Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...

(Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

. The episodes had a one day tape delay.

Bellator I

Bellator I was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

event by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, April 3, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...

in Hollywood, Florida

Hollywood, Florida

-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...

. 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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

The event featured quarter-final tournament bouts of the 2009 Featherweight (145 lbs) and Lightweight (155 lbs) 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

Tournament bouts

Lightweight Quarterfinal: Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is an American mixed martial artist of Cuban descent who trains with American Top Team. Currently signed to Strikeforce, Masvidal's record includes notable wins over Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon, Satoru Kitaoka, Ryan Schultz, Billy Evangelista and K.J...

vs. Nick Agallar

Masvidal defeated Agallar via TKO (punches) at 1:19 of round 1.

Lightweight Quarterfinal: Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez is an American mixed martial artist, and former Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion. Alvarez also competes for the Japanese DREAM promotion, and fought once for ProElite's EliteXC promotion...

vs. Greg Loughran

Alvarez defeated Greg Loughran via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:44 of round 1.

Featherweight Quarterfinal: Nick Gonzalez vs. Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint with Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in their first season featherweight tournament. Reyes made it to the final round of the tournament which took place at Bellator 10, fighting Joe Soto...

Reyes defeated Gonzalez via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:11 of round 1.

Featherweight Quarterfinal: Estevan Payan vs. Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino is a Peruvian American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division, having formerly fought in the featherweight division...

Payan defeated Palomino via split decision.

Featherweight Quarterfinal: Joe Soto
Joe Soto
Joseph Angel Soto is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Soto is currently signed under the Bellator Fighting Championships promotion where he was the first ever Bellator Featherweight Champion, and the winner of their inaugural featherweight tournament.-Biography:At the time...

vs. Ben Greer

Soto defeated Greer by TKO (punches) at 3:40 of round 1.

Lightweight Quarterfinal: Alonzo Martinez vs. Toby Imada
Toby Imada
Timoteo Tobias "Toby" Imada born July 16, 1978 is an American mixed martial artist of Japanese and Mexican descent. He fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in their lightweight division...

Imada defeated Martinez via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:26 of round 1.

Non-tournament bouts

Lightweight bout: Lorenzo Borgomeo vs. Daniel Morales

Borgomeo defeated Morales via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:46 of round 3.

Middleweight bout: Daniel Sarafian vs. Gary Padilla

Padilla defeated Sarafian via TKO (punches) at 3:04 of round 2.

Featherweight bout: Jonathan Brookins
Jonathan Brookins
Jonathan Brookins is a mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Brookins has mostly fought in Florida, as well as competing in The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck...

vs. Stephen Ledbetter

Brookins defeated Ledbetter by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of round 1.

Bellator II

Bellator II was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event by the promotion Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, April 10, 2009 at the Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...

in Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

. 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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

The event featured the final quarter-final bouts of the 2009 Featherweight (145 lbs) and Lightweight (155 lbs) Tournaments, as well as, the quarter-final round of the Welterweight (170 lbs) 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 former EliteXC Featherweight Champion Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

square off against rising star Henry Martinez. All bouts are to be contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results
Tournament bouts

Featherweight Quarterfinal: Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

vs. Henry Martinez

Reis defeated Martinez via Decision (Unanimous).

Lightweight Quarterfinal: Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Reynolds is most known for his stint in Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in its lightweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

vs. Thomas Schulte

Reynolds defeated Schulte via TKO (punches) at 4:18 of round 1.

Welterweight Quarterfinal: Lyman Good
Lyman Good
Lyman Good is an American mixed martial artist and instructor. He currently fights as a welterweight in the Bellator Fighting Championships, and won the first Bellator Welterweight Tournament.-Biography:...

vs. Hector Urbina

Good defeated Uribna via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:22 of round 2.

Welterweight Quarterfinal: Jorge Ortiz vs. Aaron Romero

Ortiz defeated Romero via Decision (Unanimous).

Welterweight Quarterfinal: Omar De La Cruz
Omar de la Cruz
Jesús Omar de la Cruz, or simply Omar de la Cruz, is a Dominican professional mixed martial artist...

vs. Victor Meza
Víctor Meza
Víctor Meza is a Argentine footballer currently playing for S.C. Olhanense in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.-Teams: Sportivo Italiano 2008-2009 San Lorenzo 2009 Unión San Felipe 2010–2011 Olhanense 2011–present...

