Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four was the fourth 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,...

. 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...

tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight. There was also an inaugural Light Heavyweight Tournament taking place during this season, which crowned the first Light Heavyweight Champion in Bellator. This was the first season to air on MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

Bellator XXXV

Bellator XXXV was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on March 5, 2011 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California

Lemoore, California

Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. The card kicked off Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight...

and featured opening round fights in the Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

On December 14, 2010, Bellator and MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

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

Zoila Frausto

Zoila L. Gurgel is an American professional female mixed martial artist. Her nickname comes from the popular 1990s TV series Xena: Warrior Princess...

fought in a non-title catchweight bout against Karina Hallinan.

At this event Steve Carl

Steve Carl

Steve Carl is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the welterweight division. As an Iraq War veteran, Carl competes in MMA while he is home from active duty.-Early career:Carl made his professional MMA debut in November 2005...

was expected to fight Jay Hieron

Jay Hieron

James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....

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

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....

.

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

. 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 an 133 percent increase among men aged 25 to 34.

Results

Main Card

Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Chris Lozano
Chris Lozano
Chris Lozano is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships and North American Allied Fight Series .-Background:...

vs. 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:...

Good defeated Lozano via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).

Welterweight Quarterfinal 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. Jay Hieron
Jay Hieron
James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....

Hieron defeated Lapsley via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:39 of Round 1

Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Jim Wallhead
Jim Wallhead
Jim Wallhead is an English professional mixed martial artist, based in Leicestershire, England, who competes in the welterweight division. Wallhead's background is in Judo, where he holds a Black Belt having trained under Olympic silver medallist Neil Adams...

vs. Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn is an American former 2004 US Olympic judo team member and is now a mixed martial artist. As a judoka he won numerous medals at U.S. national championships, 2 medals at the Pan American Games, and finished 9th at the 2004 Olympics. Hawn was born in Chicago; but when he was young, his...

Hawn defeated Wallhead via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27).

Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Brent Weedman
Brent Weedman
Brent Weedman is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Weedman has mostly competed in the United States and is a Bellator Fighting Championships veteran. Weedman will also compete in the Bellator Season...

vs. Dan Hornbuckle
Dan Hornbuckle
Dan Hornbuckle is an American mixed martial artist. Hornbuckle holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Jack McVicker and has a self-proclaimed black belt in "intensity". Hornbuckle is Native American, and is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe...

Weedman defeated Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Local Feature Fights

Women's (125 lbs.) bout: Zoila Gurgel vs. Karina Hallinan

Gurgel defeated Hallinan via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Catchweight (176 lbs) bout: Waachiim Spiritwolf
Waachiim Spiritwolf
Waachiim Spiritwolf is a Native American mixed martial artist. He fights in the Welterweight division. Spiritwolf has competed for King of the Cage, Fight Force, Bellator and Strikeforce. Spiritwolf has trained with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. Spiritwolf is a Fresno native now fighting out...

vs. Jaime Jara
Jaime Jara
Jaime Jara is an American mixed martial artist.-Background:Jara is the first fighter in MMA history to hold titles in 4 different weight divisions: Heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, and welterweight. He currently competes in the Middleweight division...

Spiritwolf defeated Jara via split decision (28–29, 29–28, 30–27). This bout aired the following week on Bellator 36.

Featherweight bout: Josh Herrick vs. Brandon Bender

Bender defeated Herrick via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:42 of Round 1

Bantamweight bout: Jesus Castro
Jesús Castro
José Jesús Castro Montaño was a Mexican soldier of the Cristero War. He is noted for sheltering himself, and other soldiers, inside the bell tower of the chapel of La Purísima from the federal troops after a battle that occurred in Cocula, Jalisco...

vs. Paul Ruiz

Ruiz defeated Castro via TKO (punches) at 1:17 of Round 1

Bellator XXXVI

Bellator XXXVI was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on March 12, 2011 at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

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...

was originally scheduled to face French fighter Ferrid Kheder

Ferrid Kheder

Ferrid Kheder is a French-Tunisian judoka and mixed martial artist. He competes in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. Although in Kheder's fight with Daisuke Nakamura he failed to make weight.-Judo career:...

. 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 is now expected to fight at Bellator 45.

