedman - welterweight tournament opening round
Vaughn Anderson vs. War Machine - welterweight tournament opening round

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Larue Burley vs. Bubba Jenkins
Dan Charles vs. Siala-Mou Siliga
Liam McGeary vs. Beau Tribolet
Clifford Starks vs. Joe Yager
Johnny Buck vs. Adam McDonough
Brandon Bender vs. Travis Marx
Efrain Escudero vs. Zack Surdyka

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/08/bellator-100-prelims-include-jenkins-starks-siliga-marx-and-escudero

Mighty Mo is an interesting signing, especially since it looks like they're just using him as fodder for Charles.

Good preliminary portion, honestly.

^Agreed, it will be cool to see Mighty Mo back fighting.

This in incredible, Matt riddle announces his retirement one week prior to the gp! What else can go wrong with bellator, injuries have been a big part of their newest series and now this!

I'm guessing McDonough will be the replacement.

The saga continues as Matt riddle announced his retirement after a cracked rib forced him out of the bellator tournament

Herman terrdo now faces Rick hawn


No replacement for riddle yet

Hawn's sudden inclusion already makes this a much better tournament.

Not too excited for this card for some reason. Seeing Ben Saunders knocked out again will be fun. Also looking forward to War Machine. lol

Rather disappointing they could never get Semtex for this tournament.

Ron keslar 9-3 replaces riddle

Always excited to see Lima compete and I've just recently interviewed Bubba Jenkins so it'll be nice to see him fight and gauge how much he's picked up in training since his last fight.

Not bad card hope Saunders beats Lima but probly wont happen

Paul Daley is fun to watch but a liability outside the cage and quite one dimensional inside it.he is powerful but I don't really like him.

Bellators slowly coming along but its impressive to see the work their scouts are doing WAR VIACOM

Bellator 100 weigh-in results:

• Douglas Lima (169.9) vs. Ben Saunders (169.4) - Season 8 welterweight tournament final
•Vaughn Anderson (170.1) vs. War Machine (170.4) - welterweight tournament opening round
•Rick Hawn (170.6) vs. Herman Terrado (171) - welterweight tournament opening round
•Justin Baesman (170.1) vs. Brent Weedman (170.4) - welterweight tournament opening round
•Ron Keslar (170.5) vs. Luis Melo (170.8 )- welterweight tournament opening round
•Brandon Bender (135.2) vs. Travis Marx (135.8 )- bantamweight tourney semifinal
•Larue Burley (153.8 )vs. Bubba Jenkins (155.6)
•Liam McGeary (204.5) vs. Beau Tribolet (204.1)
•Dan Charles (235) vs. Siala-Mou Siliga (264.2)
•Johnny Buck (170.4) vs. Adam McDonough (170.5)
•Clifford Starks (202.7) vs. Joe Yager (205.5)
•Efrain Escudero (155.2) vs. Zack Surdyka (155)

I am fucking pumped for this fight.  

Keslar best display of lay n pray from a bjj Guy in a while lmao.

Weedmans blackbelt helped nice armbar took a minute but got it done

Actually thought the Sergio Junior/Keslar fight was strangely entertaining.

Two straight weeks that Bellator has had an awful fight.

Bellacom sux.

Brutal finish to the main event.

One of the best finishes I've seen all year. I felt for Ben though. The man looked like he was on the verge of death.

Nice finish from War Machine tonight too.

backdoor to zuffa wrote:One of the best finishes I've seen all year. I felt for Ben though. The man looked like he was on the verge of death.

Nice finish from War Machine tonight too.

Yeah, that was a brutal fight. I sort of was feeling like the fight should have been stopped due to the eye injury. Of course it never would be, but in a more sane would that it perhaps should have been (or at least a doctor look at it). However, Saunders was pretty well worked over, Lima knew he had little left, and Lima finished the fight. It was definitely a brutal fight though.

That's what I was thinking too. The ref definitely should have had the doctor look at that eye. It started swelling up immediately from what I remember. That's typically bad news as far as injury is concerned, but we'll have to wait and see. There was really no sense in letting it go on. Once the KO happened, it just seemed unnecessary, but if you ask a warrior like Ben, he'd probably say he'd rather go out on his shield like that.