Bellator takes action against Jackson

BURLINGTON, NJ - Bellator MMA filed an injunction to stop veteran star Quinton "Rampage" Jackson from fighting in an April 25 bout promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 

The suit for an injunction and related relief was filed in the Chancery Division of the Superior Court in Burlington County, New Jersey in an attempt to compel Jackson to honor his contractual agreement with Bellator.  

According to Bellator, Jackson completed only three fights of his exclusive six-fight contract with the group and should be barred by contract from fighting for any promoter other than Bellator.

"We look forward to having one of our MMA stars fighting for Bellator again," the company said in a statement.

Philadelphia's Alvarez back with Bellator

Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez has ended his lengthy legal battle with the Bellator MMA promotion and re-signed with the group.

The former lightweight champion will return to Bellator for a Nov. 2 pay-per-view title match against current kingpin Michael Chandler. The bout will serve as the semifinal for a card headlined by former UFC stars Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson. 

Chandler, a former All-American wrestler at Missouri, beat Alvarez to win the title back in 2011.

Alvarez's original Bellator contract expired in October and UFC offered him a deal guaranteeing pay-per-view royalties on his first show with the company as well as further shows if he was champion. The contract also included at least one appearance on FOX television and eight fights overall.

Bellator had a one year matching rights period and equaled the guaranteed financial terms, but substituted its TV partner Spike in place of FOX.

Alvarez wanted the UFC deal and claimed the rights were not matching because the exposure on FOX was far greater than Spike, and PPV points from Bellator meant nothing because the company had never done a PPV show. 

With a long legal battle looming Alvarez and Bellator worked out a settlement which included the title rematch with Chandler on the company's first PPV show. 

Curran tops Shamhalaev to keep Bellator featherweight crown

Atlantic City, N.J. (The Phanatic Magazine) – Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran defended his title by besting Shahbulat Shamhalaev with a guillotine choke in the first round at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City on Thursday night.

“Thanks for Shahbulat and taking the fight on short notice," Curran said. "This was a big opportunity for him and I thank him for stepping up to the fight."

Doug Marshall overwhelmed Brett Cooper with a first round TKO to win the Bellator middleweight tournament championship, while Frodo Khasbulaev earned the lightweight tournament title with a unanimous decision victory over Mike Richman, winning all three rounds on all three scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Marshall and Khasbulaev each earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot. 


"When I entered this tournament I was the dark horse and now I am $100,000 richer and I have a title shot coming," Marshall said. "I am really looking forward to the fight against (middleweight champion) Alexander (Shlemenko). Thank you very much for this opportunity.”


Khasbulaev will now face highly-regarded lightweight kingpin Michael Chandler, a former All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri.


In a welterweight feature fight Rick Hawn knocked out former UFC star Karo Parisyan via strikes in the second round.

“Thank you Karo for taking this fight and it has been a long time coming," Hawn said.  "I respect him as a fighter and this wasn’t an easy fight. I am happy to get the win and I wish him the best of luck in the future.”

“I don’t want to make any excuses," Parisyan countered. "This is the fourth time Bellator has given me a shot. I felt obligated to take the fight, but I felt like I was in the right place to take it. He is a great competitor and I respect him as an athlete. Hopefully I will be back and I can prove myself one more time.”


In other matches welterweight Lyman Good defeated Dante Rivera via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27,30-27); in a catchweight bout at 173 pounds Sam Oropeza topped Shedrick Goodridge via TKO (strikes) in round 2; Tom DeBlass beat Carlos Brooks via doctor stoppage in the second round of another catchweight encounter at 188.

 Lightweight Phillipe Nover won a unanimous decision over Darrell Horcher (29-28,30-27,30-27);  Jimmie Rivera earned a 140-pound catchweight win beating Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28,29-28); featherweight Will Martinez KO'd Brent Hess in the first round; Kevin Roddy used an armbar to stop Brylan Van Artsdalen in another featherweight bout and light heavyweight Liam McGeary destroyed Anton Talamantes with elbows and punches just 1:18 into the fight.

Video: Bellator MMA highlights from Atlantic City

Santos-Prindle bout ends in no contest

A vicious kick to the groin by Thiago Santos prematurely ended the Bellator Season 5 heavyweight tournament in Atlantic City on Saturday.

Santos' illegal shot in the first round against Eric Prindle was enough to stop the fight and rule it a no contest. Prindle, who trains with Team DeathClutch alongside UFC star Brock Lesnar and Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad, found himself on his back when Santos misfired.

In other action lightweight Patricky "Pitbull" Freire won a controversial bout over former UFC competitor Kurt Pellegrino. Freire landed a right hand that knocked down Pellegrino in the first round and quickly pounced but Pellegrino was on his knees still defending himself when the fight was waved off.

Also in the bantamweight Season 5 finale Eduardo Dantas earned a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Alexis Vila, a 40-year-old former Olympic wrestler, winning all three scorecards 29-28.

In the other televised bout, Marcin Held earned a split decision win over Phillipe Nover in a lightweight encounter. Held won (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) but the crowd was less than pleased by the decision..

The undercard featured Karl Amoussou topping Jesus Martinez in a catchweight bout at 175 pounds by TKO in the first round. 

"I didn’t really have a strategy, Amoussou said. "I like to take the fights and just see what happens. I knew he was good on every level but I think I was better in every aspect. I just wanted to win the fight."

Also, Levon Maynard took a unanimous decision over Christopher Wing in a welterweight clash (30-27, 30-27, and 30-26).

"I wanted to keep the fight standing. I felt like I was in control with the pace of the fight and got to work my top game," Maynard said after the win.

Lucas Pimenta defeated Doug Gordon with a first round KO in another 175-pound catchweight encounter.


"I threw a jab, then cross and as he was going down just finished with elbows on the mat," Pimenta said.

Scott Heckman proved to be the submission specialist of the night, catching Brylan Van Artsdalen in a guillotine during the first round to win their feathwerweight clash.

"The submission came off his shot," Heckman said. "That’s a bravo or guillotine choke- he went to take me down and I just tightened it right up."

Finally, Middleweight Gregory Milliard earned a unanimous decision over Brandon Saling via (30-27, 30-27, and 30-27).

"I’m a kick boxer so I feel comfortable in the pocket," Milliard said. "I didn’t want to catch myself in a brawl, and I prefer to pray on his weaknesses."

Video: Philly's Eddie Alvarez loses to Michael Chandler

Makovsky tops Roberts at Bellator 54

By John McMullen
jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com

ATLANTIC CITY (The Phanatic Magazine) - Bellator booked The Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday with the intention of showcasing Kensington's Eddie Alvarez, the group's lightweight champion.

Alvarez was scheduled to make his second title defense against big-time prospect Michael Chandler but was forced to pull out with an injury, meaning the promotion was without its top local drawing card.

Another Philly fighter stepped into the spotlight, however, as Bellator bantamweight king Zach Makovsky, along with the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament headlined the card.

Makovsky, who trains with Alvarez and went to Drexel, was given a chance to up his profile a bit by taking on veteran Ryan Roberts, a former UFC competitor, in a non-title affair.

He didn't disappoint. Nicknamed "Fun Size," due to his diminutive 5- foot-4 fame, Makovsky (14-2) is five years younger than Roberts (19-10) and it showed as he used a significant quickness advantage to set the pace.

A solid left hand that momentarily stunned Roberts as well as a couple of takedowns early gave Makovsky the momentum and he never relinquished it, finishing things with a north-south choke at 4:38 of the opening round.

"I have been working on a choke lately," Makovsky said. "It's been working in training and it worked tonight."

In middleweight tourney action, Vitor Vianna (13-1-1) opened up the semifinals in stunning fashion, knocking out Bryan Baker (16-3) at just 54 seconds of the first round.

Vianna, a jiu-jitsu black belt brought to the states by UFC star Wanderlei Silva, bided his time when Baker came out swinging wildly. A right eventually decked Baker and sent him sprawling near the cage. Vianna then followed with a kick that just missed before he ended things with a series of backhanded punches
with Baker against the cage.

Baker, of course, was diagnosed with leukemia just weeks prior to the Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Tournament. He kept his illness a secret then and fought his way to the finals before suffering defeat to Alexander Shlemenko. Now in remission the Denver native wasn't able to repeat his prior success and Vianna will be the one to go one to face Shlemenko in this season's finals.