The event drew a estimated 230,000 viewers on MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Lightweight Quarterfinal bout: Rob McCullough
Rob McCullough
Robert Alexander McCullough IV is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a five-time World Muay Thai Champion, and is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He currently trains out of Huntington Beach, CA at HB Ultimate Training Center...

vs. Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire is an Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Freire defeated McCullough via KO (punches) at 3:11 of round 3.

Lightweight Quarterfinal bout: 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...

vs. Josh Shockley

Imada defeated Shockley via verbal submission (armbar) at 1:36 of round 1.

Lightweight Quarterfinal bout: Carey Vanier
Carey Vanier
Carey D. Vanier Sr. is a Guyanese-American mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in the lightweight division. He also took part in the season two tournament held by Bellator.-MMA career:...

vs. Lloyd Woodard

Woodard defeated Vanier via TKO (punches) at 0:46 of round 2.

Lightweight Quarterfinal bout: Michael Chandler vs. Marcin Held
Marcin Held
Marcin Held is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Held has competed frequently in his home country of Poland and is highly touted by the media...

Chandler defeated Held via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:56 of round 1.

Local Feature Fights

Middleweight bout: Kelly Leo vs. Chad Leonhardt

Leonhardt defeated Leo via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2.

Catchweight (150 lbs) bout: Matt Hunt vs. Kevin Aguilar

Aguilar defeated Hunt via TKO (punches) at 3:02 of round 1. This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following Imada vs. Shockley.

Catchweight (150 lbs) bout: Javone Duhon vs. Booker Arthur

Arthur defeated Duhon via verbal submission (elbows) at 2:31 of round 2.

Bellator XXXVII

Bellator XXXVII was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on March 19, 2011 at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma

Concho, Oklahoma

Concho is a rural unincorporated community in Canadian County, Oklahoma, north of the Concho Indian School. The post office opened April 20, 1915. The ZIP Code is 73022. The school and post office were named for Indian agent, Charles E. Shell. It is the headquarters of the Cheyenne and Arapaho...

. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

. The event drew an estimated 173,000 viewers on MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Georgi Karakhanyan
Georgi Karakhanyan
Georgi Karakhanyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division.-Background:Georgi was born in Moscow to Armenian parents, but is now an American citizen. He was raised in Moscow, Russia...

vs. Patricio Freire
Patricio Freire
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the featherweight division.-Bellator:After stringing together an impressive undefeated record on the local Brazilian circuit, he made his American debut on April 22, 2010 for the Bellator Fighting Championships in their...

Freire defeated Karakhanyan via KO (punches) at 0:56 of round 3.

Featherweight Quarterfinal 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. Zac George

Reis defeated George via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:09 of round 1.

Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus , formerly known as Daniel Mason-Straus, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Wrestling Career:...

vs. Nazareno Malegarie
Nazareno Malegarie
Nazareno Malegarie is an Argentinian mixed martial artist. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in the Featherweight division and was featured in the fourth season tournament.-Early life:...

Straus defeated Malegarie via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Kenny Foster
Kenny Foster
Kenny Foster is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Bellator Fighting Championships:...

vs. Eric Larkin

Foster defeated Larkin via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:15 of round 1.

Local Feature Fights

Middleweight bout: Jake Rosholt
Jake Rosholt
Jake Rosholt is an American mixed martial artist and former collegiate amateur wrestler. Rosholt formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship .-Early life:...

vs. John Bryant

Rosholt defeated Bryant via technical submission (rear naked choke) at round 1.

Lightweight bout: Jeremy Spoon vs. Jerrod Sanders

Spoon defeated Sanders via submission (rear naked choke) at 0:26 of round 2.

Featherweight bout: Roli Delgado vs. Jameel Massouh
Jameel Massouh
Jameel Badih Massouh is an American mixed martial artist who is most known for competing in the featherweight division for World Extreme Cagefighting...

Delgado defeated Massouh via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27).

Lightweight bout: Brandon Shelton vs. Adam Snook

Shelton defeated Snook via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:45 of round 1.

Bellator XXXVIII

Bellator XXXVIII was mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on March 26, 2011 at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi

Tunica, Mississippi

Tunica is a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, located near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open...

. The card featured the opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

This event showcased the inaugural light heavyweight tournament.

