2011 in Bellator MMA

Bellator 35

Bellator 35 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 5, 2011, at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. The card kicked off Bellator Season Four and featured opening round fights in the Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

On December 14, 2010, Bellator and MTV2 announced a three-year deal to broadcast Bellator's tournaments and special events. This will be the first Bellator event to air on MTV2.

Bellator's Women's Strawweight Champion Zoila Frausto fought in a non-title catchweight bout against Karina Hallinan.

At this event Steve Carl was expected to fight Jay Hieron in the opening round of the welterweight tournament. However, Carl injured himself during training and was removed from the tournament. His replacement was Anthony Lapsley.

Poppies Martinez was expected to fight at this event, but a bout never materialized.

The event drew an average of around 200,000 viewers on MTV2. Which helped MTV2 in several key advertising demographics including, an 83 percent increase among men aged 18 to 49, an 80 percent increase among men 18 to 34, and a 133 percent increase among men aged 25 to 34.

Results

|Welterweight |Lyman Good |def. |Chris Lozano |Unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Jay Hieron |def. |Anthony Lapsley |technical submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:39 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Rick Hawn |def. |Jim Wallhead |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Brent Weedman |def. |Dan Hornbuckle |unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Women's (125 lb) |Zoila Gurgel |def. |Karina Hallinan |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (175 lb) |Waachiim Spiritwolf |def. |Jaime Jara |Split decision (28–29, 29–28, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |This bout aired the following week on Bellator 36. |Featherweight |Brandon Bender |def. |Josh Herrick |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |3:42 |Bantamweight |Paul Ruiz |def. |Jesus Castro |TKO (punches) |1 |1:17

Bellator 36

Bellator 36 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 12, 2011, at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The card featured opening-round fights in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Toby Imada was originally scheduled to face French fighter Ferrid Kheder; however, Kheder refused to weigh in and Josh Shockley was moved up from the preliminary card to face Imada.

Shockley's original opponent, Kelvin Hackney, still weighed in, but was pulled off the card and paid his show money and win bonus. Hackney was expected to fight at Bellator 45.

The event drew an estimated 230,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Lightweight |Patricky Freire |def. |Rob McCullough |TKO (punches) |3 |3:11 |Lightweight quarterfinal. |Lightweight |Toby Imada |def. |Josh Shockley |Verbal submission (armbar) |1 |1:36 |Lightweight quarterfinal. |Lightweight |Lloyd Woodard |def. |Carey Vanier |TKO (punches) |2 |0:46 |Lightweight quarterfinal. |Lightweight |Michael Chandler |def. |Marcin Held |Technical submission (arm-triangle choke) |1 |3:56 |Lightweight quarterfinal. |Middleweight |Chad Leonhardt |def. |Kelly Leo |TKO (corner stoppage) |2 |5:00 |Catchweight (150 lb) |Kevin Aguilar |def. |Matt Hunt |TKO (punches) |1 |3:02 |This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following Imada vs. Shockley. |Catchweight (150 lb) |Booker Arthur |def. |Javone Duhon |Verbal submission (elbows) |2 |2:31

Bellator 37

Bellator 37 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 19, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2. The event drew an estimated 173,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Featherweight |Patricio Freire |def. |Georgi Karakhanyan |KO (punches) |3 |0:56 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Wilson Reis |def. |Zac George |Submission (rear naked choke) |1 |2:09 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Daniel Straus |def. |Nazareno Malegarie |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Kenny Foster |def. |Eric Larkin |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |3:15 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Middleweight |Jake Rosholt |def. |John Bryant |Technical submission (rear naked choke) |1 |1:02 |Lightweight |Jeremy Spoon |def. |Jerrod Sanders |Submission (rear naked choke) |2 |0:26 |Featherweight |Roli Delgado |def. |Jameel Massouh |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Brandon Shelton |def. |Adam Snook |Submission (arm-triangle choke) |1 |2:45

Bellator 38

Bellator 38 was mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 26, 2011, at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The card featured the opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event showcased the inaugural light heavyweight tournament.

Originally, Blagoy Ivanov was set to fight John Brown on the undercard. However, Brown pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Johnathan Ivey. Ivey was then pulled off the card for a suspension by the Georgia Athletic Commission. Ivanov instead fought William Penn.

The event drew an estimated 150,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Light Heavyweight |Tim Carpenter |def. |Daniel Gracie |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Light Heavyweight |D.J. Linderman |def. |Raphael Davis |TKO (Punches) |3 |3:40 |Light Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Light Heavyweight |Rich Hale |def. |Nik Fekete |Submission (inverted triangle choke) |1 |1:55 |Light Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Light Heavyweight |Christian M'Pumbu |def. |Chris Davis |TKO (strikes) |3 |3:34 |Light Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Lightweight |Austin Lyons |def. |Jimmy Van Horn |Submission (armbar) |1 |2:10 |Catchweight (150 lb) |Jake Underwood |def. |Tim Galluzzi |Submission (triangle choke) |1 |1:04 |Light Heavyweight |Cody Donovan |def. |Brian Albin |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Blagoy Ivanov |def. |William Penn |TKO (punches) |1 |2:58 |Middleweight |Amaechi Oselukwue |def. |Abe Wilson |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00

Bellator 39

Bellator 39 was a mixed martial arts held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 2, 2011, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card featured one semi-final fight in both the Bellator Season Four Welterweight and Lightweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

The lightweight semifinal bout between Toby Imada and Patricky Freire was originally set to take place at Bellator 40.

In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion, Luiz Azeredo stepped in to replace Matt Veach in a preliminary card matchup.

