Bellator 196 results and highlights: Bendo subs Huerta

Check out the results and highlights from Bellator 196, where Ben Henderson submitted Roger Huerta in the main event.

Bellator 196 went down tonight from Budapest, Hungary with Ben Henderson scoring a second round Guillotine on longtime veteran Roger Huerta in the main event. Bendo was on fire from the get-go, hurting Huerta with a head kick in the opening moments, and staying all over his opponent the whole fight.

In the co-main event, Budapest’s own Adam Borics kept his undefeated record intact in spectacular fashion, picking up a brutal second round flying knee knockout of Teodor Nikolov. Bellator’s flyweight kickboxing champion, Denise Kielholtz, went the distance with a quite game Petra Castkova, and when the dust settled, it was Kielholtz who walked away with the unanimous nod.

Also on the card, Brian Moore made quick work of Giorgio Belsanti, rocking him early with a sinister right hand before following up with an airtight Guillotine choke in the opening round. Ed Ruth kicked off the main card looking as slim as ever, showcasing his standup skills with just a side of wrestling to earn a unanimous decision over Ion Pascu.

Main Card:

Ben Henderson def. Roger Huerta by submission (Guillotine) at :49 of round 2: Lightweight

Henderson opened up the main event with a nice liver kick, followed up by a clean head kick that forced Huerta into a poor takedown attempt. A takedown for Henderson quickly materialized, but Huerta managed to return to his feet without sustaining much damage. Huerta mounted some offense in the final minute of the round, but was unable to connect with much of anything significant.

Huerta came out in the second stanza with heavy body kicks, but got tripped up and gave Bendo the dominant position. Just as Huerta tried to work his back to his feet, Henderson jumped on an arm-in Guillotine, prompting the tap and ending the fight.

Look at Bendo going high with the head kick:

Adam Borics def. Teodor Nikolov by KO (Flying Knee) at 1:30 of round 2: Featherweight

Borics opened up by clipping his opponent as he wildly rushed in, which abruptly slowed the role of Nikolov. The striking of Borics was clean and crisp, but his takedown defense is what allowed him to keep the fight in his wheelhouse. A well placed left knee to the jaw dropped Nikolov with about a minute left, giving Borics top position for the remainder of the opening round.

Borics continued to outclass his opponent on the feet while also showcasing some sound takedown defense in the process. Just when Nikolov ducked in for yet another takedown attempt, Borics let off with an incredible flying knee that landed right on the jaw, separating Nikolov from his senses. One followup hammerfist scored for Borics before the referee stepped in to rescue the unconscious Nikolov. Yikes!

Not many people could remain vertical after eating this knee:

Denise Kielholtz def. Petra Castkova by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Flyweight

Kielholtz achieved a head and arm throw about a minute into the bout, as she worked for the same sort of caveman armbar that she scored on Jessica Middleton in her promotional debut. Castkova escaped harms way and returned to her feet, and landed a stiff cross to the face of Kielholtz. The hands of Kielholtz began to find a home as she pressured forward and Castkova moved on her back foot.

Castkova came out spamming a bunch of spinning backfists, each of which missed their mark, but Kielholtz was unable to capitalize on the whiffs. Kielholtz continued to make her opponent miss, and connected with a spinning backfist of her own, but Castkova used the moment to secure a takedown. Kielholtz wasted no time in returning to her feet, and landed a few right hands before the round ended.

Kielholtz opened up with a solid three piece combo, but Castkova wore them all rather well, and answered back with some looping punches. Castkova continued to allow her opponent to march her down, although she did a somewhat reasonable job of striking while moving backwards. The left hook of Kielholtz was sneaky enough to land a few times, which set up a flush right hand for the Dutch kickboxer. Just as the 10 second sticks sounded, Kielholtz scored a late takedown which may have iced the round.

Well, this is one way to get up after hitting the floor:

Brian Moore def. Giorgio Belsanti by submission (Guillotine) at 2:46 of round 1: Featherweight

Moore cracked his foe with a mean counter right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas, and followed Belsanti to the ground and into the guard. Belsanti found a way back to his feet, but exposed his neck in the process, giving up the Guillotine choke to SBG Ireland’s Brian Moore.

Check out this fire counter right hand from Brian Moore:

Ed Ruth def. Ion Pascu by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Catchweight of 175 pounds

Ruth came out pressing forward, appearing a lot leaner than we have seen in the past. Pascu cracked early with a mean liver kick that slowed up the forward momentum of his opponent, but Ruth regained his composure and continued to march behind his strikes. It took about three whole minutes before the NCAA All American secured his first takedown, but Pascu was able to return to his feet rather quickly. In an unexpected turn of events, Pascu found a takedown of his own, but was unable to establish any sort of top control before the round ended.

The forward pressure of Ruth continued into the second stanza, as Pascu worked his counter punches. Ruth began to pop shot as his opponent continued to backpedal, and even connected with a head kick that momentarily got the attention of Pascu. Pascu hit the deck when his leg was kicked out from under him, resulting in top control for Ruth for the remaining moments of the round.

Pascu opened up the final round with a successful takedown, which resulted in Ruth reversing the position and finding top control himself. A brief Guillotine attempt was easily thwarted, and Ruth methodically worked his way into full mount before Pascu reclaimed half guard. The fight did not make it back to the feet as Ruth’s top pressure proved to be too much for Pascu.

NCAA Div I wrestler Ed Ruth has head kicks too: