Bela-rushin’ to the IFL 205-lb. Belt
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 3 -- The first chapter of the IFL Grand
Prix had few surprises.
At the Sears Centre just outside of Chicago, 4,107 fans watched the favorites prevail in every match. In fact, almost everything played out as expected.
It wasn't pretty, but Vladimir Matyushenko
(Pictures) won his first title belt
with a unanimous decision over a very game Alex Schoenauer (Pictures). "The Janitor" spent the first
round of their light heavyweight bout in his most comfortable place
-- on the ground. He easily took down Schoenauer and controlled his
hands while pounding on his head.
Schoenauer hung tough, however. In the second round, he showed he wouldn't go down without a fight, attempting a kneebar and doing a much better job of preventing Matyushenko's damaging blows.
Although Schoenauer tried a few submission attempts, attacking his opponent's legs wasn't enough. Matyushenko's wrestling neutralized him en route to a unanimous decision.
The Belarusian was pleased with his performance and seemed happy to have a belt after more than 10 years in MMA.
The fight everyone came to see, the rematch between Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski and Chris "Polish Hammer" Horodecki, lived up to its billing.
It was déjà vu when Horodecki scrambled out from under Palaszewski and got caught in another standing guillotine in the second round, which had happened in their first encounter. This time Horodecki stayed in the ring and escaped, but Palaszewski had him stumbling after a rough exchange. The undefeated 20 year old looked to be in real trouble for only the second time in his career, but he stayed up and survived the round.
The final five minutes was back to being even. Both doled out some punishment, with Horodecki leading the pace.
Palaszewski was shocked when the split decision went to his opponent, again, and he shook his head in disbelief. The Chicago crowd agreed with their local boy, heavily booing the outcome.
Horodecki was asked in the ring why he got the decision and answered that he had kept busy with strikes. The reality is that he won the same way he did in their first meeting -- with heart. Once again the young fighter battled back from near disaster, doing just enough to win over the judges.
How stunned had he been in the second round? "My head was still in it, but I didn't want to play stupid and start trading," he said.
"Bartimus" noted that after hurting Horodecki just as he had in the first fight, he tried a different approach. "In the first fight I got too excited," he said, suggesting that this time he might have been too patient. "I had him hurt, I took my time and you know time ran out."
Although Horodecki felt his constant activity had won him the fight, Palaszewski, who didn't have a scratch on him, believed his own attack was much more damaging.
"This isn't amateur boxing, where whoever threw more punches wins the fight," Palaszewski said.
While neither fighter considers this series to be a rivalry, Horodecki felt justified in his win and hoped that they could both move on to talking about other opponents for a change.
With Horodecki already penciled in for the Grand Prix finals in December, Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) met John Gunderson (Pictures) in the other lightweight bout. Fabiano was methodical in this one, taking his time and getting a guillotine early in the first round that looked very deep. However, Gunderson powered out and finished the round with a left hook.
After Gunderson clipped Fabiano with some more punches in the second round, Fabiano wisely put "Guns" on his back. This time Fabiano finished, locking in a guillotine that Gunderson couldn't escape.
"I felt flat," said Gunderson, who appeared to have injured his right hand early in the fight. "That wasn't me, and I think I left a lot of my fight in the gym."
Donnie Liles (Pictures) stepped up at the last minute to replace an injured Pat Healy (Pictures) and came in heavy at 177 pounds, but Jay Hieron (Pictures) didn't seem to care.
Hieron grinded out a unanimous decision in a match that had a little bit of everything. Both are well rounded and put on a true MMA display with submission attempts, sweeps, kicks and punches that kept these two busy for all three rounds.
"I definitely think he was at least close to 200 pounds," Heiron said after his win. "He's strong, real strong, but I'd rather be fighting someone tonight than sitting around watching. I'm a fighter."
It wasn't a good night for Gideon Ray (Pictures), who he met Delson Heleno (Pictures) in the second half of the 170-pound bracket. The first strike thrown by Heleno caught Ray square in the groin, causing him to turn away and drop in pain.
Once they resumed fighting, Heleno did what he's done all year by taking Ray down, mounting him and submitting him with an armbar. Heleno will now face Hieron in what should be a rowdy affair in the 170-pound finals.
Benji Radach (Pictures) got the evening started off with a bang. The American Top Team middleweight tagged Brent Beauparlant (Pictures) immediately with a right hand from which Beauparlant never seemed to recover. Radach looked great in this fight as he stung the Canadian with several hard shots and always seemed a step ahead.
The left hook that finished Beauparlant surprised even Radach. "I've never knocked anyone out with a left before, so that was new for me," he said.
Beauparlant explained that he had trouble with Radach's hand speed.
"He was better tonight getting in and out of the zone … so yeah, I was playing catch up," Beauparlant said. "He was just getting off faster than I was."
