Bellator 297 will later go down TONIGHT (Sat, June 16, 2023) at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, led by a light heavyweight title fight while Vadim Nemkov seeks his fourth straight title defense when he fights Yoel Romero. The event will be co-headlining a bantamweight title bout, pitting Sergio Pettis against current featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
Many readers are checking in before, during, and after the fights to give us their thoughts on all the action that’s about to begin 6 p.m. ET with YouTube “Prelims” (watch them here) and then transition to Showtime below 9 p.m. ET for the main card action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 297) on the fights and chat with all the other maniacs during the show – it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 297 FAST RESULTS:
205 pounds: champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – Nemkov by unanimous decision
135 pounds: champion Sergio Pettis v Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire – Pettis by unanimous decision
205 pounds: Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis-Anderson by split decision
265 pounds: DanielJames vs. Gokhan Saricam – Saricam by unanimous decision
170 pounds: Kyle Crutchmer vs. Bobby Nash
205 pounds: Alex Polizzi vs. Karl Moore
265 pounds: Wladmir Gouvea against Gabriel Sayeg
155 pounds: Mike Hamel vs. Shamil Nikaev
145 pounds: Timur Khizriev vs. Richie Smullen
155 pounds: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Pieter Buist – Rabadanov by unanimous decision
170 pounds: Jaleel Willis vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov – Kuramagomedov by knockout in the first round
155 pounds: Archie Colgan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez – Colgan by unanimous decision
185 pounds: Norbert Novenyi Jr. vs. Kamil Oniszczuk – Novenyi Jr. by knockout in the first round
185 pounds: Jordan Newman vs. Matthew Perry-Newman on First Round Submission (Americana)
145 pounds: Cody Law vs. Edwin Chavez – Law by unanimous vote
BELLATOR 297 PLAY BY PLAY:
205 pounds: champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero
Round 1: Nemkov opens with a nasty front kick. Romero takes his time. More leg kicks from the champion. The spinning head kick misses. Romero lands his own body kick. Nemkov answers with his right hand. Another right hand from Nemkov. He performs violent punches along the cage. Romero covers and dodges some of the shots. Two minutes later. Counterattack on the right by Nemkov. Romero misses a Superman punch attempt. More kicks from Nemkov. The big right hand supports Romero. He responds with a leg kick that gets Nemkov’s attention. Nemkov scores again with his right hand. Just a minute. Superman punch by Nemkov. A spinning wheel kick follows, but is deflected. 10-9 Nemkov
Round 2: Body shot for Nemkov to open the frame. Romero shows a lot of hand movement. Lowkick lands from Nemkov. Romero was then body kicked. Big overhand right from Nemkov. The champion finds another home for a right kick and then a quick kick to the body. More rights from Nemkov and Romero seem lost. Three minutes remain in the round. Headbutt lands on Nemkov. A right hand sends Romero into the cage. Romero tries to loop to the left but misses painfully. Double kick and hard right kick from Nemkov. Just over 90 seconds on the clock. Quick kicks along the Nemkov fence. Romero can’t keep his timing as he doubts a bad combination. Romero is now complaining about a punch in the eye, but it was inflicted by a Nemkov punch. 10-9 Nemkov
Round 3: Romero opens the round with a diagonal kick. Hard law for Nemkov countries. Romero supports the champion in the leg with a hammer fist. Nemkov answers with his left hand. Another timely diagonal kick from Romero. Nemkov lands a massive combination and injures Romero. Romero stays alive with his back to the fence. Nemkov delivers a nasty right cross but Romero still stands. Nemkov tries to stop the fight. Jab lands for Nemkov. Romero has no answer. halftime of the round. More pressure from Nemkov. Romero seems to have recovered a bit, although he is pretending to be injured. Good kick from Romero. Nemkov lands an outstanding combination. Just a minute. Out of nowhere, Romero lands a reverse shot that puts Nemkov on the canvas. Romero looks for a choke hold, but Nemkov survives. 10-9 Nemkov
