2009 in Bellator MMA

Bellator 1

Bellator 1 was a mixed martial arts event by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, April 3, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, April 4, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

The event featured quarter-final tournament bouts of the 2009 Featherweight (145 lb) and Lightweight (155 lb) Tournaments, along with a number of non-tournament bouts to be held in the organization's other weight divisions. All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Lightweight | Jorge Masvidal | def. | Nick Agallar | TKO (punches) |1 |1:19 | | Lightweight | Eddie Alvarez | def. | Greg Loughran | Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |2:44 | | Lightweight | Toby Imada | def. | Alonzo Martinez | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:26 | | Featherweight | Yahir Reyes | def. | Nick Gonzalez | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:11 | | Featherweight | Estevan Payan | def. | Luis Palomino | Decision (split) |3 |5:00 | | Featherweight | Joe Soto | def. | Ben Greer | TKO (punches) |1 |3:40 | | Featherweight | Jonathan Brookins | def. | Stephen Ledbetter | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:32 | | Lightweight | Lorenzo Borgomeo | def. | Daniel Morales | Submission (rear-naked choke) |3 |3:46 | | Middleweight | James Brasco | def. | Kevin Abrante | Submission (armbar) |1 |2:14 | | Middleweight | Moyses Gabin | def. | Chris Decaro | Submission (triangle choke) |1 |1:33 | | Middleweight | Gary Padilla | def. | Daniel Sarafian | TKO (punches) |2 |3:04 |

Bellator 2

Bellator 2 was a mixed martial arts event by the promotion Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, April 10, 2009 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It was then broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, April 11, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The event featured the final quarter-final bouts of the 2009 Featherweight (145 lb) and Lightweight (155 lb) Tournaments, as well as, the quarter-final round of the Welterweight (170 lb) Tournament. A number of non-tournament bouts to be held in the organization's other weight divisions also took place. The evening's main event saw undefeated Henry Martinez square off against rising star Wilson Reis. All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Featherweight | Wilson Reis | def. | Henry Martinez | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Lightweight | Eric Reynolds | def. | Thomas Schulte | TKO (punches) |1 |4:18 | | Welterweight | Lyman Good | def. | Héctor Urbina | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |3:22 | | Welterweight | Jorge Ortiz | def. | Aaron Romero | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Welterweight | Omar De La Cruz | def. | Victor Meza | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Bantamweight | Jimmie Rivera | def. | Willie Gates | Submission (triangle choke) |3 |3:22 | | Welterweight | Matt Makowski | def. | Aaron Tregear | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Welterweight | Jesse Juarez | def. | Mikey Gomez | TKO (punches) |1 |4:23 | | Featherweight | Josh LaBerge | def. | Chris Simmons | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 |

Bellator 3

Bellator 3 and Bellator IV were two episodes of the mixed martial arts promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships, created from a single event. The event took place on Friday, April 17, 2009 at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Background

Bellator IV was originally scheduled for Montreal, however regulatory issues prevented the event from being held there. Each episode featured half of the bouts from the third Bellator event. Bellator III aired nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, April 18, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. Bellator IV aired on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

Results

| Middleweight | Hector Lombard | def. | Virgil Lozano | KO (punch) |1 |1:10 | | Middleweight | Yosmany Cabezas | def. | Edwin Aguilar | Submission (armbar) |1 |4:31 | | Middleweight | Marcelo Alfaya | def. | Joey Gorczynski | TKO (punches) |1 |1:32 | | Featherweight | Johnny Eduardo | def. | Donald Sanchez | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Light Heavyweight | Rudy Lindsay | def. | Wayne Cole | TKO (punches) |2 |3:37 |

Bellator 4

Results

| Middleweight | Damien Stelly | def. | Alex Andrade | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Middleweight | Jared Hess | def. | Daniel Tabera | submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:34 | | Welterweight | Dave Menne | def. | Norman Paraisy | Submission (rear-naked choke) |3 |2:39 | | Middleweight | Jason Norwood | def. | John Kirk | Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |1:52 | | Heavyweight | Tyler East | def. | Amedio Viola | TKO (punches) |1 |2:40 | | Light Heavyweight | William Albrecht | def. | Mike Messina | TKO (punches) |1 |1:30 |

Bellator 5

Bellator 5 took place on Friday, May 1, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 2, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The event featured the semi-finals of the Lightweight Tournament.