De La Cruz defeated Meza via Decision (Unanimous).

Non-tournament bouts

Lightweight bout: Jimmie Rivera vs. Willie Gates

Rivera defeated Gates via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:22 of round 3.<

Welterweight bout: Matt Makowski
Matt Makowski
Matt "Weapon X" Makowski is an American mixed martial artist.He won a surprising victory over Nick Serra, the brother of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra after Nick refused to stand up from a failed attempt at pulling guard....

vs. Aaron Tregear

Makowski defeated Tregear via Decision (Unanimous).

Welterweight bout: Mikey Gomez
Mikey Gomez
Carlos Michael Gomez is an Paraguayian mixed martial arts fighter. Fighting out of Gracie Barra in Temecula, California Gomez has fought for many top promotions such as Bellator Fighting Championships, Xtreme Fighting Championships, and Elite XC.Gomez holds notable wins over Matt Brown, Jeremy...

vs. Jesse Juarez

Juarez defeated Gomez via TKO (Punches) at 4:23 of round 1.

Featherweight bout: Josh LaBerge vs. Chris Simmons

LaBerge defeated Simmons via Decision (Unanimous).

Bellator III

Bellator III and Bellator IV were two episodes of the mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

, created from a single event. Bellator IV was originally schedule for Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, however regulatory issues prevented the event from being held there. The event took place on Friday, April 17, 2009 at the Lloyd Noble Center

Lloyd Noble Center

The Lloyd Noble Center is an 11,528-seat multi-purpose arena, in Norman, Oklahoma, United States, some south of downtown Oklahoma City...

in Norman, Oklahoma

Norman, Oklahoma

Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...

. 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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

. Bellator IV aired on on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

Results

Tournament bouts

Middleweight Quarterfinal: Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard is a Cuban-Australian mixed martial artist. Lombard was a Judo Olympian competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and is a multiple time national champion and world finalist. After 2000, Lombard began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts...

vs. Virgil Lozano

Lombard won via KO at 1:10 of Round 1.

Middleweight Quarterfinal: Yosmany Cabezas vs. Edwin Aguilar

Cabezas defeated Aguilar via armbar at 4:31 of Round 1.

Non-tournament bouts

Middleweight Tournament Alternate bout: Joey Gorczynski vs. Marcelo Alfaia

Alfaia defeated Gorczynski via TKO at 1:32 of Round 1.

Featherweight bout: Donald Sanchez
Donald Sanchez
Donald Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former KOTC Bantamweight title holder.Sanchez made his MMA debut on December 12, 2005 in a submission win over Joseph Davidson. On August 1, 2009 he defeated Lazar Stojadinovic for the Interm Bantamweight Title at King of the Cage: Gate...

vs. Johnny Eduardo

Eduardo defeated Sanchez via Decision (Unanimous).

Light Heavyweight bout: Rudy Lindsay vs. Wayne Cole

Lindsay defeated Cole via TKO at 3:37 of Round 2.

Bellator IV

Results

Tournament bouts

Middleweight Quarterfinal: Alex Andrade vs. Damien Stelly

Stelly defeated Andrade via Decision (Unanimous).

Middleweight Quarterfinal: Daniel Tabera
Daniel Tabera
Daniel Tabera is a Spanish mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, Tabera has competed all over Europe - and sporadically in North America - in the likes of M-1 Global, Bellator Fighting Championships and KSW.-Early...

vs. Jared Hess
Jared Hess (fighter)
Jared Hess is an American mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships in their middleweight division. He was runner up in the middleweight tournament after losing to Hector Lombard.-Biography:Hess grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and attend...

Hess defeated Tabera via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:34 of Round 1.

Welterweight Quarterfinal: Dave Menne
Dave Menne
David Jeremy Menne is an American mixed martial artist who has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Rumble on the Rock. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and is known for his fight against Phil Baroni in which he got knocked out and tried to fall to the ground, only to...

vs. Norman Paraisy

Menne defeated Paraisy via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:39 of Round 3.