The event drew an estimated 174,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Lightweight |Eddie Alvarez (c) |def. |Pat Curran |Unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) |5 |5:00 |For the Bellator Lightweight Championship. |Welterweight |Rick Hawn |def. |Lyman Good |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight semifinal. |Lightweight |Patricky Freire |def. |Toby Imada |KO (Flying Knee & Punches) |1 |2:53 |Lightweight semifinal. |Catchweight (175 lb) |Ben Saunders |def. |Matt Lee |TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |3 |1:24 |Middleweight |Dan Cramer |def. |Greg Rebello |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |This was a "dark" fight, after the main event. |Welterweight |Ryan Quinn |def. |Mike Winters |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–26) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Dave Jansen |def. |Scott McAfee |Submission (D'arce choke) |1 |4:58 |Catchweight (160 lbs) |Renê Nazare |def. |Luiz Azeredo |TKO (Injury) |1 |5:00 |Bantamweight |John McLaughlin |def. |Blair Tugman |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00

Bellator 40

Bellator 40 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 9, 2011, at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The card featured fights in the Welterweight and Lightweight Bellator Season Four Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Bellator Welterweight champion Ben Askren competed in a non-title bout against Nick Thompson at this event.

A lightweight semifinal bout between Toby Imada and Patricky Freire was originally set to take place on this card. However, the fight was moved to Bellator 39 and replaced with the welterweight semifinal fight between Brent Weedman and Jay Hieron. The Hieron-Weedman fight was rescheduled because Weedman needed to receive clearance for a facial laceration suffered in his Bellator 35 victory over Dan Hornbuckle.

Former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and his fight has been pushed back to the Bellator 42 card.

The event drew an estimated 218,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Welterweight |Ben Askren |def. |Nick Thompson |Unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight |Jay Hieron |def. |Brent Weedman |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight semifinal. |Lightweight |Michael Chandler |def. |Lloyd Woodard |unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight semifinal. |Welterweight |Tyler Stinson |def. |Nate James |Split decision (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Michael Osborn |def. |Cody Carillo |TKO (strikes) |1 |1:27 |Heavyweight |Eric Prindle |def. |Josh Burns |TKO (doctor stoppage) |2 |5:00 |To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. The bout aired on the main broadcast. |Welterweight |David Rickels |def. |Dylan Smith |Submission (triangle choke) |1 |3:32

Bellator 41

Bellator 41 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships on April 16, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Arizona. The card featured two semi-final fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Tony Johnson was expected to fight Carlos Flores at the event, but for unknown reasons was replaced by Rudy Aguilar.

The event drew a season low of 132,000 average viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Catchweight (137 lb) |Joe Warren |def. |Marcos Galvão |Unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28. 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Patricio Freire |def. |Wilson Reis |KO (punches) |3 |3:29 |Featherweight semifinal. |Bantamweight |Zach Makovsky |def. |Chad Robichaux |TKO (strikes) |3 |2:02 |Featherweight |Daniel Straus |def. |Kenny Foster |Submission (guillotine choke) |3 |3:48 |Featherweight semifinal. |Heavyweight |Carlos Flores |def. |Rudy Aguilar |TKO (punches) |1 |1:19 |This bout took place after the main event. |Bantamweight |Anthony Birchak |def. |Tyler Bialecki |Submission (D'arce choke) |1 |4:06 |Featherweight |Nick Piedmont |def. |Michael Parker |Split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight |Brendan Tierney |def. |Dano Moore |Submission (armbar) |1 |0:49

Bellator 42

Bellator 42 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 23, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma. The card featured the semi-finals in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Bellator Heavyweight champion Cole Konrad was scheduled to compete in a non-title "super fight" bout against Paul Buentello at this event. However, it was revealed that Buentello had to pull out of the bout due to a back injury.

Former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann was expected to make his Bellator debut at Bellator 40. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and the fight was moved to this card.

Chris Guillen was originally set to fight Mark Holata, but Guillen suffered a last minute injury and was replaced by Tracy Willis.

The event drew an estimated 199,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Light Heavyweight |Rich Hale |def. |D.J. Linderman |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight semifinal. |Catchweight (147 lbs) |Ronnie Mann |def. |Josh Arocho |Unanimous decision (30–25, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight |Christian M'Pumbu |def. |Tim Carpenter |TKO (punches) |1 |2:08 |Light Heavyweight semifinal. |Bantamweight |Luis Nogueira |def. |Jerod Spoon |Unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28. 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Brandon Shelton |def. |Owen Evinger |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:35 |This bout was fought after the main broadcast was finished due to time constraints. |Catchweight (190 lb) |Jared Hess |def. |Chris Bell |Submission (triangle choke) |1 |1:40 |The bout aired on the main broadcast. |Bantamweight |Shane Howell |def. |Mark Oshiro |Submission (D'arce choke) |1 |4:15 |Heavyweight |Mark Holata |def. |Tracy Willis |Submission (strikes) |1 |0:49

Bellator 43

Bellator 43 was a mixed martial arts held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 7, 2011, at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

A heavyweight bout between Neil Grove and The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumnus, Zak Jensen was scheduled for this event; however, Grove pulled out of the bout on May 3 due to an injury.

A local feature bout between George Burton and John Bryant was also scratched.

