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Bellator 79: The Aftermath

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Season 5 welterweight tourney winner Douglas Lima (grey trunks) let his hands do the talking as he put on a striking clinic against Jacob Ortiz (not pictured) before finishing him in the third round. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

Bellator 79 featured a pair of semi-final match-ups in the Season 7 Heavyweight and Featherweight Tournaments as well as two welterweight fights to treat the crowd at the Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, Canada to a night of toe-to-toe mixed martial arts action. Heavyweights “Rare Breed” Rich Hale (21-4) and “Big Monster” Thiago Santos (11-2) squared off in the marquee bout of the evening and the first of two Season 7 heavyweight semi-final tilts. “The Marine” Mike Richman (13-2) faced “Sha” Shahbulat Shamhalaev (11-1) in the co-main event for a spot in the 145lbs. tourney finals. Former MFC Welterweight Champion and Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Champion “The Phenom” Douglas Lima (21-5) returned to action against Kobe Ortiz (13-4) at a catchweight of 180lbs. In the starting fight of the night, Canada native “The Real Deal” Ryan Ford (19-4) faced tough Bellator newcomer “Alley Cat” Kyle Baker (12-7).

Ryan Ford vs. Kyle Baker: The always gung ho Ford and Baker didn’t worry about a feeling out process as “The Real Deal” started off his groove with a heavy flurry that bloodied and battered Baker as the fight went on. Baker, sporting a nineteenth-century bare knuckle boxer ‘stache, showed grit as he survived a drop from Ford’s powerful boxing and heavy ground-and-pound through the opening round. Baker, however, wasn’t just going with Ford’s tune as he fought back and threw heavy leather of his own at the MFC veteran. Ford ate some punches only to return the favor and opened a cut on Baker’s right eye and a mouse to go with it. As the fight went into the deeper waters Ford slowed in his pace but Baker still was on the receiving end of heavy offense, though he gained some breathing room when the fight hit the mat. “Alley Cat” managed to get the hooks in and take Ford’s back in the final round then went to work for a Rear Naked Choke but “The Real Deal” stayed on the defensive and powered out of the submission attempt to posture up and rain down fists until the final bell sounded. Ford via Unanimous Decision

Douglas Lima vs. Jacob Ortiz: It was a striking clinic by Douglas Lima with Jacob Ortiz on the receiving end from the sound of the opening bell. “The Phenom” used his longer reach and quicker hands to find his range against the shorter-framed Ortiz and landed a plethora of punches. Ortiz paid the price when he showed little respect for Lima’s striking as the former MFC champion countered with a right hand to floor Ortiz on the mat which prompted Lima to look for a fight-ending Rear Naked Choke. Ortiz though gathered his wits quickly and successfully defended his foe’s submission attempt before returning the fight to the feet. Ortiz came at Lima with wild punches only to be popped over and over by “The Phenom’s” crisp strikes. Round 2 saw the same as Lima battered Ortiz throughout and dropped him against the cage; this time Lima pounced and threw heavy punches to Ortiz’s body and head but Ortiz was saved by the bell. The final round went much like the previous two with Lima continually battering his opponent. The former MFC champ mixed up his strikes until a kick hurt Ortiz in the final seconds of the fight. Lima fired a knee then finished up with punches to end the fight with only ten seconds remaining. Lima via TKO (Head Kick and Knee), Round 3, 4:50

 (Video courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships)

Mike Richman vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev: Two exciting 145ers with the majority of their respective career wins by strikes faced off in one of two Season 7 Featherweight Tournament semi-final bouts. Richman stalked Shamhalaev around the cage chasing him with strikes while the lanky Shamhalaev stayed on his toes but pumped his jab to keep the former US Marine out of his face. Richman kept up the pressure against his Russian counterpart and backed him against the cage. He fired off a heavy gut wrenching body shot that landed but Richman failed to react in time. Shamhalaev fired a counter-right hand over the downed arm of Richman that dropped the American on his stomach then followed up with two punches before he was pushed away and declared the winner. Shamhalaev via TKO (Punches), Round 1, 1:45

Rich Hale vs. Thiago Santos: A lot of talk about both men surrounded this fight – could Hale survive a punch from a true heavyweight power puncher or could Santos actually handle a quicker, more experienced fighter? The former 205er Hale came out with a lot of pep in his step only to be stopped in his tracks by a flurry of hooks to the dome from “Big Monster” that sent Hale backpedaling. The massive Brazilian followed Hale around the cage throwing bombs; Hale survived to clinch his attacking foe but Santos took advantage and dropped Hale to the canvas. Once on the ground Santos focused his damaging blows on the body of Hale, though the American recovered and returned to his feet. From there the action slowed and so did Santos noticeably, as he hung his hands low and gasped for air. “Rare Breed” landed a big shot that caused Santos to turtle up and Hale stormed his opponent until the action was stopped, declaring him a Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament finalist. Hale via TKO (Strikes), Round 1, 3:31

Click here for the full list of Bellator 79 results.

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