Non-tournament bouts

Middleweight Tournament Alternate bout: Jason Norwood vs. John Kirk

Norwood defeated Kirk via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:52 of Round 2.

Heavyweight bout: Amedio Viola vs. Tyler East
Tyler East
Tyler East, nicknamed "The Beast", is an American mixed martial artist fighting for King of the Cage where he holds a record of 5-3 an is the current KOTC Heavyweight Championship, he was also a 3 time heavyweight contender, loseing to Tony Lopez the first 2 times...

East defeated Viola via TKO (Punches) at 2:40 of Round 1.

Light Heavyweight bout: Mike Messina vs. William Albrecht
William Albrecht
William A. Albrecht PhD, Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, was the foremost authority on the relation of soil fertility to human health and earned four degrees from the University of Illinois. As emeritus Professor of Soils at the University of Missouri he saw a...

Albrecht defeated Messina via TKO (Punches) at 1:30 of Round 1.

Bellator V

Bellator V took place on Friday, May 1, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

. It was broadcasted nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 2, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

Background

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

Debuting for the promotion were heavyweight prospect Dave Herman

Dave Herman (fighter)

Dave Herman is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Herman received a significant amount of buzz from fans and media for being undefeated in his first fifteen fights and beating his opponents impressively, having only been...

and former UFC fighter Dan Evensen

Dan Evensen

Dan Tore Evensen is a Norwegian mixed martial artist. Most recently on May 1, 2009 Evensen won against Raoul Romero by second round TKO at Bellator V.- Background :...

.

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

Results
Tournament bouts

Lightweight Semifinal: Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is an American mixed martial artist of Cuban descent who trains with American Top Team. Currently signed to Strikeforce, Masvidal's record includes notable wins over Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon, Satoru Kitaoka, Ryan Schultz, Billy Evangelista and K.J...

vs. Toby Imada
Toby Imada
Timoteo Tobias "Toby" Imada born July 16, 1978 is an American mixed martial artist of Japanese and Mexican descent. He fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in their lightweight division...

Imada defeated Masvidal via technical submission (inverted triangle choke) at 3:22 of round 3.

Lightweight Semifinal: Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez is an American mixed martial artist, and former Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion. Alvarez also competes for the Japanese DREAM promotion, and fought once for ProElite's EliteXC promotion...

vs. Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Reynolds is most known for his stint in Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in its lightweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Alvarez defeated Reynolds via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:30 of round 3.

Non-tournament bouts

Lightweight bout Frank Carabello vs. Waylon Lowe
Waylon Lowe
Michael Waylon Lowe is an American mixed martial artist.-Amateur wrestling career:Lowe was a two time state champion for Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Tennessee before wrestling for the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. Lowe recorded 112 victories during his collegiate career...

Lowe defeated Carabello via Decision (Unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Welterweight bout Justin Edwards
Justin Edwards (fighter)
Justin Ross Edwards is an American mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Edwards has made a name for himself fighting in the Midwest. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos...

vs. John Troyer

Edwards defeated Troyer via submission (guillotine) at 3:12 of round 1.

Female bout (117 lbs.): Tammy Schneider
Tammy Schneider
Tammy Schneider is a Canadian curler from Kronau, Saskatchewan. She currently plays second for Amber Holland.Schneider grew up in the small village of Kronau, Saskatchewan outside of Regina...

vs. Jessica Pene

Pene defeated Schneider via TKO (strikes) at 1:35 of round 1.

Featherweight bout Pete Dominguez vs. Matt Jaggers

Jaggers defeated Dominguez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:03 at round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Dan Evensen
Dan Evensen
Dan Tore Evensen is a Norwegian mixed martial artist. Most recently on May 1, 2009 Evensen won against Raoul Romero by second round TKO at Bellator V.- Background :...

vs. Raoul Romero

Evensen defeated Romero via submission (strikes) at 1:44 of round 2.

Heavyweight bout: Sherman Pendergarst vs. Joey Beltran
Joey Beltran
For the American electronic music producer and DJ, see Joey Beltram.Jose Felipe Beltran is an Mexican-American mixed martial artist. He is currently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship , fighting in their heavyweight division...