Shlemenko (42-7) , himself, made it two straight finals appearances for himself by closing the night with a TKO of the heavy-hitting Brian Rogers (8-3) at 2:30 in the second round. Experience simply won over youth here.

Shlemenko took some shots in the opening round but remained calm throughout as Rogers gassed himself. A
minute into Round 2 Rogers had nothing left and Shlemenko finished things with a series of devastating knees to the head.

After beating Baker in the Season 2 finals, Shlemenko lost to middleweight champion Hector Lombard in a five-round decision but will not get his rematch scheduled for Nov. 19.

“The middleweights have absolutely brought it this season,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Vitor Vianna, who is known for his submission game, has proven tonight that he has dynamite in his hands, and Alexander Shlemenko is absolutely one of the most exciting and explosive middleweights in the world. These finals will be an absolute magic at The Seminole Hard Rock on November 19.”

In other action that aired live on MTV2, Jacob Kirwan (9-3) upset the previously unbeaten Rene Nazare (10-1) by unanimous decision, winning 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Kirwan basically outwrestled Nazare for three rounds, highlighting a major hole in the Brazilian's game.

"I want to thank my trainers. We had a great game plan," Kirwan said. "It all came together tonight."

Andria Caplan (1-0) of Philadelphia licked off the night by winning her professional debut in the lone wome's fight of the night, edging Adrienne Seiber (1-2) on all three scorecards, 29-28. Both women were bruised and battered in the fight but the 33-year-old Caplan, who relies on Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, showed a lot of grit, controlling much of the fight on the ground although she did seem tentative and unable to score a lot when on the advantage.

"I feel great," Caplan said. "“She (Adrienne) was really strong. I knew I wasn’t going to get tired so I figured just deal with it and push through. I want to fight again and keep training”


Claudio Ledesma (5-2) used his reach advantage and athleticism to pitch a shutout against Brian Kelleher (4-2). Ledesma, of Denville, NJ, was especially impressive when peppering Kelleher with leg kicks and won all three scorecards 30-27, in the 140-pound bout.

Veteran Joey Kirwan (8-5) made quick work of 21-year-old Lewis Rumsey (6-7) in a 187-pound match, ending things at 1:40 of the first round when he slapped on a guillotine from the full mount. Submissions are nothing new for Kirwan, a surprise since he lists his specialties as boxing and wrestling. Seven of Kirwan's eight career wins are by submission.

“I knew my submission game was better than his," Kirwan said. "I could strike with him but I knew my submissions were better. I’d love to fight for Bellator again. Hopefully they bring me back and let me in a tournament."

Philly heavyweight Tim Carpenter (8-1), who looks a lot like the WWE's Kane, ignited the crowd with a one-punch knockout of Ryan Contaldi (8-5-1) at 2:16 of Round 1. Contaldi got caught as he ducked his head approaching Capeneter. The 31-year-old connected with a short right uppercut that knocked Contaldi
cold.

The final undercard bout featured submission specialist Daniel Gracie (5-4-1), who was overwhelmed by Duane Bastress (4-1) in a middleweight bout. Bastress was just too strong for Gracie, planting him twice with suplexes and playing the ground-and-pound game before the ringside physician stopped it after the
second round due to a nasty Gracie cut.


NOTES:

*The Alvarez-Chandler championship fight was pushed back to Bellator 59 scheduled for Nov. 19 in Hollywood, Fla.

*The undercard was televised live online at SPIKE.com.

*Karl Amoussou was expected to make his welterweight debut at this event against Kirwan but was pulled from the bout and replaced by Rumsey.

Alvarez suffers injury, off Atlantic City card

Kensington's Eddie Alvarez, the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, has suffered an injury that will force him off of the October 15th card at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Alvarez was scheduled to square off against Season 4 Lightweight Tournament winner Michael Chandler in a Bellator Lightweight title fight. The fight has yet to be rescheduled, but the possibility remains for a title fight later this season.

“Eddie suffered an injury that will keep him out of our October 15th show at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Eddie Alvarez has a huge heart and if there was any way for him to fight on the 15th, I know he would. Ed’s in spectacular condition, so both of us are hopeful that this fight can potentially still occur later this fall.”