Originally, Blagoi Ivanov

Blagoi Ivanov

|-| Win| 5-0 | Zak Jensen| Technical submission | Bellator 52| |align=center| 2|align=center| 2:35|Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States| Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal|-| Win| 4–0 | William Penn| TKO...

was set to fight John Brown on the undercard. However, Brown pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Johnathan Ivey

Johnathan Ivey

Johnathan Ivey is an American Heavyweight mixed martial artist. He has fought notable fighters such as Gan McGee, Jeremy Horn, Ben Rothwell, Dan Severn, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed martial arts career:...

. 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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Tim Carpenter
Tim Carpenter (fighter)
Tim Carpenter, is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships. He trains out of Philadelphia at Balance Studios.-Mixed martial arts:...

vs. Daniel Gracie
Daniel Gracie
Daniel Gracie Simoes, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a lifelong practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. The Gracie Family is world renowned for their contributions to Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. He is cousin to Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, Charles Gracie and Ryan...

Carpenter defeated Gracie via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: D.J. Linderman vs. Raphael Davis

Linderman defeated Davis via TKO (punches) at 3:40 of round 3.

Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Richard Hale
Richard Hale (fighter)
Richard Hale is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the light heavyweight division. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Rage in the Cage:...

vs. Nik Fekete

Hale defeated Fekete via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) at 1:55 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Chris Davis
Chris Davis (fighter)
Chris Davis is an American mixed martial artist from Gadsden, Alabama. Chris Davis signed with Bellator and took part in the light-heavyweight tournament in season four...

vs. Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu is a French professional mixed martial artist of Congolese descent. He is the first and current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.-Background:...

M'Pumbu defeated Davis via TKO (strikes) at 3:34 of round 3.

Local Feature Fights

Lightweight bout: Jimmy Van Horn vs. Austin Lyons

Lyons defeated Van Horn via submission (armbar) at 2:10 of round 1.

Catchweight (150 lbs) bout: Jake Underwood vs. Tim Galluzzi

Underwood defeated Galluzzi via submission (triangle choke) at 1:04 of round 1.

Light Heavyweight bout: Brian Albin vs. Cody Donovan

Donovan defeated Albin via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Heavyweight bout: Blagoi Ivanov
Blagoi Ivanov
|-| Win| 5-0 | Zak Jensen| Technical submission | Bellator 52| |align=center| 2|align=center| 2:35|Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States| Bellator Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal|-| Win| 4–0 | William Penn| TKO...

vs. William Penn

Ivanov defeated Penn via TKO (punches) at 2:58 of round 1.

Middleweight bout: Amaechi Oselukwue vs. Abe Wilson

Oselukwue defeated Wilson via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Bellator XXXIX

Bellator XXXIX was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on April 2, 2011 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...

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...

. The card featured one semi-final fight in both the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Welterweight and Lightweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

The lightweight semifinal bout between 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...

and Patricky Freire

Patricky Freire

Patricky Freire is an Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.-Mixed martial arts career:...

was originally set to take place at Bellator 40.

In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion, Luiz Azeredo

Luiz Azeredo

Luiz Azeredo is a Brazilian Welterweight mixed martial artist, fighting out of the Chute Boxe Academy, Curitiba, Brazil. He has fought in the PRIDE and Cage Rage....

stepped in to replace Matt Veach

Matt Veach

Matt Alan Veach is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his 3 fight stint in the UFC, including his "Fight of the Night" performance against UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.-Mixed Martial Arts:...

in a preliminary card matchup.

The event drew an estimated 174,000 viewers on MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Lightweight Championship bout: 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...

(c) vs. Pat Curran
Pat Curran (fighter)
Pat Curran is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Lightweight and Featherweight. He is the cousin of World Extreme Cagefighting veteran and former Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran...

Alvarez defeated Curran via unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) to retain the Bellator Lightweight Championship.

Welterweight Semifinal bout: Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn is an American former 2004 US Olympic judo team member and is now a mixed martial artist. As a judoka he won numerous medals at U.S. national championships, 2 medals at the Pan American Games, and finished 9th at the 2004 Olympics. Hawn was born in Chicago; but when he was young, his...

vs. 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:...

Hawn defeated Good via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27).

Lightweight Semifinal bout: 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...

vs. Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire is an Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Freire defeated Imada via KO (Flying Knee & Punches) at 2:53 of round 1.