Beltran defeated Pendergarst via TKO (strikes) at 2:24 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Dave Herman
Dave Herman (fighter)
Dave Herman is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Herman received a significant amount of buzz from fans and media for being undefeated in his first fifteen fights and beating his opponents impressively, having only been...

vs. Josh Barnes

Herman defeated Barnes via TKO (strikes) at 4:46 of round 1.

Bellator VI

Bellator VI was an event of the mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, May 8, 2009 in Robstown, Texas

Robstown, Texas

Robstown is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Corpus Christi. It was founded about 1906, and was named for Robert Driscoll Jr., a landowner...

. 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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

Background

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

All bouts are to be contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results
Tournament bouts

Featherweight Semifinal: Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

vs. Joe Soto
Joe Soto
Joseph Angel Soto is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Soto is currently signed under the Bellator Fighting Championships promotion where he was the first ever Bellator Featherweight Champion, and the winner of their inaugural featherweight tournament.-Biography:At the time...

Soto defeated Reis by Decision (Unanimous).

Featherweight Semifinal: Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint with Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in their first season featherweight tournament. Reyes made it to the final round of the tournament which took place at Bellator 10, fighting Joe Soto...

vs. Estevan Payan

Reyes defeated Payan via KO (Spinning Backfist) at 1:56 of round 2.

Non-tournament bouts

Featherweight bout: Nick Gonzalez vs. Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino is a Peruvian American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division, having formerly fought in the featherweight division...

Palomino defeated Gonzalez via TKO at 2:13 of round 1.

Featherweight bout: Daniel Pineda
Daniel Pineda
Daniel Pineda is a Chilean track and field athelte who competes in the long jump. He holds the Chilean national record in the event with his personal best jump of eight metres...

vs. Roberto Vargas
Roberto Vargas
Roberto Enrique Vargas Vélez is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He debuted in Major League Baseball in , pitching in 25 games with the Milwaukee Braves. He recorded no wins or loses while striking out 13 with a 8.76 ERA...

Vargas defeated Pineda by Decision (Unanimous).

Featherweight bout: Jose Santibanez vs. Dustin Phillips

Santibanez defeated Phillips via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:34 of round 1.

Middleweight bout: Chris Spicer vs. Robert McDaniel

McDaniel defeated Spicer via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:53 of round 1.

Catchweight bout: Ira Boyd vs. Hector Urbina

Urbina defeated Boyd via TKO (Arm Injury) at 0:19 of round 1.

Bellator VII

Bellator VII was an event of the mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event 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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

Background

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

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

Eddie Sanchez

Eduardo Arturo Sanchez is an American mixed martial arts fighter.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:On February 3, 2007 at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 67, he lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović by technical knockout due to punches at 4:33 of the first round, in Filipović's debut fight in...

.

All bouts are to be contested under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

Results
Tournament bouts

Welterweight Semifinal: Dave Menne
Dave Menne
David Jeremy Menne is an American mixed martial artist who has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Rumble on the Rock. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and is known for his fight against Phil Baroni in which he got knocked out and tried to fall to the ground, only to...

vs. Omar De La Cruz
Omar de la Cruz
Jesús Omar de la Cruz, or simply Omar de la Cruz, is a Dominican professional mixed martial artist...

De La Cruz def. Menne via TKO (Punches) at 3:19 of round 1.

Welterweight Semifinal: Lyman Good
Lyman Good
Lyman Good is an American mixed martial artist and instructor. He currently fights as a welterweight in the Bellator Fighting Championships, and won the first Bellator Welterweight Tournament.-Biography:...

vs. Jorge Ortiz

Good def. Ortiz via TKO (Cut) at 4:37 of round 2.

Non-tournament bouts

Lightweight bout: Troy Gerhart vs. Lorenzo Borgomeo

Gerhart def. Borgomeo via Decision (Unanimous).

Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez
Eddie Sanchez
Eduardo Arturo Sanchez is an American mixed martial arts fighter.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:On February 3, 2007 at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 67, he lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović by technical knockout due to punches at 4:33 of the first round, in Filipović's debut fight in...

vs. Jay White
Jay White (fighter)
Jay White is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He has fought many notable fighters such as Jeff Monson, Chris Barnett, Eddie Sanchez, Christian Wellisch, and Jake O'Brien. Jay is most well known for his affair with Kim Couture, Randy Couture's ex wife, and the dissolve of that...

Sanchez def. White via TKO (Punches) at 0:10 of round 1.

Lightweight bout: Alonzo Martinez vs. Victor Meza
Víctor Meza
Víctor Meza is a Argentine footballer currently playing for S.C. Olhanense in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.-Teams: Sportivo Italiano 2008-2009 San Lorenzo 2009 Unión San Felipe 2010–2011 Olhanense 2011–present...

Martinez def. Meza via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:42 of round 2.

Welterweight bout: Jesse Juarez vs. DeRay Davis
DeRay Davis
DeRay Davis is an American stand-up comedian and actor. DeRay began his career in the comedy clubs. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, He won the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and was a standout on the Cedric the Entertainer Tour...

Juarez def. Davis via TKO (Punches) at 4:47 of round 2.

Welterweight bout: Anthony Lapsley
Anthony Lapsley
Anthony Lapsley is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Background:Lapsley is a former Indiana State Wrestling Champion and a father of eight children....

vs. Ryan Williams

Lapsley def. Williams via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:22 of round 2.

Welterweight bout: Jacob Volkmann
Jacob Volkmann
Jacob Joseph Volkmann is an American mixed martial artist competing in the lightweight division and formerly at welterweight. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Volkmann had made a name for himself fighting in the Midwest...

vs. Kevin Knabjian
Kevin Knabjian
Kevin Knabjian is an American mixed martial artist of Armenian descent. He has competed in various promotions, debuting in Shooto in 2003 and going on to fight in CFC, WEC and Bellator Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Volkman def. Knabjian via Submission (Brabo Choke) at 1:42 of round 2.

Women's bout (135 lbs): Kerry Vera
Kerry Vera
Kerry Cathleen Vera is an American female professional mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to Strikeforce and previously fought in Bellator Fighting Championships....

vs. Leslie Smith

Vera def. Smith via Decision (Unanimous).

Bellator VIII

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 VIII.

Bellator IX

Bellator IX was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, May 29, 2009 in Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...

. It was broadcasted nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, May 30, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

Results

Tournament bouts

Middleweight Semifinal: Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard is a Cuban-Australian mixed martial artist. Lombard was a Judo Olympian competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and is a multiple time national champion and world finalist. After 2000, Lombard began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts...

vs. Damien Stelly

Lombard def. Stelly via TKO (Punches) at 2:56 of round 1.

Middleweight Semifinal: Jared Hess
Jared Hess (fighter)
Jared Hess is an American mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships in their middleweight division. He was runner up in the middleweight tournament after losing to Hector Lombard.-Biography:Hess grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and attend...

vs. Yosmany Cabezas

Hess def. Cabezas via TKO (Punches) at 4:26 of round 3.

Non Tournament Bouts

Middleweight bout: Nick Ring
Nick Ring
Nick Ring is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, Ring fought in various promotions, most notably the Bellator Fighting Championships...

vs. Isidro Gonzalez
Isidro González
Isidro González was a Spanish Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual sabre event at the 1928 Summer Olympics.-References:...

Ring def. Gonzalez via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:39 of round 1.

Featherweight bout: Shad Lierley
Shad Lierley
Shad Lierley is an American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Seattle Tiger Sharks of the now defunct International Fight League.-Bio:...

vs. Nathan Murdock

Lierley def. Murdock via Decision (Unanimous).

Middleweight bout: Alex Andrade vs. Christian Fulgram

Andrade def. Fulgram via TKO (Punches) at 2:01 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Jayme McKinney vs. Shawn Jordan

Jordan def. McKinney via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:30 of round 1.

Catchweight bout (175 lbs.): Dan Keenan vs. Chad Leondhardt

Leondhardt def. Keenan via KO (Knee) at 3:03 of round 1.

Lightweight bout: Mike Braswell vs. Chas Skelly

Skelly def. Brasewell via Decision (Split).