The event drew an estimated 182,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Welterweight |Jay Hieron |def. |Rick Hawn |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |To win Bellator's Season Four Welterweight Tournament. |Middleweight |Bryan Baker |def. |Joe Riggs |KO (punch) |2 |3:53 |To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament |Bantamweight |Chase Beebe |def. |Jose Vega |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |4:06 |To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament |Heavyweight |Ron Sparks |def. |Vince Lucero |Submission (keylock) |1 |2:18 |Catchweight (179 lb) |David Rickels |def. |Rich Bouphanouvong |Submission (triangle choke) |2 |1:11 |This bout aired on the broadcast. |Lightweight |Michael Osborn |def. |Mike Schatz |TKO (referee stoppage) |1 |1:58

Bellator 44

Bellator 44 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 14, 2011, at Harrah's Resort. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

EliteXC and Ring of Combat veteran James Jones was expected to fight at this event, but a bout did not materialize.

Lyman Good was scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle in a welterweight bout. However, on May 6, Good pulled out of the fight due to an injury.

A scheduled bout between Anthony Morrison and Bryan Goldsby was canceled due to Morrison weighing-in 10 pounds over weight.

The event drew a season high of 325,000 average viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Lightweight |Michael Chandler |def. |Patricky Freire |Unanimous decision (29–27, 29–27, 29–27) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight tournament final. Chandler was docked one point in round 3 due to kicks to the groin. |Middleweight |Hector Lombard |def. |Falaniko Vitale |KO (punch) |3 |0:54 |Welterweight |Giedrius Karavackas |def. |Sam Oropeza |Submission (scarf hold armlock) |3 |3:59 |Middleweight |Alexander Shlemenko |def. |Brett Cooper |unanimous decision (30–27, 30–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Jamall Johnson |def. |Randy Smith |Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |4:16 |Featherweight |Jeff Lentz |def. |Anthony Leone |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight |Jay Silva |def. |Gemiyale Adkins |Unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00

Bellator 45

Bellator 45 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 21, 2011, at the L'Auberge du Lac Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The card featured final round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Kalvin Hackney, whose fight was canceled at Bellator 36, was moved to fight at this event.

A bout between Thiago Santos and Derrick Lewis was scrapped after Santos suffered an injury.

The event drew an estimated 264,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Light Heavyweight |Christian M'Pumbu |def. |Rich Hale |TKO (punches) |3 |4:17 |For the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. |Featherweight |Patricio Freire |def. |Daniel Straus |Unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight Tournament Championship. |Middleweight |Sam Alvey |def. |Karl Amoussou |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Shawn Jordan |def. |Johnathan Hill |TKO (strikes) |1 |1:56 |This bout was fought after the main event due to time constraints. |Middleweight |Tim Ruberg |def. |Michael Fleniken |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight |Luis Santos |def. |Nicolae Cury |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Renê Nazare |def. |Kelvin Hackney |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |4:44 |Catchweight (140 lb) |Joseph Abercrombie |def. |Ben Parpart |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |1:11

Tournaments

Light Heavyweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1= DR Congo | RD1-team1= Christian M'Pumbu | RD1-seed2= USA | RD1-team2= Chris Davis | RD1-score1= TKO | RD1-score2= 3 | RD1-seed3= USA | RD1-team3= Tim Carpenter | RD1-seed4= BRA | RD1-team4= Daniel Gracie | RD1-score3= SD | RD1-score4= 3 | RD1-seed5= USA | RD1-team5= Rich Hale | RD1-seed6= USA | RD1-team6= Nik Fekete | RD1-score5= SUB | RD1-score6= 1 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= D.J. Linderman | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Raphael Davis | RD1-score7= TKO | RD1-score8= 3 | RD2-seed1= DR Congo | RD2-team1= Christian M'Pumbu | RD2-seed2= USA | RD2-team2= Tim Carpenter | RD2-score1= TKO | RD2-score2= 1 | RD2-seed3= USA | RD2-team3= Rich Hale | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= D.J. Linderman | RD2-score3= SD | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= DR Congo | RD3-team1= Christian M'Pumbu | RD3-seed2= USA | RD3-team2= Rich Hale | RD3-score1= TKO | RD3-score2= 3

Welterweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Jay Hieron | RD1-seed2= USA | RD1-team2= Anthony Lapsley | RD1-score1= SUB | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= USA | RD1-team3= **Brent Weedman ** | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Dan Hornbuckle | RD1-score3= UD | RD1-score4= 3 | RD1-seed5= USA | RD1-team5= Rick Hawn | RD1-seed6= ENG | RD1-team6= Jim Wallhead | RD1-score5= SD | RD1-score6= 3 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Lyman Good | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Chris Lozano | RD1-score7= SD | RD1-score8= 3 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Jay Hieron | RD2-seed2= USA | RD2-team2= Brent Weedman | RD2-score1= UD | RD2-score2= 3 | RD2-seed3= USA | RD2-team3= Rick Hawn | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Lyman Good | RD2-score3= SD | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Jay Hieron | RD3-seed2= USA | RD3-team2= Rick Hawn | RD3-score1= SD | RD3-score2= 3

Lightweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Michael Chandler | RD1-seed2= POL | RD1-team2= Marcin Held | RD1-score1= SUB | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= USA | RD1-team3= Lloyd Woodard | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Carey Vanier | RD1-score3= TKO | RD1-score4= 2 | RD1-seed5= BRA | RD1-team5= Patricky Freire | RD1-seed6= USA | RD1-team6= Rob McCullough | RD1-score5= TKO | RD1-score6= 3 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Toby Imada | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Josh Shockley | RD1-score7= SUB | RD1-score8= 1 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Michael Chandler | RD2-seed2= USA | RD2-team2= Lloyd Woodard | RD2-score1=UD | RD2-score2=3 | RD2-seed3= BRA | RD2-team3= Patricky Freire | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Toby Imada | RD2-score3= TKO | RD2-score4= 1 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Michael Chandler | RD3-seed2= BRA | RD3-team2= Patricky Freire | RD3-score1= UD | RD3-score2= 3

Featherweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1= BRA | RD1-team1= Patricio Freire | RD1-seed2= ARM | RD1-team2= Georgi Karakhanyan | RD1-score1= KO | RD1-score2= 3 | RD1-seed3= BRA | RD1-team3= Wilson Reis | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Zac George | RD1-score3= SUB | RD1-score4= 1 | RD1-seed5= USA | RD1-team5= Daniel Straus | RD1-seed6= ARG | RD1-team6= Nazareno Malegarie | RD1-score5= UD | RD1-score6= 3 | RD1-seed7= USA | RD1-team7= Kenny Foster | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Eric Larkin | RD1-score7= SUB | RD1-score8= 1 | RD2-seed1= BRA | RD2-team1= Patricio Freire | RD2-seed2= BRA | RD2-team2= Wilson Reis | RD2-score1=KO | RD2-score2=3 | RD2-seed3= USA | RD2-team3= Daniel Straus | RD2-seed4= USA | RD2-team4= Kenny Foster | RD2-score3= SUB | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= BRA | RD3-team1= Patricio Freire | RD3-seed2= USA | RD3-team2= Daniel Straus | RD3-score1= UD | RD3-score2= 3

Bellator 46

Bellator 46 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on June 25, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured opening round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man featherweight tournament to be held over the Summer Series.

David Baggett missed the middleweight limit allowance of 186 for non-title fights, weighing in at 191.5 lb, and his bout with Moyses Gabin was scrapped from the card.

The event drew an estimated 185,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Featherweight |Pat Curran |def. |Luis Palomino |Submission (peruvian neck-tie) |1 |3:49 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Marlon Sandro |def. |Genair da Silva |Split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Nazareno Malegarie |def. |Jacob DeVree |Submission (guillotine choke) |3 |1:25 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Ronnie Mann |def. |Adam Schindler |KO (punches) |1 |4:14 |Featherweight quarterfinal. |Women's (115 lb) |Jessica Aguilar |def. |Carla Esparza |Split decision (30–27, 28–29, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Tony Johnson |def. |Derrick Lewis |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (152 lb) |Alexandre Bezerra |def. |Sam Jones |Submission (triangle choke) |1 |3:27 |Middleweight |Dan Cramer |def. |Josh Samman |Unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |3 |5:00

Bellator 47

Bellator 47 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on July 23, 2011, at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. The card featured semi-final fights in the Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event was to feature Joe Warren's first defense of his featherweight title against season four tournament winner Patricio Freire. Freire, however, pulled out of the fight in early July due to a broken hand.

This was Bellator's first event in Canada. Bellator 4 was set to take place in Canada, but was moved due to the promotion unable to come to terms with the Quebec Boxing Commission.

Ben Saunders was expected to fight at this event, but had to pull out due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training.

Bantamweights Bo Harris and Bryan Goldsby were originally announced to be facing each other, but the bout did not materialize in the days leading up to the event as Harris failed to complete his medical requirements in a timely fashion.

The event drew an estimated 277,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Featherweight |Pat Curran |def. |Ronnie Mann |Unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight semifinal. |Featherweight |Marlon Sandro |def. |Nazareno Malegarie |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight semifinal. |Lightweight |Chris Horodecki |def. |Chris Saunders |Unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Neil Grove |def. |Zak Jensen |TKO (punches) |1 |2:00 |Lightweight |Alexandre Bezerra |def. |Jesse Gross |Technical submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |1:28 |This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Horodecki vs. Saunders bout. |Featherweight |William Romero |def. |Daniel Langbeen |Unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Alex Ricci |def. |Alka Matewa |TKO (elbows and punches) |2 |2:40

Bellator 48

Bellator 48 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on August 20, 2011, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured the final round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the final round of an eight-man featherweight tournament that was held over the Summer Series.

John Clarke was expected to face Dan Cramer, but an injury forced Clarke out of the bout. Jeff "The Wolfman" Nader stepped in as Clarke's replacement.

The event drew an estimated 226,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Featherweight |Pat Curran |def. |Marlon Sandro |KO (head kick and punches) |2 |4:00 |Featherweight tournament final. |Heavyweight |Cole Konrad |def. |Paul Buentello |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (230 lb) |Seth Petruzelli |def. |Ricco Rodriguez |KO (punches) |1 |4:21 |Lightweight |Renê Nazare |def. |Juan Barrantes |TKO (doctor stoppage) |2 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight |Jeff Nader |def. |Dan Cramer |TKO (punches) |3 |1:04 |Light Heavyweight |Nik Fekete |def. |Mark Griffin |TKO (elbows) |2 |3:12 |Lightweight |Andrew Calandrelli |def. |Matt Nice |Submission (keylock) |1 |3:55 |Welterweight |Ryan Quinn |def. |Brett Oteri |Technical submission (rear naked choke) |1 |1:48 |This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Rodriguez vs. Petruzelli bout. |Featherweight |Saul Almeida |def. |Taketi Matsuda |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) |3 |5:00

Featherweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1= USA | RD1-team1= Pat Curran | RD1-seed2= Peru | RD1-team2= Luis Palomino | RD1-score1= SUB | RD1-score2= 1 | RD1-seed3= ENG | RD1-team3= Ronnie Mann | RD1-seed4= USA | RD1-team4= Adam Schindler | RD1-score3= KO | RD1-score4= 1 | RD1-seed5= BRA | RD1-team5= Marlon Sandro | RD1-seed6= BRA | RD1-team6= Genair da Silva | RD1-score5= SD | RD1-score6= 3 | RD1-seed7= ARG | RD1-team7= Nazareno Malegarie | RD1-seed8= USA | RD1-team8= Jacob DeVree | RD1-score7= SUB | RD1-score8= 3 | RD2-seed1= USA | RD2-team1= Pat Curran | RD2-seed2= ENG | RD2-team2= Ronnie Mann | RD2-score1= UD | RD2-score2= 3 | RD2-seed3= BRA | RD2-team3= Marlon Sandro | RD2-seed4= ARG | RD2-team4= Nazareno Malegarie | RD2-score3= UD | RD2-score4= 3 | RD3-seed1= USA | RD3-team1= Pat Curran | RD3-seed2= BRA | RD3-team2= Marlon Sandro | RD3-score1= KO | RD3-score2= 2

Bellator 49

Bellator 49 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 10, 2011, at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card was the debut of the promotion's fifth season and distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man welterweight tournament to be held over the duration of Bellator's fifth season.