The night will feature the semifinals of Bellator’s middleweight tournament, as well as Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zack Makovsky in a non-title super fight against former UFC veteran Ryan Roberts. T

Lozano tops Weedman at Bellator 49

By John McMullen
jmcmullen@phanaticmag.com

ATLANTIC CITY (The Phanatic Magazine) - Chris Lozano and Ben Saunders both impressed during the
 the quarterfinals of Bellator's Season 5 welterweight tournament televised live on MTV2 from Caesars Atlantic City on Saturday.

Lozano rallied to edge Brent Weedman all on three judges scorecards. Ricardo Almeida, Romulo Bittencourt and Cardo Urso, scored the bout 29-28 for Lozano who now advances to the semifinals of the tourney.

Weedman couldn't follow up on a sold first round performance that included a knockdown late.  Lozano turned the tide in Round 2 with two solid punches that hurt his counterpart.

In other quarterfinal action  former The Ultimate Fighter participant Ben Saunders outgrappled Chris Cisneros for two rounds before a nasty knee to the liver in the third round took Cisneros will. Saunders followed the knee with punches from the top and Keith Paterson waived things off 29 seconds into the round.


“Lots of people got to see my ground game tonight, and see what I can really bring to the table," Saunders said. "I’m a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu, not just a stand up fighter, so I was happy with what I brought to the cage tonight. I was just so ready for this fight, so I was confident going in. Chris was tough as well, just never stopped. I felt like I pushed the pace, but he was nails all fight, so credit to Chris.”


Douglas Lima and Luis Santos also advanced.

Lima and his stinging leg kicks opened up the tourney by upending Steve Carl in a unanimous decision. Urso and Jeff Blatnick both saw it at 30-27, while Almeida mistakenly gave Carl a round.

“Steve Carl is tough as hell," Lima said. "It was incredibly tough, but I knew I had the victory. I never like having it go to a decision, but I knew I controlled the fight."

Santos pitched a shutout, winning all three scorecards by 30-27, en route to his quarterfinal win over veteran Dan Hornbuckle. Neither fighter looked all that explosive and were unable to ignite the crowd but Santos was a clear and decisive winner.

“Dan was really tough, and give him credit," Santos said. "This opportunity means everything to me. He was a top opponent and a finalist in the last tournament, so to get a win now is huge. I really wanted a knockout, and at the end I thought I was going to get it, but I knew I had the victory, and that’s all that matters. I’m just so grateful.”

In other action Bucks county heavyweight Azunna Anyanwu kicked off the night by stopping J.A. Dudley at 4:16 of the second round. Anyanwu landed three straight solid shots to send Dudley to the ground where he curled up before referee Donnie Carolei jumped in to stop things.

Featherweight Lester Caslow got the best of James Jones just 15 seconds into the second round when it appeared Jones tweaked his knee backing away from a punch. Caslow took advantage of the wounded fighter and ref Gasper Oliver was forced to wave it off.

After dropping the first round, welterweight Joel Roberts caught Brylan van Artsdalen with a triangle choke at 1:47 of the second round.

Lithuanian welterweight Giedrius Karavackas stopped LeVon Maynard 92 seconds into the final round. Maynard had gotten the best of Karavackas in the first two rounds but caught a knee while shooting in for a takedown and never recovered.

The final preliminary bout saw Brazilian Alexander Bezerra dominate Scott Heckman en route to a second round stoppage in a catchweight bout of 147 pounds. A massive slam off a takedown was the beginning of the end for Heckman, who could not stop Bezerra's ground and pound.

NOTES: The promotion announced that Point Pleasant's Kurt Pellegrino has signed to take on Patricky "Pitbull" Freire at Bellator 59 in Atlantic City on Nov. 26.

Video: Bellator Season 5 welterweights preview

Bellator season 5 to kick off from Atlantic City

CHICAGO, Ill. (August 8, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships will kick off its highly anticipated fifth season LIVE on MTV2 September 10th from Caesars Atlantic City. The night will host the four quarterfinal fights in Bellator’s Season 5 Welterweight Tournament, as well as a host of feature fights with some of the best talent the Tri-state area has to offer. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at TicketMaster.com and Bellator.com.