Bellator X

Bellator X was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, June 5, 2009 in Ontario, California

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

. The show featured the finals of the Featherweight tournament.

Results

Tournament bouts

Featherweight Final: Joe Soto
Joe Soto
Joseph Angel Soto is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Soto is currently signed under the Bellator Fighting Championships promotion where he was the first ever Bellator Featherweight Champion, and the winner of their inaugural featherweight tournament.-Biography:At the time...

vs. Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes
Yahir Reyes is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint with Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in their first season featherweight tournament. Reyes made it to the final round of the tournament which took place at Bellator 10, fighting Joe Soto...

Soto def. Reyes via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:11 of round 2 to become the first ever Bellator Featherweight Champion.

Non-tournament bouts

Featherweight bout: Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis
Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

vs. Roberto Vargas
Roberto Vargas
Roberto Enrique Vargas Vélez is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He debuted in Major League Baseball in , pitching in 25 games with the Milwaukee Braves. He recorded no wins or loses while striking out 13 with a 8.76 ERA...

Reis def. Vargas via Split Decision to earn a spot in Bellator's Season Two Featherweight Tournament.

Middleweight bout: Matt Horwich
Matt Horwich
Matthew Peter Horwich is a journeyman American mixed martial artist. Previously fighting for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League where he held the middleweight championship in 2007, BAMMA and in the UFC, he holds notable wins over past and present UFC fighters Jake Rosholt,...

vs. Bryan Baker
Bryan Baker (fighter)
Bryan Baker is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Baker fought in various promotions, most notably World Extreme Cagefighting and Bellator Fighting Championships...

Baker def. Horwich via Unanimous Decision to earn a spot in Bellator's Season Two Middleweight Tournament.

Lightweight bout: Saad Awad vs. Diego Garijo

Garijo def. Awad via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:45 of round 1.

Lightweight bout: Phil Brown vs. Israel Giron

Giron def. Brown via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:42 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Travis Browne
Travis Browne (fighter)
Travis Browne is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

vs. Mychal Clark

Browne def. Clark via Unanimous Decision.

Catchweight bout (175 lbs.): Mike Gomez vs. Jesse Juarez

Juarez def. Gomez via Unanimous Decision.

Light Heavyweight bout: Lamar Jiles vs. Nick Moghaddam

Moghaddam def. Jiles via disqualification (illegal knee) at 4:14 of round 2.

Bellator XI

Bellator XI was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event promoted by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, June 12, 2009 in Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

at the Mohegan Sun Arena

Mohegan Sun Arena

The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span...

. It broadcasted nationally in the U.S. via tape-delay the following night on Saturday, June 13, 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

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

Results

Tournament bouts

Welterweight Final: Lyman Good
Lyman Good
Lyman Good is an American mixed martial artist and instructor. He currently fights as a welterweight in the Bellator Fighting Championships, and won the first Bellator Welterweight Tournament.-Biography:...

vs. Omar De La Cruz
Omar de la Cruz
Jesús Omar de la Cruz, or simply Omar de la Cruz, is a Dominican professional mixed martial artist...

Good def. De La Cruz via TKO (Punches) at 1:23 of Round 1 to became the first ever Bellator Welterweight Champion.

Non-tournament bouts

Welterweight bout: Igor Gracie
Igor Gracie
Igor Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and professional mixed martial artist.-Fighting career:...

vs. Vagner Rocha
Vagner Rocha
Vagner Rocha is a Brazilian-American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and professional mixed-martial artist, currently competing as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Rocha def. Gracie via Decision (Unanimous).

Welterweight bout: Jake Ellenberger
Jake Ellenberger
Jacob Steven Ellenberger is an American mixed martial artist and former United States Marine. Ellenberger is signed to Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in its welterweight division. Ellenberger is an assistant coach at back to back Division II National Wrestling champs, the University of...

vs. Marcelo Alfaya

Ellenberger def. Alfaia via KO (Punch) at 0:42 of Round 1.

Welterweight bout: Matt Makowski
Matt Makowski
Matt "Weapon X" Makowski is an American mixed martial artist.He won a surprising victory over Nick Serra, the brother of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra after Nick refused to stand up from a failed attempt at pulling guard....

vs. Justin Torrey

Torrey def. Makowski via Decision (Unanimous).