Matt Horwich (Pictures) faced Brian Foster (Pictures) to finish out the 185-pound semifinals. The only mistake Horwich made was trying to leap over the ropes for his entrance. He landed face first on the mat but recovered in style, taking the fight to Foster early.
Near the end of the first round, Horwich slapped on a triangle then transitioned to an armbar that forced Foster to tap with just a single tick left on the clock.
Horwich attributed some of his success to Foster's coach, Frank Shamrock (Pictures). When Shamrock yelled to Foster that there were only 20 seconds left, Horwich pushed to finish the fight.
Shane Ott (Pictures) and Antoine Jaoude (Pictures) opened the heavyweight tournament. At first it looked as if Ott might upset the Brazilian after getting on top and then taking his back.
Ott didn't have a sense of urgency, though, and seemed confused on his plan of attack. He let Jaoude get out of a potentially dangerous spot. Then Jaoude took advantage by climbing on top and securing an arm triangle that choked Ott unconscious.
After the submission, Jaoude looked up and smiled like a kid who had just gone off the high dive for the first time.
"I had a mental lapse," Ott said. "I didn't feel that choke going in until it was already in, and he started going over. I guess I went out. The next thing I felt was the ref pulling my mouthpiece out."
Roy Nelson (Pictures) was the favorite going into his fight with Bryan Vetell (Pictures). After the first two rounds, the bout seemed to be headed to a tough decision.
Vetell had come alive at times, showing his aggressive side and connecting with flurries and a few knees that kept him in the fight. He seemed comfortable in the ring, especially after a knee to the groin caused him to howl and then start laughing. Not the typical reaction to such an event.
In the final round, Nelson got serious, mounting Vetell and pummeling him until Vetell took his own mouthpiece out to concede defeat. The ref didn't realize how hurt the fighter was, however, and Nelson was kind enough to get off and walk away, leaving his friend Vetell in a bloodied heap.
"I don't want to hurt Bryan," Nelson said. "I mean, we're here to put on a good show. I already knew I had the KO, so I was done."
The IFL Grand Prix finals are now set for Dec. 29 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. In the lightweight finals Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) fights Chris Horodecki (Pictures). Powerhouse welterweights Delson Heleno (Pictures) and Jay Hieron (Pictures) meet at 170 pounds. Pacific Northwest-based fighters Benji Radach (Pictures) and Matt Horwich (Pictures) compete for the IFL 185-pound title. And at heavyweight, Antoine Jaoude (Pictures) meets Roy Nelson (Pictures).
At the Sears Centre just outside of Chicago, 4,107 fans watched the favorites prevail in every match. In fact, almost everything played out as expected.
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Schoenauer hung tough, however. In the second round, he showed he wouldn't go down without a fight, attempting a kneebar and doing a much better job of preventing Matyushenko's damaging blows.
Schoenauer surprised Matyushenko with a great kick to the
midsection to start off round three. However, anytime Matyushenko
needed to get out of danger, he tackled Schoenauer and took the
superior position on the mat.
Although Schoenauer tried a few submission attempts, attacking his opponent's legs wasn't enough. Matyushenko's wrestling neutralized him en route to a unanimous decision.
The Belarusian was pleased with his performance and seemed happy to have a belt after more than 10 years in MMA.
The fight everyone came to see, the rematch between Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski and Chris "Polish Hammer" Horodecki, lived up to its billing.
It was déjà vu when Horodecki scrambled out from under Palaszewski and got caught in another standing guillotine in the second round, which had happened in their first encounter. This time Horodecki stayed in the ring and escaped, but Palaszewski had him stumbling after a rough exchange. The undefeated 20 year old looked to be in real trouble for only the second time in his career, but he stayed up and survived the round.
The final five minutes was back to being even. Both doled out some punishment, with Horodecki leading the pace.
Palaszewski was shocked when the split decision went to his opponent, again, and he shook his head in disbelief. The Chicago crowd agreed with their local boy, heavily booing the outcome.
Horodecki was asked in the ring why he got the decision and answered that he had kept busy with strikes. The reality is that he won the same way he did in their first meeting -- with heart. Once again the young fighter battled back from near disaster, doing just enough to win over the judges.
How stunned had he been in the second round? "My head was still in it, but I didn't want to play stupid and start trading," he said.
"Bartimus" noted that after hurting Horodecki just as he had in the first fight, he tried a different approach. "In the first fight I got too excited," he said, suggesting that this time he might have been too patient. "I had him hurt, I took my time and you know time ran out."
Although Horodecki felt his constant activity had won him the fight, Palaszewski, who didn't have a scratch on him, believed his own attack was much more damaging.
"This isn't amateur boxing, where whoever threw more punches wins the fight," Palaszewski said.
