Bellator 44 Results: Giedrius Karavackas Traps Sam Oropeza’s Arm For The Tap

Play-by-play provided by Bloody Elbow’s Dallas G. Winston.

Round 1 - Referee “Big” Dan Miragliotta starts the action. Oropeza starts southpaw and Karavackas traditional. Long jab y Karavackas, Oropeza lands a body kick. Karavackas backs him up with a flurry. Oropeza throws a flying knee, then a sequence of left high kicks. Karavackas leads with punches and finishes with a high kick of his own, mostly sidestepped by Oropeza, who responds with another left high kick.

They collide and Karavackas has his back with the waist cinch, Oropeza lands a back-elbow to his head. Karavackas looking for a trip or to take the back, then finally powers Oropeza to the mat, but it’s only for a moment. Oropeza stands and worms for a kimura counter with Karavackas still around his waist from behind. Karavackas gets another takedown that’s quickly reversed by Oropeza, who postures up and alternates strikes from body to head. Huge left hand connects from Oropeza, and he smells blood, relentless now with vicious ground-and-pound from the top as the bell sounds.

SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Sam Oropeza

Round 2 - Karavackas starts tentative with a bloody nose. Oropeza establishes range with a left high kick, then another. Karavackas looking uncertain. The Lithuanian then charges with a combo and hits the clinch, driving Oropeza against the fence with underhooks. Oropeza defends well and Karavackas lands knees to the body. Oropeza breaks the clinch and takes the center of the cage, thwacking a low kick, then a high kick, and a clean body kick that lands. Now an uppercut by Oropeza, but Karavackas responds with another flurry to usher Oropeza to the cage.

Quick trip by the Judoka, who immediately passes to the side headlock, but Oropeza is slippery and escapes to his feet. Karavackas is relentlessly pursuing, again working his underhooks with Oropeza’s back to the fence. Oropeza is being forced to defend constantly, then nails a takedown of his own. The round expires just like the first, with Oropeza landing a series of stiff left hands from Karavackas’ guard, shifting the round in his favor by a close margin.

SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Sam Oropeza

Round 3 - Karavackas charges again with the left-right combo and wraps Oropeza up against the fence when he retreats straight backward. Karavackas drags him down and assumes the top position for the first time with 4:15 to go. Oropeza throws his longs leg up for a submission, but Karavackas postures up and hammers down strikes. Side-headlock position after Karavackas passes his guard, and holds a neck crank while smashing unhindered blows to Oropeza’s face. Karavackas has Oropeza’s left arm trapped with his leg while throwing a barrage of punches, then switches back to tweaking Oropeza’s neck. Karavackas brutal control and punishment by Karavackas to the helpless Oropeza, who tries to squirm free with no success.

Using his legs, Karavackas is now working a shoulder lock with the trapped arm, then he re-positions and cranks it hard to elicit the the unorthodox tapout.

Giedrius Karavackas submits Sam Oropeza with an arm lock at 3:59 of round three.