Zoila Frausto file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
The second and third fights of the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 3 heavyweight tournament were not pretty, as victories for Damian Grabowski and Cole Konrad on Aug. 19 came after six plodding rounds that drew some jeers from the Chicago crowd.
Grabowski, a Polish standout, took a unanimous decision over American Top Team wrestler Scott Barrett. Barrett took down Grabowski in the first two rounds but ate punches and hammerfists from the bottom. Grabowski came on strong with strikes in the third after Barrett gassed. Konrad, a two-time NCAA national wrestling champion, took down and held down Rogent Lloret for a pedestrian decision. Grabowski faces Neil Grove in the next round, while Konrad will face the winner of an Aug. 26 fight between Alexey Oleinik and Mike Hayes.
Menwhile, Zoila Frausto advanced to the semi-finals of the promotion’s 115-pound women’s tournament by consistently working over Jessica Pene in the clinch toward a 30-27 nod from the judges. Frausto faces Jessica Aguilar in the next round.
Also at Bellator 25, Season 2 welterweight tournament runner-up Dan Hornbuckle bounced back with a win over UFC and International Fight League veteran Brad Blackburn. Hornbuckle ate a dangerous uppercut in the first but took the second and third rounds after finding his range and winning striking exchanges. He took three 29-28 scorecards.