Rick Hawn was expected to face Ben Saunders at this event but Hawn was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury. Hawn was replaced by Bellator newcomer Chris Cisneros.

The Ultimate Fighter 12 competitor, Andy Main, was set to fight Kenny Foster on the undercard of this event. However, after an undisclosed injury, Main was pulled from the bout.

On September 6, 2011, it was announced Bellator's Season 5 "Local Feature Fights" would be streamed live on Spike.com, starting with this event.

The event drew an estimated 235,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Welterweight |Chris Lozano |def. |Brent Weedman |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Ben Saunders |def. |Chris Cisneros |TKO (knee to body and punches) |3 |0:29 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Luis Santos |def. |Dan Hornbuckle |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Welterweight |Douglas Lima |def. |Steve Carl |Unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight quarterfinal. |Catchweight (147 lb) |Alexandre Bezerra |def. |Scott Heckman |TKO (punches) |2 |1:38 |Welterweight |Giedrius Karavackas |def. |LeVon Maynard |TKO (knee and punches) |3 |1:32 |Featherweight |Joel Roberts |def. |Brylan Van Artsdalen |Technical submission (triangle choke) |2 |1:47 |Catchweight (150 lb) |Lester Caslow |def. |James Jones |TKO (injury) |2 |0:15 |Heavyweight |Azunna Anyanwu |def. |J.A. Dudley |TKO (punches) |2 |4:16

Bellator 50

Bellator 50 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 17, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

The event hosted the opening round of the middleweight tournament in Bellator's fifth season.

Veteran welterweight fighter Ailton Barbosa won Bellator's open tryouts in Hollywood, Florida in June 2011 to earn his spot on the card.

R.J. Goodridge was scheduled to fight J. P. Reese, but after suffering an undisclosed injury Goodridge pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Martin Brown. Also, Ryan Hodge was scheduled to fight Valdir Araujo, but was pulled from the bout with an injury, and replaced with Brett Cooper.

On September 15, 2011, Luis Palomino suffered an injury in training and was pulled from his scheduled bout with James Edson Berto. Berto was later pulled from the card as well, and the fight was scratched altogether; The two then met at W-1: Reloaded in which Palomino defeated Berto.

A scheduled lightweight bout between Dietter Navarro and Marcelo Goncalves was changed into a 156 lb catchweight bout after both fighters missed weight.

The event drew an estimated 114,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Middleweight |Bryan Baker |def. |Jared Hess |TKO (strikes) |3 |2:52 |Middleweight quarterfinal. |Middleweight |Brian Rogers |def. |Victor O'Donnell |TKO (strikes) |1 |1:56 |Middleweight quarterfinal. |Middleweight |Alexander Shlemenko |def. |Zelg Galesic |Submission (standing guillotine) |1 |1:55 |Middleweight quarterfinal. |Middleweight |Vitor Vianna |def. |Sam Alvey |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight quarterfinal. |Catchweight (140 lb) |Shah Bobonis |def. |Marcos da Matta |KO (punch) |3 |2:04 |Catchweight (156 lb) |Marcelo Goncalves |def. |Dietter Navarro |Submission (armbar) |1 |2:01 |Middleweight |Brett Cooper |def. |Valdir Araujo |TKO (punches) |3 |0:35 |Lightweight |Rad Martinez |def. |Brian van Hoven |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight |Ailton Barbosa |def. |Ryan Keenan |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |1:55 |Welterweight |Cristiano Souza |def. |John Kelly |unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |J.P. Reese |def. |Martin Brown |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00

Bellator 51

Bellator 51 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 24, 2011, at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man bantamweight tournament to be held over the course of Bellator's fifth season.

Joe Soto was originally scheduled to face Eduardo Dantas in the opening round of the bantamweight-tournament. However, he was pulled from the bout after losing to Eddie Yagin at Tachi Palace Fights 10 and replaced by Wilson Reis.

The Jessica Eye-Casey Noland bout was changed from 125 lb to a 127 lb catchweight after Noland failed to make weight./

The event drew an estimated 158,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Bantamweight |Alexis Vila |def. |Joe Warren |KO (punch) |1 |1:04 |Bantamweight quarterfinal. |Bantamweight |Eduardo Dantas |def. |Wilson Reis |KO (flying knee and punches) |2 |1:02 |Bantamweight quarterfinal. |Bantamweight |Marcos Galvão |def. |Chase Beebe |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight quarterfinal. |Bantamweight |Ed West |def. |Luis Nogueira |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight quarterfinal. |Featherweight |Frank Caraballo |def. |Dustin Kempf |TKO (Knee Injury) |1 |1:19 |Women's (127 lb) |Jessica Eye |def. |Casey Noland |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight |Jessie Riggleman |def. |Farkhad Sharipov |Split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) |3 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight |Dan Spohn |def. |Dane Bonnigson |KO (knee) |1 |0:09 |Light Heavyweight |John Hawk |def. |Allan Weickert |TKO (retirement) |2 |5:00 |Lightweight |Joey Holt |def. |Clint Musser |KO (flying knee) |1 |4:07

Bellator 52

Bellator 52 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on October 1, 2011, at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Louisiana. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the opening round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament.