Catchweight (175 lbs) bout: Ben Saunders
Ben Saunders (fighter)
Benjamin Saunders , is an American professional mixed martial artist. His background is in Jeet Kune Do Concepts and he was a featured fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra....

vs. Matt Lee

Saunders defeated Lee via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:24 of round 3.

Local Feature Fights

Middleweight bout: Dan Cramer
Dan Cramer
Daniel John Cramer is an American mixed martial artist. He was a competitor on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest. Cramer currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in their middleweight division....

vs. Greg Rebello

Cramer defeated Rebello via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). This was a "dark" fight, after the main event.

Welterweight bout: Mike Winters vs. Ryan Quinn

Quinn defeated Winters via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–26).

Lightweight bout: Dave Jansen
Dave Jansen
David Hendrik Jansen is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the WEC. He defeated Richard Crunkilton via unanimous decision at WEC 43 on October 10, 2009....

vs. Scott McAfee

Jansen defeated McAfee via submission (D'arce choke) at 4:58 of round 1.

Lightweight bout: Luiz Azeredo
Luiz Azeredo
Luiz Azeredo is a Brazilian Welterweight mixed martial artist, fighting out of the Chute Boxe Academy, Curitiba, Brazil. He has fought in the PRIDE and Cage Rage....

vs. Renê Nazare
Renê Nazare
Renê Nazare-Azevedo is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Background:...

Nazare defeated Azeredo via TKO (Injury) at 5:00 of round 1.

Bantamweight bout: John McLaughlin vs. Blair Tugman

McLaughlin defeated Tugman via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Bellator XL

Bellator XL was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on April 9, 2011 at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...

. The card featured fights in the Welterweight and Lightweight Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

Bellator Welterweight champion Ben Askren

Ben Askren

Ben Askren is an American former amateur wrestler for the University of Missouri and U.S. Olympic team. He is now a mixed martial artist and the current Bellator Welterweight Champion.-Wrestling:...

competed in a non-title bout against Nick Thompson

Nick Thompson

Nicholas Delton Thompson is a retired American mixed martial artist. He retired with a professional mixed martial arts record of 38-14-1. He has fought professionally on both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bodog Fight shows...

at this event.

A lightweight semifinal bout between 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...

and Patricky Freire

Patricky Freire

Patricky Freire is an Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.-Mixed martial arts career:...

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

Brent Weedman

Brent Weedman is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Weedman has mostly competed in the United States and is a Bellator Fighting Championships veteran. Weedman will also compete in the Bellator Season...

and Jay Hieron

Jay Hieron

James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....

. 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

Dan Hornbuckle

Dan Hornbuckle is an American mixed martial artist. Hornbuckle holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Jack McVicker and has a self-proclaimed black belt in "intensity". Hornbuckle is Native American, and is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe...

.

Former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann

Ronnie Mann

Ronnie Mann is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Mann has mostly fought in England and Japan....

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Welterweight bout: Ben Askren
Ben Askren
Ben Askren is an American former amateur wrestler for the University of Missouri and U.S. Olympic team. He is now a mixed martial artist and the current Bellator Welterweight Champion.-Wrestling:...

vs. Nick Thompson
Nick Thompson
Nicholas Delton Thompson is a retired American mixed martial artist. He retired with a professional mixed martial arts record of 38-14-1. He has fought professionally on both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bodog Fight shows...

Askren defeated Thompson via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).

Welterweight Semifinal bout: Brent Weedman
Brent Weedman
Brent Weedman is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Weedman has mostly competed in the United States and is a Bellator Fighting Championships veteran. Weedman will also compete in the Bellator Season...

vs. Jay Hieron
Jay Hieron
James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....

Hieron defeated Weedman via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Lightweight Semifinal bout: Lloyd Woodard vs. Michael Chandler

Chandler defeated Woodard via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Local Feature Fights

Welterweight bout: Tyler Stinson vs. Nate James

Stinson defeated James via split decision (28–29, 29–28, 29–28).

Lightweight bout: Cody Carrillo vs. Michael Osborn

Osborn defeated Carillo via TKO (strikes) at 1:27 of round one.

Heavyweight bout: Eric Prindle
Eric Prindle
Eric Prindle is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter and former United States soldier. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...

vs. Josh Burns

Prindle defeated Burns via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round two to earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. The bout aired on the main broadcast.

