Bellator returned to the Pechanga Resort and Casino for Bellator 229. Headlining the card was Andrey Koreshkov and Lorenz Larkin in a three round fight. Stay tuned to JackWannan.com throughout the night for live coverage.
Bout 1: Adel Altamimi (8-5) vs. Salim Mukhidinov (6-3) (Featherweight)
The first preliminary fight was Adel Altamimi versus Salim Mukhidinov in a featherweight bout. The entrances for both fighters aired, something which is rare for the Bellator prelims. Altamimi got a takedown, but the referee stood them up due to inactivity. Altamimi got another takedown as the round ended.
A pause came early in the second round as Altamimi was kicked in the groin. Altamimi took his time to recover, but eventually did get up and continue. Mukhidinov had strong striking in the second round, making sure the fight stayed in stand-up where he excelled. Mukhidinov reversed a takedown, taking top position halfway through the round. The second round ended on the ground.
Altamimi tried to take the fight to the ground again in the final round, but just like before failed to do so. Mukhidinov got top position after a sprawl. Mukhidinov stayed in top position, throwing strikes from above until the final seconds of the round.
Heading to the scorecards, it was Salim Mukhidinov who got the victory via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26 & 30-27)
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Altamimi | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| Mukhidinov | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Bout 2: Anatoly Tokov (28-2) vs. Hracho Darpinyan (17-8-2) (Middleweight)
The second preliminary fight was between two experienced fighters in Anatoly Tokov and Hracho Darpinyan. Tokov took Darpinyan down with strikes early, although they got back up. Tokov kept applying the pressure and threw more strikes. Darpinyan was swinging wildy, though he did connect with a good hook. In the third minute of the fight, Tokov dropped Darpinyan again with a punch. Tokov continued ground and pound on the ground until the round ended.
Tokov got another takedown a minute and a half through the second round. Just like last time, Tokov went back to work with ground and pound. Once Tokov started to let elbows go on the ground, the referee stepped in and called a stop to the bout.
Anatoly Tokov picked up his fifth straight Bellator win, and the second in a row via stoppage.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Tokov | 10 | |||
| Darpinyan | 9 |
Bout 3: Joe Schilling (4-5) vs. Tony Johnson (8-2) (Middleweight)
The first main card fight was Joe Schilling fighting to escape a negative pro MMA record against Tony Johnson. Early in the first round, Schilling tripped Johnson with a leg kick. Schilling was clearly the better striker, although Johnson clearly had a good chin. Johnson surprisingly dropped Schilling in the final minute of the first round. In a matter of seconds, the round went in favour of Johnson. The fight didn’t end, but it came real close to ending in favour of Johnson.
In the second minute of the second round, Schilling showed that he is still in the fight by landing a strong left straight. Johnson scored a takedown halfway through the round, although they got up moments later. Other than that, it was a round well dominated by Schilling.
The third round saw a pause due to Johnson getting poked in the eye. Schilling threw a spinning backfist in the final round. In the third minute of the round, Johnson landed left hook counter-punch which took Schilling out cold. In his return fight in Bellator, Tony Johnson got a victory through a vicious knockout.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Schilling | 9 | 10 | ||
| Johnson | 10 | 9 |
Bout 4: Keri Taylor Melendez (3-0) vs. Mandy Polk (6-4) (Catchweight 118 lbs)
The fourth fight was the first women’s MMA bout of the evening. Undefeated fighter Keri Taylor Melendez fought Mandy Polk. In the opening seconds, Polk came running at Melendez and ate a punch. Melendez went to the ground in attempt to finish the fight but found herself in the bottom position instead. Melendez tried for a triangle choke and threw elbows while Polk’s head was trapped.
The second round showcase more of Melendez’s stand-up, as the fight stayed there for most of the time.
Polk got a takedown in the first minute of the final round. Melendez tried for the triangle choke again but let it go eventually. Polk took the back of Melendez and tried for a rear naked choke. They went back to stand-up where Melendez landed knees to the stomach. Remaining undefeated, Keri Taylor Melendez took a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27) After the fight she said Bellator should start a 115 pound division.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Melendez | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Polk | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
Bout 5: Saad Awad (23-11) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (23-4) (Lightweight)
Before the next fight, we saw an interview with Ilima-Lei MacFarlane who will fight on December 21st against Kate Jackson. The co-main event of that show will be a Featherweight Grand Prix fight between A.J. McKee Jr. and Derek Campos. The co-main event of the evening was Bellator veterans Saad Awad and Goiti Yamauchi facing off. Yamauchi got shook by a right hook then was taken down shortly after. Yamauchi tried for an armbar on the ground which made Awad tap out. Moments after being shaken on the ground, Goiti Yamauchi earned a victory, being the first fighter to submit Saad Awad in years.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Awad | ||||
| Yamauchi |
Bout 6: Andrey Koreshkov (22-3) vs. Lorenz Larkin (20-7) (Welterweight)
The main event of the show was welterweights Andrey Koreshkov and Lorenz Larkin battling. Larkin tried for a takedown early on with a body lock. Koreshkov kept Larkin against the cage for a minute before they returned to stand-up. Koreshkov landed a spinning back kick which dropped Larkin. A few more punches landed, but Larkin recovered and stayed in the fight.
