This article is the play-by-play to accompany the live coverage being provided for Bellator 242. The live coverage article can be viewed here.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Card (8:45PM EDT) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Ras Hylton def. Rudy Schaffroth via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Raufeon Stots def. Cass Bell via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 1:24)
Bout 3: Mark Lemminger def. Jake Smith via TKO, Punches (RD 2, 4:46)
Main Card (10:00PM EDT) (Paramount Network)
Bout 4: Aaron Pico def. Solo Hatley Jr. via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:10)
Bout 5: Jay Jay Wilson def. Tywan Claxton via Decision, Split
Bout 6: Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Sergio Pettis def. Ricky Bandejas via Decision, Unanimous
Play-by-Play:
Bout 1: Rudy Schaffroth (6-1) vs. Ras Hylton (5-4) (Heavyweight)
A right hand from Schaffroth early connected and hurt Hylton. Hylton answered back with a right hand of his own moments later. A leg kick took Schaffroth down to a knee in the first minute. Hylton was switching stances frequently in the fight. After a hectic first minute, the pace of the fight slowed down significantly in the second minute. Hylton continued to connect with leg kicks. Schaffroth came in with a two-punch combination that dropped Hylton halfway through the round. Schaffroth went into half guard on the ground, moving into full mount shortly after. With a minute-and-a-half left, Schaffroth moved into half guard again with his right arm wrapped around Hylton’s head. Moving into full guard, Schaffroth stayed on top until the round ended.
Hylton started the second round with a leg kick. Schaffroth played a counter-punching role, throwing punches after Hylton would dip in for kicks or jabs. Fatigue clearly set in with both fighters throwing much less in the second round. Hylton would circle out often after a combination that saw Schaffroth throw.
Schaffroth was quite tired come the final round, falling after whiffing on a punch in the third round. Hylton was much more active, continuing to circle around the cage. Schaffroth got a double leg takedown halfway through the round. Hylton landed some elbows and hammerfist to the head of Schaffroth from the bottom. Schaffroth stayed on Hylton until the round ended. Going to the judges, all three picked Hylton as the winner (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Schaffroth | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 |
| Hylton | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
Bout 2: Raufeon Stots (13-1) vs. Cass Bell (5-0) (Bantamweight)
Stots caught two different leg kicks early from Stots. Bell got a takedown in the first minute, with Stots trying for a guillotine choke from the bottom. Bell stayed in the position for a minute or so before his head fully popped out. Stots moved to his knees while keeping a body lock on Bell. Stots tried to get on the back of Bell, with Bell resisting while moving up to the feet. They separated and returned to stand-up with half of the round to go. Stots put Bell against the cage in a body lock with two minutes to go. Bell started to try for a guillotine choke, before Stots got a takedown. Stots left the choke on the ground, although Bell was never fully threatening it. Stots moved into full mount with 15 seconds to go. Stots got on the back of Bell as the round ended.
The fighters traded leg kicks to start the second round. Hectic striking saw both fighters connect with punches before Stots clinched up with Bell. Stots got a takedown in the second minute of the round. As they got back to their feet, Stots tried to get onto the back of Bell. Going down to their knees, Stots stayed on the back of Bell. Stots only got one hook in, passing his left leg past a thigh of Bell. They got to the feet again in the final minute, where Stots was persistent on staying on the back of Bell. They stayed in this position until the round ended.
Stots got on the back of Bell on the feet at the start of the second round, bringing the fight to the ground after. Stots threw a flurry of punches from the back. He tried for a rear naked choke in the second minute, making Bell tap out shortly after.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Stots | 10 | 10 | ||
| Bell | 9 | 9 |
Bout 3: Jake Smith (7-3) vs. Mark Lemminger (10-1) (Welterweight)
Smith landed hard punches early in the round. Lemminger seemingly dropped Smith in the first 30 seconds, although Lemminger got up quickly after. Smith got a takedown in the first minute of the fight. Smith landed punches and short elbows from half guard. Lemminger tried for an arm triangle choke in the final minute of the round. He focused on punches again later in the round, picking up the pace after stepping into full mount.
Slower paced striking as opposed to the first round kicked off the second. Lemminger clinched for a moment in the first minute. A pause happened in the second minute due to an issue with one of Smith’s gloves. Lemminger got a takedown halfway through the round, taking full guard on top. Lemminger moved into half guard eventually, throwing punches periodically. He picked up the pace of punches in the final minute, continuing until the referee stepped in.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Smith | 8 | |||
| Lemminger | 10 |
Bout 4: Aaron Pico (5-3) vs. Solo Hatley Jr. (8-2) (Featherweight
Pico shot for a takedown early on, getting it after some resistance from Hatley Jr. on the feet. Pico landed in half guard, landing some hard punches and elbows to the head from the position. He shifted between half and full guard many times while throwing punches and elbows. Two minutes into the fight, Pico got on the back of Hatley Jr. He tried for a rear naked choke, making Hatley Jr. tap out moments after.