Welterweight bout: Dylan Smith vs. David Rickels
David Rickels
David Rickels is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:Rickels made his professional MMA debut in February 2010 winning by TKO in the first round....

Rickles defeated Smith via submission (triangle choke) at 3:32 of round one.

Bellator XLI

Bellator XLI was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

on April 16, 2011 at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Arizona

Yuma, Arizona

Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....

. The card featured two semi-final fights in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

Tony Johnson Jr.

Tony Johnson (fighter)

Tony Johnson, Jr. Also known as Tony of the Johnson J. is an American mixed martial artist primarily fighting for King of the Cage and G-Force Fights. Johnson is the former KOTC Heavyweight Champion. Johnson has a professional record of 4-0 and most recently defeated Tony Lopez at KOTC Legacy on...

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Catchweight (137 lbs) bout: Joe Warren
Joe Warren (fighter)
Joe Warren is an American Greco-Roman wrestler and mixed martial artist. As a Greco-Roman wrestler, he won the 2006 Pan American and World Championship and was a favourite for the 2008 Olympics, but was given a two-year suspension after testing positive for THC while trying to qualify for the 2007...

vs. Marcos Galvão
Marcos Galvao
Marcos "Loro" Galvão is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist currently fighting as a featherweight. He holds a professional MMA record of 10 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. Galvão peaked at a global ranking of #2 among bantamweights in August 2007...

Warren defeated Galvão via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28. 29–28)

Featherweight Semifinal 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. Patricio Freire
Patricio Freire
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the featherweight division.-Bellator:After stringing together an impressive undefeated record on the local Brazilian circuit, he made his American debut on April 22, 2010 for the Bellator Fighting Championships in their...

Freire defeated Reis via KO (punches) at 3:29 of round 3.

Bantamweight bout: Zach Makovsky
Zach Makovsky
Zachory Paul "Zach" Makovsky is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Makovsky has most notably fought in Elite Xtreme Combat and Bellator Fighting Championships where he is the Bellator Bantamweight Champion.-Early...

vs. Chad Robichaux
Chad Robichaux
Chad "Robo" Robichaux is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter and former United States Marine. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Background:...

Makovsky defeated Robichaux via TKO (strikes) at 2:02 of round 3.

Featherweight Semifinal bout: Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus , formerly known as Daniel Mason-Straus, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Wrestling Career:...

vs. Kenny Foster
Kenny Foster
Kenny Foster is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Bellator Fighting Championships:...

Straus defeated Foster via submission (guillotine choke) at the 3:48 of round 3.

Local Feature Fights

Heavyweight bout: Rudy Aguilar vs. Carlos Flores

Flores defeated Aguilar via TKO (punches) at 1:19 of round 1. This bout took place after the main event.

Bantamweight bout: Anthony Birchak vs. Tyler Bialecki

Birchak defeated Bialecki via submission (brabo choke) at 4:06 of round 1.

Featherweight bout: Michael Parker vs. Nick Piedmont

Piedmont defeated Parker via split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28).

Middleweight bout: Brendan Tierney vs. Dano Moore

Tierney defeated Moore via submission (armbar) at 0:49 of round 1.

Bellator XLII

Bellator XLII was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on April 23, 2011 at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma

Concho, Oklahoma

. The card featured the semi-finals in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

Bellator Heavyweight champion Cole Konrad

Cole Konrad

Cole Konrad is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He is currently a student at the University of Minnesota and former wrestler for the Golden Gophers. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships...

was scheduled to compete in a non-title "super fight" bout against Paul Buentello

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

Ronnie Mann

Ronnie Mann is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Mann has mostly fought in England and Japan....

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Semifinal bout: Richard Hale
Richard Hale (fighter)
Richard Hale is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the light heavyweight division. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Rage in the Cage:...

vs. D.J. Linderman

Hale defeated Linderman via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Featherweight bout: Ronnie Mann
Ronnie Mann
Ronnie Mann is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Mann has mostly fought in England and Japan....

vs. Josh Arocho

Mann defeated Arocho via unanimous decision (30–25, 30–27, 30–27).

Light Heavyweight Semifinal bout: Tim Carpenter
Tim Carpenter (fighter)
Tim Carpenter, is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships. He trains out of Philadelphia at Balance Studios.-Mixed martial arts:...

vs. Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu is a French professional mixed martial artist of Congolese descent. He is the first and current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.-Background:...