Blagoy Ivanov was originally scheduled to face Thiago Santos. Santos, however, was unable to travel from Brazil for the event and was replaced by Zak Jensen.

The event drew an estimated 269,000 viewers on MTV 2.

Results

|Heavyweight |Mike Hayes |def. |Neil Grove |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Heavyweight |Blagoy Ivanov |def. |Zak Jensen |Technical submission (guillotine choke) |2 |2:35 |Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Heavyweight |Eric Prindle |def. |Abe Wagner |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Heavyweight |Ron Sparks |def. |Mark Holata |KO (punches) |1 |1:24 |Heavyweight quarterfinal. |Catchweight (150 lb) |Genair da Silva |def. |Bryan Goldsby |Submission (D'arce choke) |1 |3:51 |Lightweight |Josh Quayhagen |def. |Cosmo Alexandre |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Heavyweight |Justin Frazier |def. |Liron Wilson |TKO (punches) |1 |1:50 |Catchweight (213 lb) |Matt Van Buren |def. |Nick Nichols |TKO (punches) |2 |2:29

Bellator 53

Bellator 53 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 8, 2011, at the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament.

The event drew an estimated 103,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Welterweight |Ben Saunders |def. |Luis Santos |Submission (americana)[83] |3 |1:45 |Welterweight semifinal. |Welterweight |Douglas Lima |def. |Chris Lozano |KO (punch) |2 |3:14 |Welterweight semifinal. |Featherweight |Ronnie Mann |def. |Kenny Foster |Submission (triangle choke) |1 |3:51 |Heavyweight |Thiago Santos |def. |Josh Burns |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |2:23 |Heavyweight tournament reserve bout. |Catchweight (160 lb) |E.J. Brooks |def. |Greg Scott |TKO (punches) |2 |2:40 |Middleweight |Giva Santana |def. |Darryl Cobb |Submission (armbar) |1 |2:00 |Catchweight (175 lb) |A.J. Matthews |def. |Rudy Bears |Unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight |Raphael Davis |def. |Myron Dennis |KO (punch) |2 |0:29 |Welterweight |David Rickels |def. |Levi Avera |Submission (triangle choke) |2 |1:06 |Catchweight (140 lb) |Luis Nogueira |def. |Zak Laird |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |0:51

Bellator 54

Bellator 54 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 15, 2011, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Bellator bantamweight champion, Zach Makovsky, competed in a non-title bout at this event. He faced one-time UFC competitor Ryan Roberts.

This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament.

Eddie Alvarez was scheduled to make his second title defense of his lightweight championship against Michael Chandler on this card; however, on September 20, it was announced that Alvarez suffered an injury and the match has been pushed back to Bellator 58.

Karl Amoussou was expected to make his welterweight debut at this event against Joey Kirwan. However, for unknown reasons, Amoussou was pulled from the bout and replaced by Lewis Rumsy.

Results

|Middleweight |Alexander Shlemenko |def. |Brian Rogers |TKO (knees) |2 |2:30 |Middleweight semifinal. |Middleweight |Vitor Vianna |def. |Bryan Baker |TKO (punches) |1 |0:54 |Middleweight semifinal. |Bantamweight |Zach Makovsky |def. |Ryan Roberts |Submission (north/south choke) |1 |4:48 |Lightweight |Jacob Kirwan |def. |Renê Nazare |Unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight |Duane Bastress |def. |Daniel Gracie |TKO (doctor stoppage) |2 |5:00 |Light Heavyweight |Tim Carpenter |def. |Ryan Contaldi |TKO (punch) |1 |2:16 |Catchweight (187 lb) |Joey Kirwan |def. |Lewis Rumsey |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |1:40 |Catchweight (140 lb) |Claudio Ledesma |def. |Brian Kelleher |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Women's (145 lb) |Andria Caplan |def. |Adrienne Seiber |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00

Bellator 55

Bellator 55 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships on October 22, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Somerton, Arizona. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament.

Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu fought Travis Wiuff in a non-title bout. M'Pumbu become the first Bellator champion to lose in a non-title bout.

Despite a close split decision loss, main eventer Marcos Galvão was awarded a "win" bonus.

The event earned an average of 168,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

|Bantamweight |Alexis Vila |def. |Marcos Galvão |Split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight semifinal. |Bantamweight |Eduardo Dantas |def. |Ed West |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight semifinal. |Light Heavyweight |Travis Wiuff |def. |Christian M'Pumbu |Unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Ricardo Tirloni |def. |Steve Gable |Submission (rear-naked choke) |2 |3:54 |Lightweight |Efrain Escudero |def. |Cesar Avila |Submission (guillotine choke) |1 |1:55 |Catchweight (210 lb) |Rich Hale |def. |Carlos Flores |TKO (punch) |1 |0:18 |Middleweight |Jacob Ortiz |def. |Edgar Garcia |KO (punch) |1 |4:06 |Catchweight (158 lb) |Erin Beach |def. |Roscoe Jackson |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:52 |Featherweight |Jade Porter |def. |Nick Piedmont |Unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight |Steve Steinbeiss |def. |Dano Moore |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |4:52

Bellator 56

Bellator 56 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on October 29, 2011, at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament.