Larking caught Koreshkov during a spinning back kick attempt, putting him against the cage in a clinch. When they went back to stand-up, Koreshkov landed a good overhand right. He also later landed a spinning back elbow. In clinch, Larkin landed a knee which dropped Koreshkov. Larkin landed more elbows from top position. Koreshkov got up but was dropped with another knee to the head. Koreshkov was hit with more elbows in the final seconds of the round but was able to survive.
Koreshkov got a takedown in the final round, although from bottom position Larkin tried for a guillotine. Koreshkov eventually slipped out. They stood up in a clinch with two minutes left. Koreshkov got another takedown with a minute remaining.
The fight went all scheduled fifteen minutes. With a split decision, Lorenz Larkin pulled off the victory (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Koreshkov | 10 | 8 | 10 | 28 |
| Larkin | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
Bout 7: Derek Anderson (15-3) vs. Guilherme Bomba (10-5) (Welterweight)
After the main card, the postlims started with Derek Anderson and Guilherme Bomba. The first round was a striking focused one, with Anderson landing the good combinations. A pause came when Anderson was accidentally poked in the eye. The resumed shortly after, with Anderson seemingly not missing a beat. Anderson’s striking was ended by Bomba landing a takedown. Anderson got a takedown for a few seconds as the first round came to a close.
Both fighters were trading hard, audible punches early in the second round. Bomba got a single leg takedown and took the back of Anderson. Anderson flipped himself over and took top position.
The third round was another dominant one for Anderson. The fight went to the ground with two minutes left in the final round, with Anderson in the dominant position. Both fighters lasted all three rounds, with Derek Anderson prevailing via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Anderson | 10 | 10 | ||
| Bomba | 9 | 9 |
Bout 8: Joey Davis (5-0) vs. Jeff Peterson (10-6) (Welterweight)
Staying in the welterweight division, the next fight was undefeated Joey Davis and Jeff Peterson. Early in the fight, Peterson tripped after getting hit by a leg kick. A minute into the fight, Davis scored a flying knee to drop Peterson and win the fight. Joey Davis extended his undefeated record with a chilling KO.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Davis | ||||
| Peterson |
Bout 9: Johnny Eblen (5-0) vs. Mauricio Alonso (13-7) (Middleweight)
Moving on, the next postlim fight was middleweights Johnny Eblen and Mauricio Alonso. Eblen got a takedown early on. Eblen stayed in top position, sometimes standing up, but throwing punches throughout.
Eblen got a second takedown a minute into the second round and did more ground and pound. The third round was the same story yet again, with Eblen getting a takedown and landing strikes. For a moment it looked like he could close out the fight, but it never happened. They stood up in the final minute of the fight and Alonso actually landed a few good strikes. Eblen got another takedown but was being hit from Alonso, who was on the bottom position.
The fight went all three rounds. Winning quite decisively, Johnny Eblen got his sixth win as a professional (30-26, 30-27 & 30-27).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Eblen | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Alonso | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
Bout 10: Vladimir Tokov (6-0) vs. Brandon Hastings (6-3) (Lightweight)
After his big brother picked up a win on the preliminary card, Vladimir Tokov aimed to do the same against Brandon Hastings. Tokov chased a takedown early but was stopped. The referee stepped in during a grappling exchange since Hastings was holding the fence to resist takedown. They resumed in stand-up, which is odd since that seemingly favours Hastings. Tokov got a takedown and stayed in top position for the rest of the first round.
Tokov had a dominant second round, landing numerous takedowns and staying in control throughout. The third round was much of the same, including many slams by Tokov. Vladmir Tokov prevailed on the scorecards (30-26, 30-27 & 30-27).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Tokov | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Hastings | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
Bout 11: Jordan Newman (1-0) vs. Riley Miller (0-0) (Middleweight)
The next fight saw undefeated Jordan Newman face the debuting Riley Miller. Newman brought the fight to the ground and took top position early on. Newman stayed on top of Miller, continuing ground and pound until the final seconds of the round when the referee stepped in to conclude the fight.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Newman | ||||
| Miller |
Bout 12: Sunni Imhotep (2-0) vs. Kelvin Gentapanan (0-0) (Lightweight)
The next matchup was a lightweight battle between 2-0 Sunni Imhotep and debuting Kelvin Gentapanan. In the first minute of the fight, Gentapanan got a takedown. Gentapanan stayed the dominant fighter on the ground until the round ended. Imhotep had a better second round, landing tons of strikes on the ground. The final round saw Gentapanan in control most of the time on the ground. Going to the scorecard, Kelvin Gentapanan won via split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Imhotep | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| Gentapanan | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 |
Bout 13: Jay-Jay Wilson (3-0) vs. Jorge Juarez (4-1) (Featherweight)
Finishing off the card was Jay-Jay Wilson facing Jorge Juarez. Early on, Wilson put Juarez up against the cage, landing a takedown shortly after. He took the back of Juarez and put in a rear naked choke, getting a quick victory.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Wilson | ||||
| Juarez |
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