M'Pumbu defeated Carpenter via TKO (punches) at 2:08 of round 1.

Bantamweight bout: Luiz Alberto Nogueira vs. Jerod Spoon

Nogueira defeated Spoon via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28. 29–28).

Local Feature Fights

Featherweight bout: Owen Evinger vs. Brandon Shelton

Shelton defeated Evinger via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:35 of round 1. This bout was fought after the main broadcast was finished due to time constraints.

Catchweight (190 lbs) bout: Chris Bell 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 Bell via submission (triangle choke) at 1:40 of round 1. The bout aired on the main broadcast.

Bantamweight bout: Shane Howell vs. Mark Oshiro
Mark Oshiro
Mark Oshiro is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Oshiro has most notably fought in Elite Xtreme Combat and Bellator Fighting Championships.-Early career:...

Howell defeated Oshiro via submission (brabo choke) at 4:15 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Mark Holata vs. Tracy Willis

Holata defeated Willis via submission (strikes) at 0:49 of round 1.

Bellator XLIII

Bellator XLIII was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on May 7, 2011 at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...

. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

A heavyweight bout between Neil Grove

Neil Grove

Neil Grove is a South African-born English heavyweight mixed martial artist currently signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. He holds a black belt rank of shodan in Gōjū-ryū karate...

and The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumnus, Zak Jensen

Zak Jensen

Zak Jensen is an American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.-Early life:Jensen played football and wrestled at both Northern Illinois University and Augsburg College...

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Welterweight Tournament Final bout: Jay Hieron
Jay Hieron
James Thomas Hieronymus , better known as Jay Hieron, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his wrestling base and heavy hands....

vs. Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn
Rick Hawn is an American former 2004 US Olympic judo team member and is now a mixed martial artist. As a judoka he won numerous medals at U.S. national championships, 2 medals at the Pan American Games, and finished 9th at the 2004 Olympics. Hawn was born in Chicago; but when he was young, his...

Hieron defeated Hawn via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) to win Bellator's Season Four Welterweight Tournament.

Middleweight bout: Joe Riggs
Joe Riggs
Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...

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 defeated Riggs via KO (punch) at 3:53 of round 2 to earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament

Bantamweight bout: Jose Vega vs. Chase Beebe
Chase Beebe
Chase Beebe is an American professional mixed martial artist from Chicago, Illinois. He has recently fought for the World Extreme Cagefighting organization, where he was the Bantamweight Champion. He lost that belt on February 13, 2008, to fellow Midwestern MMA fighter Miguel Torres...

Beebe defeated Vega via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:06 of round 1 to earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament

Heavyweight bout: Vince Lucero vs. Ron Sparks
Ron Sparks (fighter)
Ron Sparks is an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships in the Heavyweight division. Sparks is also known as "The Monster".-Bellator Fighting Championship:...

Sparks defeated Lucero via submission (keylock) at 2:18 of round 1.

Local Feature Fights

Catchweight (179 lb) bout: Rich Bouphanouvong vs. David Rickels
David Rickels
David Rickels is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:Rickels made his professional MMA debut in February 2010 winning by TKO in the first round....

Rickles defeated Bouphanouvong via submission (triangle choke) at 1:11 of round 2. This bout aired on the broadcast.

Lightweight bout: Mike Schatz vs. Michael Osborn

Osborn defeated Schatz via TKO (referee stoppage) at 1:58 of round 1

Bellator XLIV

Bellator XLIV was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

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

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

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

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:...

was scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle

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

Anthony Morrison

Anthony Morrison is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Daddis Fight Camps. He has recently been signed by WEC in the featherweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

and Bryan Goldsby

Bryan Goldsby

Bryan Goldsby is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is currently signed by Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...

was canceled due to Morrison weighing-in 10 pounds over weight.

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

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Lightweight Tournament Final
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight...

bout: Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire
Patricky Freire is an Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament.-Mixed martial arts career:...

vs. Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler Jr. is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter fighting in the lightweight division and previously in the welterweight division. He is currently under contract with Bellator Fighting Championships where he is the Bellator Lightweight Champion...