Bantamweight bout: Collin Tebo vs. Nicholas Pace
Nick Pace
Nick Pace is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Pace mostly fought in the Ring of Combat promotion where he was the reigning and inaugural Ring of Combat Bantamweight champion until he signed with World...

Pace def. Tebo via KO (Flying Knee) at 1:37 of Round 1.

Middleweight bout: Dave Branch
Dave Branch (fighter)
Dave Branch is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the Middleweight division. He is a Bellator Fighting Championship and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran.-Background:...

vs. Dennis Olsen
Dennis Olsen
Dennis Hans Olsen AM , is an accomplished Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.-Professional career:...

Branch def. Olsen via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:27 of Round 1.

Bantamweight bout: Jimmie Rivera vs. Nick Garcia

Rivera def. Garcia via Decision (Unanimous).

Middleweight bout: Uriah Hall vs. Edwin Aguilar

Hall def. Aguilar via TKO (Head Kicks and Punches) at 4:31 of Round 3.

Bellator XII

Bellator XII was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on Friday, June 19, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Hard Rock Cafe

in Hollywood, Florida

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

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...

.

The event featured the final tournament bouts of the 2009 Season One Lightweight (155 lbs) and Middleweight (185 lbs) 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

Tournament bouts

Lightweight Final: Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez is an American mixed martial artist, and former Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion. Alvarez also competes for the Japanese DREAM promotion, and fought once for ProElite's EliteXC promotion...

vs. Toby Imada
Toby Imada
Timoteo Tobias "Toby" Imada born July 16, 1978 is an American mixed martial artist of Japanese and Mexican descent. He fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in their lightweight division...

Alvarez defeated Imada by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:38 of Round 2 to become the first ever Bellator Lightweight Champion.

Middleweight Final: Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard
Hector Lombard is a Cuban-Australian mixed martial artist. Lombard was a Judo Olympian competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and is a multiple time national champion and world finalist. After 2000, Lombard began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts...

vs. Jared Hess
Jared Hess (fighter)
Jared Hess is an American mixed martial artist. He is most known for his stint fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships in their middleweight division. He was runner up in the middleweight tournament after losing to Hector Lombard.-Biography:Hess grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and attend...

Lombard defeated Hess by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:41 of Round 4 to become the first ever Bellator Middleweight Champion.

Non-tournament bouts

Lightweight bout: Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is an American mixed martial artist of Cuban descent who trains with American Top Team. Currently signed to Strikeforce, Masvidal's record includes notable wins over Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon, Satoru Kitaoka, Ryan Schultz, Billy Evangelista and K.J...

vs. Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds
Eric Reynolds is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Reynolds is most known for his stint in Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in its lightweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Masvidal defeated Reynolds by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:33 of Round 3.

Featherweight bout: Sami Aziz vs. Fabio Mello

Mello defeated Aziz by Submission (Armbar) at 1:58 of Round 3.

Welterweight bout: Josh Martin vs. Sergio Moraes
Sergio Moraes
Sergio Moraes is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and a professional mixed martial artist. He most known in MMA for his 1-0 stint in Bellator Fighting Championships....

Moraes defeated Martin by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:21 of Round 1.

Women's bout (125 lbs): Valerie Coolbaugh vs. Rosi Sexton
Rosi Sexton
Rosemary Ann Sexton is a British female mixed martial artist. She is also a sports therapist, osteopath, and writer for Fighters Only magazine....

Sexton defeated Coolbaugh by Submission (Armbar) at 3:40 of Round 1.

Lightweight bout: Troy Gerhart vs. Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino
Luis Palomino is a Peruvian American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division, having formerly fought in the featherweight division...

Palomino defeated Gerhart by Decision (Unanimous).

Women's bout (145 lbs): Stephanie Guimaraes vs. Yvonne Reis

Guimaraes defeated Reis by KO (Knee) at 0:49 of Round 1.

Featherweight Tournament Bracket

Lightweight Tournament Bracket

Welterweight Tournament Bracket

Middleweight Tournament Bracket

External links

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