Debuting for the promotion were heavyweight prospect Dave Herman and former UFC fighter Dan Evensen.

All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Lightweight | Toby Imada | def. | Jorge Masvidal | Technical Submission (inverted-triangle choke) |3 |3:22 | | Lightweight | Eddie Alvarez | def. | Eric Reynolds | Submission (rear-naked choke) |3 |1:30 | | Lightweight | Waylon Lowe | def. | Frank Caraballo | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 | | Welterweight | Justin Edwards | def. | John Troyer | Submission (guillotine) |1 |3:12 | | Female bout (117 lb) | Jessica Penne | def. | Tammie Schneider | TKO (punches) |1 |1:35 | | Featherweight | Matt Jaggers | def. | Pete Dominguez | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |4:03 | | Heavyweight | Dan Evensen | def. | Raoul Romero | TKO (punches) |2 |1:44 | | Heavyweight | Joey Beltran | def. | Sherman Pendergarst | TKO (punches) |1 |2:24 | | Heavyweight | Dave Herman | def. | Josh Barnes | TKO (punches) |1 |4:46 |

Bellator 6

Bellator 6 was an event of the mixed martial arts promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, May 8, 2009 in Robstown, Texas. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 9, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The event featured the semi-finals of the Featherweight Tournament.

All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Featherweight | Joe Soto | def. | Wilson Reis | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Featherweight | Yahir Reyes | def. | Estevan Payan | KO (spinning backfist) |2 |1:56 | | Featherweight | Luis Palomino | def. | Nick Gonzalez | TKO (punches) |1 |2:13 | | Featherweight | Roberto Vargas | def. | Daniel Pineda | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Featherweight | Jose Santibanez | def. | Dustin Phillips | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:34 | | Middleweight | Robert McDaniel | def. | Chris Spicer | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:53 | | Catchweight (174 lb) | Héctor Urbina | def. | Ira Boyd | TKO (arm injury) |1 |0:19 |

Bellator 7/8

Bellator 7/8 was an event of the mixed martial arts promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships. The events took place on Friday, May 15, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 16, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The events featured the semi-finals of the Welterweight Tournament.

The card also featured the debut of former UFC heavyweight Eddie Sanchez.

All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Welterweight | Omar De La Cruz | def. | Dave Menne | TKO (punches) |1 |3:19 | | Welterweight | Lyman Good | def. | Jorge Ortiz | TKO (cut) |2 |4:37 | | Lightweight | Troy Gerhart | def. | Lorenzo Borgomeo | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Heavyweight | Eddie Sanchez | def. | Jay White | TKO (punches) |1 |0:10 | | Lightweight | Alonzo Martinez | def. | Victor Meza | Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |1:42 | | Welterweight | Jesse Juarez | def. | DeRay Davis | TKO (punches) |2 |4:47 | | Welterweight | Anthony Lapsley | def. | Ryan Williams | Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |4:22 | | Welterweight | Jacob Volkmann | def. | Kevin Knabjian | Submission (D'arce choke) |2 |1:42 | | Women's bout (135 lb) | Kerry Vera | def. | Leslie Smith | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 |

Bellator 8

There were no fights scheduled for week 8. Instead, Bellator ran a "Road to the Championship" special highlighting tournament fights. This highlight show was considered Bellator 8.

Bellator 9

Bellator 9 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, May 29, 2009 in Monroe, Louisiana. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 30, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Results

| Middleweight | Hector Lombard | def. | Damien Stelly | TKO (punches) |1 |2:56 | | Middleweight | Jared Hess | def. | Yosmany Cabezas | TKO (punches) |3 |4:26 | | Middleweight | Nick Ring | def. | Isidro Gonzalez | Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |0:39 | | Featherweight | Shad Lierley | def. | Nathan Murdock | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Middleweight | Alex Andrade | def. | Christian Fulgium | TKO (punches) |1 |2:01 | | Heavyweight | Shawn Jordan | def. | Jayme McKinney | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |0:30 | | Catchweight bout (175 lb) | Chad Leonhardt | def. | Dan Keenan | KO (knee) |1 |3:03 | | Lightweight | Chas Skelly | def. | Mike Braswell | Decision (split) |3 |5:00 |

Bellator 10

Bellator 10 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, June 5, 2009 in Ontario, California at the Citizens Business Bank Arena. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, June 6, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The show featured the finals of the Featherweight tournament.