In a featherweight affair, Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra takes on Scott Heckman. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under the renowned Roberto Godoi, Bezerra moved to the States to become a trainer at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Known by his teammates and fans simply as “Popo,” Bezerra is now 2-0 with Bellator, including first round submission wins at Bellator 46 and Bellator 47. He will look to bolster his record when he faces Scott Heckman. Nicknamed “The Animal,” Heckman trains out of Revolution Academy in Bangor, PA and is considered one of the top lighter weight prospects on the East Coast after having won multiple regional titles.

The featherweight action continues as “The Tooth Fairy” Kenny Foster makes his fourth appearance for Bellator, this time taking on TUF veteran and New Jersey native Andy Main. Foster will be looking to get back into the win column after  suffering a loss at the hands of Bellator Season Four Featherweight finalist Daniel Straus. For Main, the AMA Fight Club product will be making his Bellator debut and will be looking for a finish in front of the Caesars crowd.

Two Bellator veterans meet as 2010 Bellator Open Tryout winner Giedrius Karavackas will get a chance to build off his Bellator 44 victory with a tough test in LeVon “Da Maynman” Maynard, who made his Bellator debut at Bellator 33 against former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn.

Heavyweights square off when Azunna “Zu” Anyanwu puts his undefeated record on the line against J.A. Dudley, who caught the eye of Bellator brass at the latest open tryout in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Anyanwu trains out of Balance Studios in Philadelphia, PA under Relson Gracie black belts Phil and Ricardo Migliarese. After earning his purple belt in BJJ in just two years, “Zu” decided to pursue a career in professional MMA, and hasn’t looked back.

Brylan Van Artsdalen returns to the Bellator cage against Bellator Open Tryout competitor Joel Roberts. Since suffering a loss in his professional debut at Bellator 15, Van Artsdalen has gone a perfect 5-0, defeating all five of his opponents inside the distance. A stand out during Bellator’s recent Cherry Hill, New Jersey tryout, Roberts will get his chance to compete within the Bellator cage on September 10th.

“It’s great to see the high quality of fighters on our bouts not scheduled for television,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “If you’re an MMA fan and coming to the Caesars Atlantic City event, don’t come late, because these fights prior to the nationally/internationally televised show should be explosive, featuring some spectacular talent.”

Alvarez set to defend Bellator lightweight title in Atlantic City

CHICAGO - Philadelphia native Eddie Alvarez his Bellator lightweight championship against Michael Chandler on October 15th from the Boardwalk Hall Ballroom in Atlantic City.

Chandler earned the shot after a spectacular  run through the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament, with victories over Polish prodigy Marcin Held, submission specialist Lloyd Woodard and explosive Brazilian Patricky Pitbull,

“Fighting this close to home on this big of stage is awesome,” said Alvarez. “I’ve never lost a fight in the States, and I certainly don’t plan on losing this one. I’ve never had this much time to prepare for a fight, and you’re going to see that preparation on display October 15th.”

Alvarez brings a near perfect record into the fight, as the Kensington product sports an impressive 22-2 professional record, with Bellator tournament wins over Greg Loughran, Eric Reynolds, and Toby Imada during his Season 1 Lightweight Tournament Championship run.

This won’t be Alvarez’s first title defense, as he successfully defended his title against current Featherweight Tournament Finalist Pat Curran at Bellator 39.  The two engaged in a five round battle that eventually ended with Alvarez securing a unanimous decision victory. Having time to scout the competition, Alvarez is more than ready to take on an eager Chandler.

“I watched the Lightweight Tournament very closely, and was really impressed with a lot of the competition,” Alvarez said. “Knowing that Chandler is my opponent, I’ve already gone back and started to watch film, and I’ll be ready. He brings a really good pace, and it’s going to be a great fight.”

For Chandler, the undefeated product out of Xtreme Couture looks to be one of the toughest tests that Alvarez has faced during his distinguished career. Only 25, Chandler brings an impressive wrestling pedigree with an improved striking game that was on display during his Bellator Lightweight Finals appearance against Patricky Pitbull at Bellator 44. Having studied Alvarez’s previous fights, Chandler already feels prepared for what faces him at Bellator 54.

“Eddie is obviously a world class lightweight, but in a lot of the fights I have watched, no one has really pushed the pace against him. I want to put him on his heels, and make him respond to what I’m doing in the cage. I’ve got a few months to prepare, and I’ll be more than ready for October 15th.”

