For the better part of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal bout between Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, the latter worked a defensive clinch game that had the crowd at SAP Center in San Jose restless.
But Lima finally tired of things and took things over in the late rounds. Lima came on strong in the fourth, and then in the fifth, used a nasty rear-naked choke to finish the bout. Lima took the trilogy fight between former Bellator welterweight champions at the 3:04 mark of the final frame.
“Koreshkov is a tough guy, a dangerous guy,” Lima (30-7) said. “I’m sorry it wasn’t exciting as i thought it would be.”
Lima, who came into the bout with 24 career finishes, used nasty leg kicks early and continued throwing them whenever the opportunity presented itself. Koreshkov, for his part, would initiate the clinch as an answer. But Lima’s tremendous balance kept his Russian opponent from ever being able to fully implement his wrestling game the way he wanted.
The effects of the low kicks noticeably starting slowing Koreshkov by the fourth, a round Lima finished with an impressive flurry. In the final round, Lima kept pushing forward, eventually got Koreshkov to the mat, and sunk the choke in tight for the win.
The victory was Lima’s eighth stoppage win in Bellator, which is a company record.
“We got it done,” Lima said. ”I thought he was slowing down and i was able to capitalize.”
That gave Lima a 2-1 edge in their trilogy. Koreshkov (21-3) decisioned Lima to win the welterweight belt at Bellator 140; then Lima scored a knockout win to regain the belt at Bellator 164.
Lima will go on to face the winner of the upcoming Paul Daley–Michael Page bout in the semifinal round.
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