Round 4: Romero opens the fourth round dancing in front of Nemkov. Nemkov doesn’t have it as he puts Romero together at will. Romero tries to keep him in check with a leg kick. Strong punches from Nemkov and a knee inside. Goal shot for Nemkov. Romero looks like a punching bag. Champion short check-hook 90 seconds before the end. In the end, Nemkov achieves a crisp combination. Romero’s face looks battered. A sharp push lands at Nemkov. The upper section on the right follows. Romero responds with a body kick. Two more minutes. Lead hook, then to the right of Nemkov. Romero hits the thigh again. He misses a front kick in the middle. Nemkov pulls off another combo while Romero sticks his tongue out. 10-9 Nemkov
Lap 5: Romero definitely needs a finish. He wants to do more, but Nemkov is too precise with his shots. Hard push of the champion. Good counterattack by Romero. Two minutes later. Massive right foot shot by Nemkov snapping Romero’s head back. He keeps trudging forward. Nemkov scores another combination. Romero responds with his right hand and begins chasing Nemkov. Nemkov circles well and is still in control. Nemkov seems injured in his right eye. Romero pins him to the cage with 90 seconds to go. He needs to break up and try to cope. Instead, Romero manages the takedown and tries to put Nemkov on offense. Nemkov stops the action to avoid serious damage. Romero finds a home for hard punches and elbowing to the body. 10-9 Romero
Bottom line: Nemkov defeated. Romero by unanimous decision
135 pounds: champion Sergio Pettis against champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire
Round 1: Hard kick from Pettis. Freire takes his time. Finally, Freire lands his own leg kick. Right hand lands on Freire. He then scores two more kicks. Short pass from Freire on the left before returning to the leg kick. Pettis executes a lead jab followed by a right hand. Two minutes later. The headbutt almost lands on Freire. Counterattack with the right hand by Freire. Pettis charges in and Freire pulls in a nice takedown. Freire seeks back control but Pettis defends well. The two bantamweights stand up again. Only 90 seconds on the clock. Pettis tries the headbutt again, but Freire avoids it. Pettis’ lead jab goes through. Hard kick in return from Freire. Freire knocks Pettis down with a power counter right. 10-9 Freere
Round 2: Pettis opens the round with a left-hand counterattack. Calf by Freire. The left hook scores for Freire before Pettis counters with an overhand right. Pettis goes to the body. Freire continues to feint with his right hand to get Pettis to bite. The champion is quiet. Two minutes later. Pettis unloads a snappy combination that freezes Freire. Now on offense, Freire injures Pettis with an inside right jab before firing a jumping knee. Rending body shot by Pettis. Then he lands a combination of four punches. Freire is marked. Less than a minute left. A Freire takedown attempt is stuffed along the cage. The spinning wheel kick hits Freire in the head and he backs out. Pettis gushes, but the round comes to an end and Freire is saved by the bell. 10-9 Pettis
Round 3: lead kick by Freire. Pettis storms in and pulls off a clever combination. Freire pushes along the cage with a takedown, but Pettis stuffs him again. A tough double for Pettis. He follows with a push. Then a diagonal kick. Pettis goes in and fires a lashing body shot. Freire finally opens up and scores with a right hand to counterattack. Two minutes later. Both bantamweights exchange punches and kicks inside. Showing his speed, Pettis lands four jabs in a row followed by a body shot. Freire starts bleeding from his left eye. Pettis low kick. Just a minute. Hard jab and a right shot from Freire but Pettis comes back with a combination. Freire can intervene and is knocked out 20 seconds before the end. Difficult round to score. 10-9 Pettis
Round 4: Both bantamweights take their time here in the fourth round. Pettis opens with leg kicks. Freire misses a counterattack on the left. Short exchange of blows inside. Pettis scores inside with a good left hand, then defends another takedown. Pettis diagonal kick. With two minutes to go, Freire tries to fight his way along the cage, but Pettis shakes him off. Pettis dominates the center of the cage. Freire lands a nice counter with his right hand and hopes for another level change. Pettis cannot be defeated. He throws a switch kick and a front kick to the face to end the frame. 10-9 Pettis.