“Anyone that has heard me speak on the topic knows I feel Eddie Alvarez is the best lightweight in the world,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With that said, Michael’s tournament run was one of the most impressive displays I’ve seen from any fighter, and their title fight on October 15th should be an absolute war. As a fan of the sport, this is a fight I can’t wait to see”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Bellator announces winners of Cherry Hill tryout

CHERRY HILL, NJ. (July 18, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships has become synonymous with excellent scouting and signing some of the best undiscovered talent the sport has to offer, and that reputation was on display Saturday as Bellator crowned two winners at their latest open tryout, which took place at Daddis Fight Camps in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Former All-American Kyle Cerminara and Mtume Goodrum were selected and will fight for the promotion at an upcoming area event.

This year has been a whirlwind for Cerminara, who began his professional MMA journey in January. Having wrestled for nearly his entire life, the former University of Pennsylvania coach knew he still had the drive and desire to compete. MMA was the perfect fit, and Cerminara hasn’t looked back.

“This is just an outstanding chance for me to take my game to the next level and compete on the big stage,” said Cerminara. “With my wrestling background, the more action I can get the better, so I’m looking forward to winning what I need to win to get a spot in the next Light Heavyweight Tournament, get a shot at the title, and become the new Light Heavyweight Champion. If I didn’t already have my eyes on the title, what’s the point of competing?”

A native of Southern New Jersey, Mtume Goodrum came to Bellator’s open tryouts a relative unknown, and left with a chance to compete at a major event on one of MMA’s biggest stages. Goodrum put on an impressive display of striking and grappling during the tryouts, and his skills were too strong for the Bellator brass in attendance to ignore.

“I’m really at a loss for words right now,” said Goodrum shortly after learning he had been named a co-winner. “My excitement level is just off the charts right now, and I just have to thank Bellator for this opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it.”

History was also made at Bellator’s open tryouts, as two women competed for a spot on a future undercard. This marked the first time multiple women had participated in a Bellator open tryout. Jamie Lowe, wife of long-time UFC veteran Waylon Lowe, impressed the judges, while Bridgette Narcise represented her New Jersey-based Dojo.

“Our team saw some really exceptional talent come to Saturday’s tryout at Daddis Fight Camps,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our tryouts are no different from our tournaments, the best come and regardless of records, pedigree or back-story, the best are awarded the spots. Our team felt that Kyle and Mtume put on fantastic performances and I’m excited that both will have the chance to display their talents at a major Bellator event.”

Bellator returning to Atlantic City

Bellator MMA will return to Caesars Atlantic City, for Bellator Fighting Championships 49 on Saturday, September 10th, kicking off the promotion’s fifth season, which airs LIVE on MTV2. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at TicketMaster.com and Bellator.com.

Bellator 49 marks the start of Bellator’s 3rd Welterweight Tournament and will feature some of the sport’s best 170 pounders, as Brazilian knockout artist Luis “Sapo” Santos, five-time Bellator vet Dan “The Handler” Hornbuckle, top prospect Douglas “The Phenom” Lima, Season 4 Welterweight Tournament finalist Rick Hawn, and Bellator 39 winner Ben Saunders headline a stacked tournament field.

The night will also see some of the area’s best regional talent, with local New Jersey, Philadelphia and tri-state area fighters will be featured on the night’s card.

“It’s great to be returning to Caesars Atlantic City for Bellator 44,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our last Caesars, AC event was a sell-out and a great overall event, so it was a very easy decision to return to one of the East Coast’s finest casino/resort locations. “This welterweight tournament is loaded with talent, and Caesars is a fantastic venue for MMA, so fans in the house and those watching LIVE on MTV2 are in store for another spectacular night of fights on September 10th.”

Lombard, Chandler win at Bellator 44

Hector Lombard

By John McMullen

ATLANTIC CITY (The Phanatic Magazine) - Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard battered Falaniko Vitale in the main event of Bellator 44 televised live on MTV2 from Caesars Atlantic City.

After a pair of very dull rounds Lombard (29-2-1), a former Olympian in judo and perhaps Bellator's most dominating presence, finally woke up a disinterested crowd with a devastating right cross that sent Vitale (29-10) to the canvas at 54 seconds of Round 3.