Chandler defeated Freire via unanimous decision (29–27, 29–27, 29–27). Chandler was deducted one point in round 3 due to kicks to the groin.

Middleweight bout: 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. Falaniko Vitale
Falaniko Vitale
Falaniko "Niko" Vitale is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Middleweight division.He holds notable victories over Matt Lindland, Dave Menne, Kalib Starnes and Yushin Okami....

Lombard defeated Vitale via KO (punch) at 0:54 of round 3.

Welterweight bout: Giedrius Karavackas vs. Sam Oropeza

Karavackas defeated Oropeza via submission (scarf hold armlock) at 3:59 of round 3.

Middleweight bout: Alexander Shlemenko
Alexander Shlemenko
Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Early career:...

vs. Brett Cooper
Brett Cooper
Brett Cooper is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League ....

Shlemenko defeated Cooper via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–28, 29–28).

Local Feature Fights

Heavyweight bout: Randy Smith vs. Jamall Johnson

Johnson defeated Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:16 of round 2.

Featherweight bout: Anthony Leone
Anthony Leone
Anthony Leone is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division.-Background:Anthony Leone spent 11 months training alongside at the B.J. Penn Mixed Martial Arts academy in Hilo, Hawaii, when Leone was 20 years old. Leone currently coaches at New York Jiu Jitsu...

vs. Jeff Lentz

Lentz defeated Leone via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Middleweight bout: Jay Silva
Jay Silva
Jay Silva is a Brazilian-Angolan mixed martial artist, who has competed for the UFC and more recently Bellator. He regularly fights at middleweight.-MMA career:...

vs. Gemiyale Adkins

Silva defeated Adkins via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).

Bellator XLV

Bellator XLV was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

event held by Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

. The event took place on May 21, 2011 at the L'Auberge du Lac Resort

L'Auberge du Lac Resort

-History:The state of Texas does not allow casino gambling and, as a result, the gaming industry has flourished along Louisiana's border with that state...

in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...

. The card featured final round fights in the Bellator Season Four

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

Featherweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Background

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

A bout between Thiago Santos

Thiago Santos (fighter)

Thiago Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter. He competes in the Heavyweight Division. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...

and Derrick Lewis was scrapped after Santos suffered an injury.

The event drew an estimated 264,000 viewers on MTV2

MTV2

MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

.

Results

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship bout: Richard Hale
Richard Hale (fighter)
Richard Hale is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the light heavyweight division. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Rage in the Cage:...

vs. Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu is a French professional mixed martial artist of Congolese descent. He is the first and current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.-Background:...

M'Pumbu defeated Hale via TKO (punches) at 4:17 of round 3.

Featherweight Tournament Final bout: Patricio Freire
Patricio Freire
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He competes in the featherweight division.-Bellator:After stringing together an impressive undefeated record on the local Brazilian circuit, he made his American debut on April 22, 2010 for the Bellator Fighting Championships in their...

vs. Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus
Daniel Straus , formerly known as Daniel Mason-Straus, is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Wrestling Career:...

Freire defeated Straus via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).

Middleweight bout: Karl Amoussou
Karl Amoussou
Karl Amoussou is a French professional mixed martial artist. Amoussou is a M-1 Global, Dream and Strikeforce veteran and has fought for Cage Warriors.-MMA career:...

vs. Sam Alvey

Alvey defeated Amoussou via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Local Feature Fights

Heavyweight bout: Shawn Jordan vs. Johnathan Hill

Jordan defeated Hill via TKO (strikes) at 1:56 of round 1. This bout was fought after the main event due to time constraints.

Middleweight bout: Tim Ruberg vs. Michael Fleniken

Ruberg defeated Fleniken via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Welterweight bout: Luis Santos
Luis Santos (fighter)
Luis Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. Santos is currently signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in their welterweight division.-Early career:...

vs. Nicolae Cury

Santos defeated Cury via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Lightweight bout: Renê Nazare
Renê Nazare
Renê Nazare-Azevedo is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Background:...

vs. Kelvin Hackney

Nazare defeated Hackney via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:44 of round 1.

Catchweight (140 lbs) bout: Joseph Abercrombie vs. Ben Parpart

Abercrombie defeated Parpart via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:11 of round 1.

Featherweight tournament bracket

Lightweight tournament bracket

Welterweight tournament bracket

Light Heavyweight tournament bracket

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.