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Pico | ||||
| Hatley Jr. |
Bout 5: Tywan Claxton (6-1) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (5-0) (Featherweight)
Wilson rushed forward early with punches. Claxton clinched up on the feet, stopping the fast paced striking. Claxton kept Wilson against the cage where they both landed knees to the legs. They left the clinch for a moment in the second minute, although they went back in almost immediately. They separated from the clinch again later on, with an uppercut from Claxton knocking Wilson’s mouthguard out of the cage. They paused to give Wilson his mouthpiece, resuming in a clinch after. Wilson got a takedown in the fourth minute, settling in a half guard shortly after. Wilson moved into full mount, getting on the back of Claxton moments after. Wilson tried for a rear naked choke, although Claxton escaped after a few moments. Wilson transitioned into a guillotine choke in the final moments. Claxton escaped the position and landed a few punches on the ground before the fight ran out of time.
Claxton scored a left cross early in the second round that landed clean. Wilson tried for a single leg takedown in the second minute, with Claxton countering by landing a knee to the body and an elbow to the head. They clinched up again with half of the round left. Claxton pressed Wilson against the cage for a few minutes. Wilson tried pulling guard, although he went to his feet moments after. Claxton scored with shoulder strikes while in the clinch, also connecting with punches when exiting the clinch for moments. Wilson pulled guard in the final moments, taking the fight to the ground just before it concluded.
Claxton initiated a clinch in the second minute of the round, putting Wilson against the cage like he did in the second round. Claxton would escape the clinch to land singular shots before targeting the body with a hold again. Wilson pulled guard with a minute to go in the ground. From the bottom, Wilson tried for a triangle choke. Wilson landed elbows to the head while holding Claxton in the position. Wilson stayed dominant on the ground until the fight ran out of time. Needing judges to find a winner, the winner was selected as Wilson (30-27 Claxton, 29-28 Wilson & 30-27 Wilson).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Claxton | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| Wilson | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 |
Bout 6: Jordan Mein (31-12) vs. Jason Jackson (11-4) (Welterweight)
Mein walked down Jackson early. Jackson landed a good left hook in the second minute of the fight. Mein tried for a takedown in the third minute that Jackson resisted. Both fighters had their moments landing jabs and leg kicks. Mein landed a clean two punch combination in the fourth minute. Jackson landed a counter punch in the fourth minute that made Mein back up against the cage. The round ended on the feet.
A leg kick early in the second round made Mein switch stances. Mein tried for a takedown in the second minute of the round, although Jackson was able to stay on the feet and get back to stand-up shortly after. Mein went down on his back, with Jackson forcing him to stand up after. Jackson continued to pick Mein apart on the feet with strikes. Mein connected another strong two-punch combo halfway through the round. Mein tried again for a takedown in the final minute of the round, although Jackson was able to keep it in a clinch. Jackson got a takedown from the clinch with under 30 seconds to go. He stayed in half guard until the round ran out of time.
Mein had a takedown stuffed in the second minute of the final round. A right hook from Jackson in the second minute dropped Mein. They got to the feet with half of the round left. Mein got on the back of Jackson while on the feet in the fourth minute. They went to the ground, but it was Jackson who took top position in full guard. Jackson stayed in full guard until the fight ended. Going to scorecards, Jackson was given all three scorecards to win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Mein | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| Jackson | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Bout 7: Sergio Pettis (19-5) vs. Ricky Bandejas (13-3) (Bantamweight)
A slow-paced striking battle started the fight. Pettis landed many leg kicks in the first round. Bandejas put Pettis against the cage in a clinch with a minute left in the fight. He got the takedown moments after landing in side control. Pettis got to his feet before the round ended.
The leg kicks continued to the lead leg of Bandejas, with damage starting to show as time passed through the second round. Pettis had a takedown stopped halfway through the round. Bandejas tried for a single leg takedown in the third minute, but Pettis was able to reverse it and be the one on top when they went down. They stood up again with a minute-and-a-half left. Bandejas tried for a flying knee in the final few seconds, with Pettis scoring a hard counter right hook after.
Pettis connected with a clean right hook in the second minute of the final round. A leg kick in the second minute from Pettis made Bandejas stutter a little in his movement. Pettis continued to out-strike Bandejas on the feet. Bandejas woke up in the final minute of the fight, throwing a much faster tempo of strikes.The fight ended on the feet. Needing scorecards to find a winner, Pettis got the unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).
My Scorecard:
| Fighter | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
| Pettis | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Bandejas | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
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