Up until that point Lombard was mailing in a lethargic performance against Vitale, a UFC veteran, in a non-title, so-called "Super Fight." With no championship on the line, Lombard failed to fight with any sense of urgency early and the fans turned on the bout by the second round.

Lombard finally answered the catcalls by unleashing the vicious right hand that ended things in what the champ called "just another day at the office."

The co-main event was the classic striker versus wrestler matchup as Brazilian Knockout artist Patricky "Pitbull" Freire and former NCAA wrestling champion Michael Chandler met in the finals of the Season 4 Bellator Lightweight Tournament Championship.

Chandler (8-0), who wrestled at the University of Missouri, spent far too much of his time standing and trading blows with Freire (9-2) but he held his own en route to a unanimous decision.

A second low blow by Chandler in the third round, however, cost him a point and gave a tired Pitbull plenty of time to regroup. It didn't matter as Chandler scored with a huge suplex before dominating things on the ground for the rest of the way to earn the tourney title, $100,000 and a championship shot against Eddie Alvarez. All three scorecards had it 29-27 for Chandler.

"I extremely sorry of those kicks," said Chandler. "I have to work on that and I will. Patricky is the man. I am just thrilled to get the win."

"I was hugely impressed with the performances our fighters put forth in our cage tonight," added Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "The Pitbull-Chandler fight was an epic battle that had the audience out of their seats.  Mike Chandler is a very special talent at 155.  And, Lombard's one-punch knockout was another Youtube KO for our Middleweight Champion.  A great crowd got to see great fights live here at Caesars." 

In other televised encounters veteran Alexander Shlemenko won a Season 5 Middleweight qualifier by besting Brett Cooper by unanimous decision. It was pretty evident early on that Cooper (12-6) didn't feel he belonged with Shlemenko (39-7) and the Russian spent the early moments stalking his prey until a wild right by Copper caught him and opened a cut under his left eye.

That buoyed Cooper's confidence and he hung in but always seemed to be a second away from disaster. Shlemenko, the winner of Bellator's Season 2 middleweight tourney, really had his way with a spinning back fist but showed nothing at all when things went to the ground.

Cooper never really figured that out and was content to swing, especially when both fighters tired by the third round. Shlemenko took all three scorecards, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, and is now 17-2 over his last 19 fights as he attempts to earn another shot at Lombard.

Locally, the main event was Philadelphia native Sam Oropeza making his Bellator debut against Giedrius Karavackas, who now calls Somers Point, NJ home.


Oropeza (4-2), a lengthy southpaw that almost resembles Tayshaun Prince in the cage, trains with Alvarez and brought along a ton of supporters that greeted him with chants of "Sammy O, Sammy O."

He was on the verge on finishing Karavackas (5-1) late in Round 1, raining down blows from the guard until the bell sounded. Failing to finish would haunt Oropeza as Karavackas began solving his length and by the third round was dominating, using side control to fire punch after punch at a helpless Oropeza's face.

The fan favorite finally gave up the left arm for an arm lock submission with just over a minute left in the round. It's conceivable Oropeza could have taken a decision if he held on but Karavackas dominated the third so thoroughly it probably would have been a 10-8 frame.


In the opening bout of the evening, middleweight Jay Silva dominated Gemiyale "Baby Hercules" en route to a unanimous decision. The scorecards read 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 for Silva (7-4), a Newark, NJ native fighting out of Hunington Beach, Calif, who battered his opponent with vicious knees throughout. Adkins
(6-2) of Newark, Delaware took an illegal knee to the head in Round 1 and was given time to recover while the ringside doctor checked his vision. About all he could do for the rest of the fight, however, was try to grab Silva's ankle a few times in a hollow attempt at a submission. Adkins came in out of shape and it showed.

Former TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) competitor and New Jersey native Jeff Lentz topped Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Anthony Leone in a lightweight encounter, taking a unanimous decision. After a first round that was fairly even, Lentz (7-3) dominated things on the ground although he was never close to finishing Leone (8-3). All three scorecards gave Leone Round 1 and Lentz the final two frames.

Finally, in a post-TV heavyweight bout, the unimpressive looking Randy Smith (11-9-1) was choked out by Jamall Johnson (3-1) at 4:16 of the second round.