Results

| Featherweight | Joe Soto | def. | Yahir Reyes | Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |4:11 | Became first Bellator Featherweight Champion. | Featherweight | Wilson Reis | def. | Roberto Vargas | Decision (split) |3 |5:00 | | Middleweight | Bryan Baker | def. | Matt Horwich | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Lightweight | Diego Garijo | def. | Saad Awad | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |4:45 | | Lightweight | Israel Giron | def. | Phil Brown | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:42 | | Heavyweight | Travis Browne | def. | Mychal Clark | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Catchweight bout (175 lb) | Jesse Juarez | def. | Mikey Gomez | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Light Heavyweight | Nick Moghaddam | def. | Lamar Jiles | Disqualification (illegal knee) |2 |4:14 |

Bellator 11

Bellator 11 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, June 12, 2009 in Uncasville, Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena. It broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, June 13, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

This event featured the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix.

Results

| Welterweight | Lyman Good | def. | Omar De La Cruz | TKO (punches) |1 |1:23 | Became first Bellator Welterweight Champion. | Welterweight | Vagner Rocha | def. | Igor Gracie | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Welterweight | Jake Ellenberger | def. | Marcelo Alfaya | KO (punch) |1 |0:42 | | Welterweight | Justin Torrey | def. | Matt Makowski | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Bantamweight | Nick Pace | def. | Collin Tebo | KO (flying knee) |1 |1:37 | | Middleweight | David Branch | def. | Dennis Olson | Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:27 | | Bantamweight | Jimmie Rivera | def. | Nick Garcia | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Middleweight | Uriah Hall | def. | Edwin Aguilar | KO (head kicks) |3 |4:31 |

Bellator 12

Bellator 12 was a mixed martial arts event by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on Friday, June 19, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It was broadcast nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, June 20, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes.

Background

The event featured the final tournament bouts of the 2009 Season One Lightweight (155 lb) and Middleweight (185 lb) Tournaments, along with a number of non-tournament bouts held in the organization's other weight divisions.

All bouts were contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results

| Lightweight | Eddie Alvarez | def. | Toby Imada | Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |0:38 | Became first Bellator Lightweight Champion. | Middleweight | Hector Lombard | def. | Jared Hess | TKO (doctor stoppage) |4 |1:41 | Became first Bellator Middleweight Champion. | Lightweight | Jorge Masvidal | def. | Eric Reynolds | Submission (rear-naked choke) |3 |3:33 | | Featherweight | Fabio Mello | def. | Sami Aziz | Submission (armbar) |3 |1:58 | | Welterweight | Sérgio Moraes | def. | Josh Martin | Submission (triangle choke) |1 |4:21 | | Women's bout (125 lb) | Rosi Sexton | def. | Valerie Coolbaugh | Submission (armbar) |1 |3:40 | | Catchweight (151.5 lbs) | Luis Palomino | def. | Troy Gerhart | Decision (unanimous) |3 |5:00 | | Women's bout (145 lb) | Stephanie Guimaraes | def. | Yvonne Reis | KO (knee) |1 |0:49 |

Tournaments

Middleweight Tournament Bracket

| RD1-seed1= Cuba | RD1-team1= Hector Lombard | RD1-seed2= MEX | RD1-team2= Virgil Lozano | RD1-score1= KO | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= USA | RD1-team3= Damien Stelly | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Alex Andrade | RD1-score3= UD | RD1-score4= 3 | RD1-seed5= USA | RD1-team5= Jared Hess | RD1-seed6= Spain | RD1-team6= Daniel Tabera | RD1-score5= SUB | RD1-score6= 1 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Yosmany Cabezas | RD1-seed8= MEX | RD1-team8= Edwin Aguilar | RD1-score7= SUB | RD1-score8= 1 | RD2-seed1= Cuba | RD2-team1= Hector Lombard | RD2-seed2= USA | RD2-team2= Damien Stelly | RD2-score1= TKO | RD2-score2= 1 | RD2-seed3= USA | RD2-team3= Jared Hess | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Yosmany Cabezas | RD2-score3= TKO | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= Cuba | RD3-team1= Hector Lombard | RD3-seed2= USA | RD3-team2= Jared Hess | RD3-score1= TKO | RD3-score2= 4