Mike Hayes was expected to face Blagoi Ivanov at this event, However Hayes was issued a 60-day medical suspension by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission due to a fractured orbital bone sustained during his fight with Neil Grove at Bellator 52. [[Thiago Santos (fighter)| Thiago Santos]] stepped in for the injured Hayes. Ivanov subsequently had to pull out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Neil Grove.

Results

|Welterweight |Ben Askren (c) |def. |Jay Hieron |Split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) |5 |5:00 |For the Bellator Welterweight Championship. |Heavyweight |Thiago Santos |def. |Neil Grove |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |0:38 |Heavyweight semifinal. |Heavyweight |Eric Prindle |def. |Ron Sparks |KO (Punch) |1 |0:40 |Heavyweight semifinal. |Welterweight |Marcio Navarro |def. |Rudy Bears |Split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Jeremy Spoon |def. |Adam Schindler |Unanimous decision |3 |5:00 |This bout aired on MTV2 following the Prindle/Sparks match. |Light Heavyweight |Kelvin Tiller |def. |Dan Spohn |Split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |E.J. Brooks |def. |willian De Souza |Unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Jacob Akin |def. |Jeimeson Saudino |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:26 |Bantamweight |Aaron Ely |def. |Owen Evinger |Submission (rear-naked choke) |1 |3:45 |Heavyweight |Daniel Gallemore |def. |Derrick Ruffin |TKO (retirement) |2 |5:00

Bellator 57

Bellator 57 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 12, 2011, at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. The event was distributed live in primetime by MTV2.

Background

This was the second time that Bellator has come to Canada. Previously, Bellator 47 was also held in Rama, Ontario.

This event hosted the final rounds of Bellator's Season Five Welterweight Tournament and Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament.

Bellator's Women's champion, Zoila Gurgel, was scheduled to compete in a non-title bout against Carina Damm. However, an injury forced her off the card.

Results

|Welterweight |Douglas Lima |def. |Ben Saunders |KO (punches) |2 |1:21 |Welterweight tournament final. |Middleweight |Alexander Shlemenko |def. |Vitor Vianna |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Middleweight tournament final. |Light Heavyweight |Roger Hollett |def. |John Hawk |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Alexandre Bezerra |def. |Doug Evans |Submission (ankle lock) |1 |4:04 |Light Heavyweight |Matt Van Buren |def. |Shawn Levesque |Submission (rear naked choke) |1 |4:38 |Lightweight |Chris Horodecki |vs. |Mike Corey |Majority draw (29-28 Horodecki, 28-28, 28-28) |3 |5:00 |Lightweight |Dave Jansen |def. |Ashkan Morvari |Submission (rear naked choke) |2 |2:47 |Bantamweight |Denis Puric |def. |Chuck Mady |TKO (injury-broken jaw) |2 |5:00 |Lightweight |Josh Shockley |def. |Eric Moon |Submission (guillotine) |1 |0:35 |Lightweight |Taylor Solomon |def. |Mike Sledzion |KO (punch) |1 |1:10

Bellator 58

Bellator 58 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 19, 2011, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

Shooto's 183-pound South American champion, Carlos Alexandre Pereira, was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event.

Bellator Middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, was expected to compete in non-title, light heavyweight fight against UFC and Strikeforce veteran, Renato Sobral, at this event. However, for unknown reasons, Sobral was replaced by Trevor Prangley.

The event drew a season high 269,000 viewers with the immediate repeat also drawing 160,000 viewers.{{cite web|url=http://mmaweekly.com/bellator-58-tv-ratings-rocket-to-season-high|title=Bellator 58 TV Ratings Rocket to Season High

Results

|Lightweight |Michael Chandler |def. |Eddie Alvarez (c) |Submission (rear naked choke) |4 |3:06 |For the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship. |Catchweight (195 lb) |Hector Lombard |def. |Trevor Prangley |TKO (punches) |2 |1:06 |Women's (115 lb) |Jessica Aguilar |def. |Lisa Ellis |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00 |Featherweight |Marlon Sandro |def. |Rafael Dias |Submission (arm-triangle choke) |1 |3:56 |Middleweight |Brett Cooper |def. |Jared Hess |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Welterweight |Valdir Araujo |def. |Ailton Barbosa |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (157 lb) |Cosmo Alexandre |def. |Avery McPhatter |KO (knees) |1 |0:20 |Middleweight |Herbert Goodman |def. |Jonas Billstein |DQ (illegal soccer kick) |2 |3:21 |Lightweight |Fabio Mello |def. |Farkhad Sharipov |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00

Bellator 59

Bellator 59 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 26, 2011, at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

Background

This event hosted the final round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament as well as the Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament.

Michael Costa pulled out of his fight with Lyman Good due to an injury, which led the organization to scrap Good from the event all together. The lightweight bout between Phillipe Nover and Marcin Held was promoted to the main card.

The final of the Heavyweight tournament was ruled a No Contest after an accidental groin kick by Thiago Santos rendered Eric Prindle unable to continue. Following the event Santos failed to make weight for a scheduled rematch causing the bout to be cancelled, and Prindle to be awarded the tournament win by default.