While neither fighter considers this series to be a rivalry, Horodecki felt justified in his win and hoped that they could both move on to talking about other opponents for a change.
With Horodecki already penciled in for the Grand Prix finals in December, Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) met John Gunderson (Pictures) in the other lightweight bout. Fabiano was methodical in this one, taking his time and getting a guillotine early in the first round that looked very deep. However, Gunderson powered out and finished the round with a left hook.
After Gunderson clipped Fabiano with some more punches in the second round, Fabiano wisely put "Guns" on his back. This time Fabiano finished, locking in a guillotine that Gunderson couldn't escape.
"I felt flat," said Gunderson, who appeared to have injured his right hand early in the fight. "That wasn't me, and I think I left a lot of my fight in the gym."
Donnie Liles (Pictures) stepped up at the last minute to replace an injured Pat Healy (Pictures) and came in heavy at 177 pounds, but Jay Hieron (Pictures) didn't seem to care.
Hieron grinded out a unanimous decision in a match that had a little bit of everything. Both are well rounded and put on a true MMA display with submission attempts, sweeps, kicks and punches that kept these two busy for all three rounds.
"I definitely think he was at least close to 200 pounds," Heiron said after his win. "He's strong, real strong, but I'd rather be fighting someone tonight than sitting around watching. I'm a fighter."
It wasn't a good night for Gideon Ray (Pictures), who he met Delson Heleno (Pictures) in the second half of the 170-pound bracket. The first strike thrown by Heleno caught Ray square in the groin, causing him to turn away and drop in pain.
Once they resumed fighting, Heleno did what he's done all year by taking Ray down, mounting him and submitting him with an armbar. Heleno will now face Hieron in what should be a rowdy affair in the 170-pound finals.
Benji Radach (Pictures) got the evening started off with a bang. The American Top Team middleweight tagged Brent Beauparlant (Pictures) immediately with a right hand from which Beauparlant never seemed to recover. Radach looked great in this fight as he stung the Canadian with several hard shots and always seemed a step ahead.
The left hook that finished Beauparlant surprised even Radach. "I've never knocked anyone out with a left before, so that was new for me," he said.
Beauparlant explained that he had trouble with Radach's hand speed.
"He was better tonight getting in and out of the zone … so yeah, I was playing catch up," Beauparlant said. "He was just getting off faster than I was."
Matt Horwich (Pictures) faced Brian Foster (Pictures) to finish out the 185-pound semifinals. The only mistake Horwich made was trying to leap over the ropes for his entrance. He landed face first on the mat but recovered in style, taking the fight to Foster early.
Near the end of the first round, Horwich slapped on a triangle then transitioned to an armbar that forced Foster to tap with just a single tick left on the clock.
Horwich attributed some of his success to Foster's coach, Frank Shamrock (Pictures). When Shamrock yelled to Foster that there were only 20 seconds left, Horwich pushed to finish the fight.
Shane Ott (Pictures) and Antoine Jaoude (Pictures) opened the heavyweight tournament. At first it looked as if Ott might upset the Brazilian after getting on top and then taking his back.
Ott didn't have a sense of urgency, though, and seemed confused on his plan of attack. He let Jaoude get out of a potentially dangerous spot. Then Jaoude took advantage by climbing on top and securing an arm triangle that choked Ott unconscious.
After the submission, Jaoude looked up and smiled like a kid who had just gone off the high dive for the first time.
"I had a mental lapse," Ott said. "I didn't feel that choke going in until it was already in, and he started going over. I guess I went out. The next thing I felt was the ref pulling my mouthpiece out."
Roy Nelson (Pictures) was the favorite going into his fight with Bryan Vetell (Pictures). After the first two rounds, the bout seemed to be headed to a tough decision.
Vetell had come alive at times, showing his aggressive side and connecting with flurries and a few knees that kept him in the fight. He seemed comfortable in the ring, especially after a knee to the groin caused him to howl and then start laughing. Not the typical reaction to such an event.
In the final round, Nelson got serious, mounting Vetell and pummeling him until Vetell took his own mouthpiece out to concede defeat. The ref didn't realize how hurt the fighter was, however, and Nelson was kind enough to get off and walk away, leaving his friend Vetell in a bloodied heap.
"I don't want to hurt Bryan," Nelson said. "I mean, we're here to put on a good show. I already knew I had the KO, so I was done."
The IFL Grand Prix finals are now set for Dec. 29 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. In the lightweight finals Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) fights Chris Horodecki (Pictures). Powerhouse welterweights Delson Heleno (Pictures) and Jay Hieron (Pictures) meet at 170 pounds. Pacific Northwest-based fighters Benji Radach (Pictures) and Matt Horwich (Pictures) compete for the IFL 185-pound title. And at heavyweight, Antoine Jaoude (Pictures) meets Roy Nelson (Pictures).
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