Welterweight Tournament Bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Lyman Good | RD1-seed2= USA | RD1-team2= Héctor Urbina | RD1-score1= SUB | RD1-score2= 2 | RD1-seed3= MEX | RD1-team3= Jorge Ortiz | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Aaron Romero | RD1-score3= UD | RD1-score4= 3 | RD1-seed5= Dominican Republic | RD1-team5= Omar De La Cruz | RD1-seed6= USA | RD1-team6= Victor Meza | RD1-score5= UD | RD1-score6= 3 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Dave Menne | RD1-seed8= FRA | RD1-team8= Norman Paraisy | RD1-score7= SUB | RD1-score8= 3 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Lyman Good | RD2-seed2= MEX | RD2-team2= Jorge Ortiz | RD2-score1= TKO | RD2-score2= 2 | RD2-seed3= Dominican Republic | RD2-team3= Omar De La Cruz | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Dave Menne | RD2-score3= TKO | RD2-score4= 1 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Lyman Good | RD3-seed2= Dominican Republic | RD3-team2= Omar De La Cruz | RD3-score1= 'TKO | RD3-score2= 1

Lightweight Tournament Bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Eddie Alvarez | RD1-seed2= UK | RD1-team2= Greg Loughran | RD1-score1= SUB | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= USA | RD1-team3= Eric Reynolds | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Thomas Schulte | RD1-score3= TKO | RD1-score4= 1 | RD1-seed5= USA | RD1-team5= Toby Imada | RD1-seed6= USA | RD1-team6= Alonzo Martinez | RD1-score5= SUB | RD1-score6= 1 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Jorge Masvidal | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Nick Agallar | RD1-score7= TKO | RD1-score8= 1 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Eddie Alvarez | RD2-seed2= USA | RD2-team2= Eric Reynolds | RD2-score1= SUB | RD2-score2= 3 | RD2-seed3= USA | RD2-team3= Toby Imada | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Jorge Masvidal | RD2-score3= SUB | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Eddie Alvarez | RD3-seed2= USA | RD3-team2= Toby Imada | RD3-score1= SUB | RD3-score2= 2

Featherweight Tournament Bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Joe Soto | RD1-seed2= CAN | RD1-team2= Ben Greer | RD1-score1= TKO | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= BRA | RD1-team3= Wilson Reis | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Henry Martinez | RD1-score3= UD | RD1-score4= 3 | RD1-seed5= MEX | RD1-team5= Yahir Reyes | RD1-seed6= USA | RD1-team6= Nick Gonzalez | RD1-score5= SUB | RD1-score6= 1 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Estevan Payan | RD1-seed8= Peru | RD1-team8= Luis Palomino | RD1-score7= SD | RD1-score8= 3 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Joe Soto | RD2-seed2= BRA | RD2-team2= Wilson Reis | RD2-score1= UD | RD2-score2= 3 | RD2-seed3= MEX | RD2-team3= Yahir Reyes | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Estevan Payan | RD2-score3= KO | RD2-score4= 2 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Joe Soto | RD3-seed2= Mexico | RD3-team2= Yahir Reyes | RD3-score1= SUB | RD3-score2= 2

References

References

1. "Bellator Fighting Championships 1". sherdog.com.
2. "Bellator Fighting Championships 2". sherdog.com.
3. (6 March 2009). "Wilson Reis to headline second Bellator event at Mohegan Sun on April 10". MMAmania.com.
4. "Bellator Fighting Championships 3 & 4". sherdog.com.
5. "Bellator Fighting Championships 5". sherdog.com.
6. (2009-03-27). "Dave Herman, Eddie Sanchez Among Bellator's Heavyweight Additions". bloodyelbow.com.
7. "Bellator Fighting Championships 6". sherdog.com.
8. (2009-04-25). "Bellator's featherweight semi-finals set for May 8 in Texas". mmajunkie.com.
9. "Bellator Fighting Championships 7". sherdog.com.
10. (2009-04-27). "Full card released for Bellator Fighting Championships Week 7 in Chicago". mmajunkie.com.
11. (21 May 2009). "No New Bellator Show This Week; Bellator VIII "The Road to the Championship" Airs Instead".
12. "Bellator Fighting Championships 9". sherdog.com.
13. "Bellator Fighting Championships 10". sherdog.com.
14. "Bellator Fighting Championships Week 10 - Events {{!}} MMAjunkie.com".
15. "Bellator Fighting Championships 11". sherdog.com.
16. "Bellator Fighting Championships 12". sherdog.com.
17. "Bellator's tournament finals set for June 19 in Florida". MMAjunkie.