Bellator 61 Results: Falcao, Vasilevsky, Santos, Rogers advance to Middleweight semifinals
Posted on March 16, 2012, 10:23 PM by Joey SantosusBellator 61 kicked off the promotion's season six Middleweight tournament tonight from the Horseshoe Riverdome in Bossier City, Louisiana. Maiquel Falcao went the distance for just the third time in his career, outworking Norman Paraisy in the headlining bout, while Vyacheslav Vasilevsky took a dominate decision victory over Victor O'Donnell in the co-main event. Also featured was Bruno Santos, who outlasted Giva Santana to win on the scorecards, and Brian Rogers knocked out Vitor Vianna with a well-timed flying-knee. All four of tonight's winners will advance to the semifinal round.
Bellator 61 Official Main Card Results:
Maiquel Falcao defeated Norman Paraisy via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky defeated Victor O'Donnell via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
Bruno Santos defeated Giva Santana via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28)
Brian Rogers defeated Vitor Vianna via KO (flying knee) at 4:14 of round 1
Photo: CombatLifestyle.com
Comments
A bit of a boring event tbh, was expecting way better fights...
:: Santana showed is too one dimensional and its a perfect example how you can have a fantastic record (17-1 prior to the fight) if your not facing equally talented competition.
:: Bruno Santos seems to be a strong well rounded fighter who likes to scrap. He was tentative to go to the ground (as well as he should be) and was content in out-striking and winning by decision, never trying to finish the fight.
:: Vasilevsky dominated most of the fight but it didnt showed me anything outstanding in particular but seemed a well rounded fighter. Had heard some good things about him and was somewhat disappointed tbh but he got the W and we can see if he improves his performance!
:: O'Donnell didn't showcased much on this fight and seemed to be beaten by his opponent in every MMA aspect...
:: Vitor Vianna Tried to go back to his roots and use his BJJ but he had a problem that many BJJ MMA fighters have: he doesn't have the wrestling or judo to take his opponent down! But not being able to take the fight to the ground, he was left striking with a 1st round KO specialist...
:: Rogers looked great IMO. He was able to stuff every takedown and clearly had the edge in the striking department. His a type of fighter that every opponent has to be careful with since his vicious on the first round and has the power and skill to put you away if your not careful! The only thing I didnt liked was the fact he cut his air and didnt used his predator mask which I thinks its cool :D
:: Norman Paraisy seemed a decent enough striker but not on the level of his opponent. Its a fighter im not very familiar with but he showed his tough and was able to endure punishment and still fight to the end.
:: Maiquel Falcao has a record and fighting style that we, the fans, love! Were always waiting for something brutal and extraordinary but again, as was his fight in the UFC, he let me down... First hes a bit slow to engage and seems content to just outstrike. Secondly he seems to not want to finish his opponent when clearly he has the skills to do it. And third and lastly, hes showboating was silly and disrespectful and he showed his a bit of a dirty fighter. I didnt liked his performance or attitude and clearly saw why he was cut from the UFC. Still, lets see how he fairs in his next fight...
All in all it wasn't one of the best Bellator shows to watch but I still enjoyed it nevertheless!