Results

|Heavyweight |Eric Prindle |vs. |Thiago Santos |No contest (kick to groin) |1 |1:24 |Heavyweight tournament final. The bout was ruled a No Contest after Santos kicked Prindle in the groin. |Lightweight |Patricky Freire |def. |Kurt Pellegrino |TKO (punches) |1 |0:50 |Bantamweight |Eduardo Dantas |def. |Alexis Vila |Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Bantamweight tournament final. |Lightweight |Marcin Held |def. |Phillipe Nover |Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (175 lb) |Karl Amoussou |def. |Jesus Martinez |TKO (punches) |1 |2:20 |Welterweight |LeVon Maynard |def. |Christopher Wing |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) |3 |5:00 |Catchweight (175 lb) |Lucas Pimenta |def. |Doug Gordon |KO (elbows) |1 |0:40 |Featherweight |Scott Heckman |def. |Brylan Van Artsdalen |Submission (standing modified guillotine) |1 |1:38 |Middleweight |Gregory Milliard |def. |Brandon Saling |Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) |3 |5:00

Tournaments

Heavyweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1=USA | RD1-team1=Eric Prindle | RD1-seed2=USA | RD1-team2=Abe Wagner | RD1-score1=UD | RD1-score2=3 | RD1-seed3=USA | RD1-team3=Ron Sparks | RD1-seed4=USA | RD1-team4=Mark Holata | RD1-score3=KO | RD1-score4=1 | RD1-seed5=USA | RD1-team5=Mike Hayes | RD1-seed6=RSA | RD1-team6=Neil Grove | RD1-score5=SD | RD1-score6=3 | RD1-seed7=BUL | RD1-team7=Blagoy Ivanov | RD1-seed8=USA | RD1-team8=Zak Jensen | RD1-score7=SUB | RD1-score8=2 | RD2-seed1=USA | RD2-team1=Eric Prindle | RD2-seed2=USA | RD2-team2=Ron Sparks | RD2-score1=KO | RD2-score2=1 | RD2-seed3=BRA | RD2-team3=Thiago Santos | RD2-seed4=RSA | RD2-team4=Neil Grove | RD2-score3=SUB | RD2-score4=1 | RD3-seed1=USA | RD3-team1=Eric Prindle | RD3-seed2=BRA | RD3-team2=Thiago Santos | RD3-score1=D/Q | RD3-score2=N/A

Middleweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1=RUS | RD1-team1=Alexander Shlemenko | RD1-seed2=Croatia | RD1-team2=Zelg Galesic | RD1-score1=SUB | RD1-score2=1 | RD1-seed3=USA | RD1-team3=Brian Rogers | RD1-seed4=USA | RD1-team4=Victor O'Donnell | RD1-score3=TKO | RD1-score4=1 | RD1-seed5=BRA | RD1-team5=Vitor Vianna | RD1-seed6=USA | RD1-team6=Sam Alvey | RD1-score5=SD | RD1-score6=3 | RD1-seed7=USA | RD1-team7=Bryan Baker | RD1-seed8=USA | RD1-team8=Jared Hess | RD1-score7=TKO | RD1-score8=3 | RD2-seed1=RUS | RD2-team1=Alexander Shlemenko | RD2-seed2=USA | RD2-team2=Brian Rogers | RD2-score1= TKO | RD2-score2= 2 | RD2-seed3=BRA | RD2-team3=Vitor Vianna | RD2-seed4=USA | RD2-team4=Bryan Baker | RD2-score3= TKO | RD2-score4= 1 | RD3-seed1=RUS | RD3-team1=Alexander Shlemenko | RD3-seed2=BRA | RD3-team2=Vitor Vianna | RD3-score1=UD | RD3-score2=3

Welterweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1=BRA | RD1-team1=Douglas Lima | RD1-seed2=USA | RD1-team2= Steve Carl | RD1-score1=UD | RD1-score2=3 | RD1-seed3=USA | RD1-team3=Chris Lozano | RD1-seed4=USA | RD1-team4=Brent Weedman | RD1-score3=UD | RD1-score4=3 | RD1-seed5=USA | RD1-team5=Ben Saunders | RD1-seed6=USA | RD1-team6=Chris Cisneros | RD1-score5=TKO | RD1-score6=3 | RD1-seed7=BRA | RD1-team7=Luis Santos | RD1-seed8=USA | RD1-team8=Dan Hornbuckle | RD1-score7=UD | RD1-score8=3 | RD2-seed1=BRA | RD2-team1=Douglas Lima | RD2-seed2=USA | RD2-team2=Chris Lozano | RD2-score1=KO | RD2-score2=2 | RD2-seed3=USA | RD2-team3=Ben Saunders | RD2-seed4=BRA | RD2-team4=Luis Santos | RD2-score3=SUB | RD2-score4=3 | RD3-seed1=BRA | RD3-team1=Douglas Lima | RD3-seed2=USA | RD3-team2=Ben Saunders | RD3-score1=KO | RD3-score2=2

Bantamweight tournament bracket

| RD1-seed1=BRA | RD1-team1=Eduardo Dantas | RD1-seed2=BRA | RD1-team2=Wilson Reis | RD1-score1=TKO | RD1-score2=2 | RD1-seed3=USA | RD1-team3=Ed West | RD1-seed4=BRA | RD1-team4=Luis Nogueira | RD1-score3=UD | RD1-score4=3 | RD1-seed5=Cuba | RD1-team5=Alexis Vila | RD1-seed6=USA | RD1-team6=Joe Warren | RD1-score5=KO | RD1-score6=1 | RD1-seed7=BRA | RD1-team7=Marcos Galvao | RD1-seed8=USA | RD1-team8=Chase Beebe | RD1-score7=SD | RD1-score8=3 | RD2-seed1=BRA | RD2-team1=Eduardo Dantas | RD2-seed2=USA | RD2-team2=Ed West | RD2-score1=SD | RD2-score2=3 | RD2-seed3=Cuba | RD2-team3=Alexis Vila | RD2-seed4=BRA | RD2-team4=Marcos Galvao | RD2-score3=SD | RD2-score4=3 | RD3-seed1=BRA | RD3-team1=Eduardo Dantas | RD3-seed2=Cuba | RD3-team2=Alexis Vila | RD3-score1=UD | RD3-score2=3

References

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