Lap 5: Freire seems to need a finish this round. Freire misses a spinning kick. He pushes more, but Pettis is too fast. Pettis lands a straight left kick. Big right points for Freire. Pettis changes pose. The front kick to the leg lands on the champion. Almost two minutes later. Quick combination finds a home for “SP”. Freire closes the gap along the fence, but Pettis circles out of harm’s way. More counterattacks from Pettis. Freire is still pushing, but eats a jab. Only about 90 seconds remain in the title fight. Both fighters miss their powerful right hands. Pettis threatens his own takedown, then goes through for a sharp right ball. Freire looks for a back-twisting fist with ten seconds to go, but that’s not enough. 10-9 Pettis
Final result: Pettis def. Freire by unanimous decision
205 pounds: Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis
Round 1: Short trial period. Davis switches levels but Anderson stays on his feet and singles Davis down the cage. Anderson scores a takedown. Davis immediately gets back up and grabs Anderson with his back along the cage before being knocked out briefly. More pressure along the cage by Davis. Two minutes later. The two light heavyweights finally traded a few punches. Davis buckles but it appears to be a slip or ankle problem. Anderson comes in with attacks to the head and body. Davis retreats along the cage. He is able to take control and threaten with a choke hold. Anderson escapes and lands a nice leg kick before shooting for the takedown. Anderson makes it, but Davis fights hard. Both mean back on your feet. Davis is now behind again. Anderson with hand controls. He can turn back to end the round. 10-9 Anderson
Round 2: Short jab from Anderson after 30 seconds of stoppage time. Both men feint and don’t throw much. Then a leg kick lands and then a body kick for Davis. The hard left hand scores for Anderson. Davis wrestles along the cage again. Anderson breaks his hands and spins around. Two minutes later. Anderson with a right hand followed by a left. Davis hardly lands anything. More clinch work along the cage. Short inside knees by Davis. Anderson finds a home for another right hand on his feet. Davis finally reports back with a double victory. Anderson aims for the clinch. Just a minute. The two separate. Anderson hits a nice sprawl and almost pulls Davis back. 10-9 Anderson
Round 3: Bodykick lands by Anderson. Davis sniffs a few shots before landing two. Low leg kick hit by Anderson. Davis comes back with a jab. Anderson seems to land a left. Big right hand by Davis. Anderson parries it with a whipping hook to the body. The pressure mounts before Anderson shoots inside and executes a takedown along the cage. Anderson is almost back in control, but Davis bounces back. The two light heavyweights are now fighting along the fence. They eventually break. Anderson with a nice body shot before landing a spinning backfist. Anderson with more pressure. Davis needs more power. Big 1-2 by Davis followed by a jab. Anderson doesn’t back down. They exchange shots and Anderson’s mouthpiece falls out. 10-9 Davis
Bottom line: Anderson defeated. Davis on split decision
265 pounds: DanielJames vs. Gokhan Saricam
Round 1: James pushes and Saricam lands a counter shot for a short takedown. James tries to hold on to the cage. Short hit from Saricam. The low blow lands on Saricam, but the referee doesn’t see it. James with more knees inside. Saricam returns with his own. Two minutes later. Both heavyweights are still jostling along the cage. Saricam tries to get a takedown but James defends well. James then tries to hop and throw Saricam, but he defends himself. Two more minutes. More scrambling at the fence. Saricam finally manages a takedown and has the upper hand. Body work by Saricam. James isn’t doing much to break up or repent. Hammerfist lands at Saricam. More ground and pound landings for Saricam to complete the round. 10-9 Saricam
Round 2: At the start of the round, Saricam lands a hard kick in the leg. Another kick from Saricam. He then scores a takedown. James goes back to the fence to line up. Saricam cuts the angle and gets into the half mount. He lands short punches. James does a good job of controlling wrists and limiting damage. Saricam’s sharp elbow snaps James’ head back. More elbows from above. Two minutes later. The crowd is getting restless, but Saricam is working hard enough. James looks exhausted. Saricam stays heavy on his head and likes to land short punches to his head and body. The round ends again with Saricam in the lead. 10-9 Saricam
Lap 3: James is chasing after Saricam and probably needs a finish here. The leg kick lands at Saricam. He stays away from James. Saricam almost cuts James during a brief exchange of blows inside. Saricam shoots for a takedown but James defends well. James controls the cage. Saricam reverses and lands some knees. James is now turning back. Not much insult is landed. Three more minutes. The referee eventually steps in to reset the action. Saricam goes right back to his takedown and James stuffs it. James now looks for a choke hold but Saricam escapes to the horror of the crowd. The heavyweights continue to battle for positions along the cage. The crowd is still booing. James and Saricam trade some knees indoors before Saricam lands a takedown and the round ends. 10-9 Saricam
End result: Saricam def. James by unanimous decision
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