Notes: Former Bellator welterweight champ Lyman Good was scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle but pulled out on May 6 with a hamstring injury...The scheduled bout between Philadelphia's Anthony Morrison and Bryan Goldsby was also canceled when Morrison, aptly nicknamed "Cheesesteak," failed to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit, coming in way over at 146.5...The last time the promotion was in the area was for Bellator 33 when Philadelphia's own Alvarez, one of the top-ranked lightweights in the world, stopped former UFC star Roger Huerta at the Liacouras Center in North Philly.

Bellator MMA coming to Atlantic City

Bellator Fighting Championships will make its first visit to New Jersey with Bellator 44 on May 14, 2011 at Caesars Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The event will air LIVE on MTV2.

Bellator 44 will be headlined by a Super Fight featuring reigning Bellator World Middleweight Champion and former Judo Olympian Hector Lombard against dangerous Hawaiian UFC veteran Falaniko Vitale as well as a Season 4 Tournament finals pairing in a yet to-be-announced weight class.

“This is a great partnership for us; Atlantic City is a classic fight town and New Jersey is a hotbed for mixed martial arts, so it was a natural fit,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “And, Hector vs. Falaniko should be a great fight.”

Lombard – who holds the Bellator record for fastest KO with a six-second stoppage of Jay Silva is currently riding a 21 fight unbeaten streak and boasts a professional record of 27-2-1 which includes 14 TKO or KOs. Winning eight of his last 10 fights, Vitale is currently on a three-fight win streak and brings an impressive 29-9 professional record to the fight, including 9 TKO or KOs and 16 submission victories.

Tickets for Bellator 44 will go on sale on March 23, 2011 on Ticketmaster.com. to New Jersey with Bellator 44 at Caesars Atlantic City.

Alvarez stops Huerta at Bellator 33

By John McMullen

Philadelphia (The Phanatic) - Philadelphia's own Eddie Alvarez, one of the top-ranked lightweights in the world, stopped former UFC star Roger Huerta in the main event of Bellator 33 at the Liacouras Center on Thursday night.

The 26-year-old Alvarez, the Bellator lightweight champion who was born in Kensington, trained in Fishtown, and lives in the Northeast, TKO'd Huerta in what many were calling the biggest fight in Bellator history despite the fact it was a non-title affair.

The bout was originally penciled in as a title shot for Bellator's season two lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran, who topped Huerta in the semifinals of that competition but had to pull out with an injury. Huerta, who was once tabbed by Dana White to be the face of UFC in the Latino community, has fallen on hard times of late and lost for the fourth time in five fights.

Chants of Eddie ... Eddie ... Eddie greeted Alvarez, a product of the Philadelphia Fight Factory and a veteran of Japan's famous Dream promotion, as he entered the arena.

A pair of hard leg kicks seemed to stun Huerta early and Alvarez followed with a number of blows that nearly finished the Texan. Huerta showed a lot of heart, however, and stunned Alvarez with a shot of his own late in the opening round.

"We worked on that when he went southpaw," Alvarez said of the leg kicks.

Alvarez continued to pepper Huerta's left leg with solid kicks in Round 2, while settling into a nice defensive style that limited any real punching angles for the hard-charging Huerta.

Huerta then could not answer the bell for Round 3 thanks to a knee injury and Alvarez, who won Bellator's inaugural 155-pound tournament last year, jumped to the top of the cage to celebrate with his hometown fans before moonsaulting back inside.

"Definitely a success tonight, everything I could have dreamed of went exactly according to plan. Everything went perfectly I couldn’t be more happy," said Alvarez.

The other main event saw former U.S. Olympic wrestler Ben Askren, the Season 2 welterweight tourney titleist, cash in of his championship shot by topping the previously undefeated Lyman Good to win the welterweight crown.

Askren (7-0), a multi-time NCAA champion grappler and Hodge Trophy winner at the University of Missouri as well as a 2008 Olympian, dominated Good (10-1) with his wrestling base and superior conditioning for most of the fight.

MMA fans rarely enjoy wrestlers and the crowd was clearly behind Good, exploding when he was able to reverse Askren on the ground and escape an attempted triangle in Round 1, but the New York native really had no answer for Askren's world class grappling skills until very late in the fight.

Things perked up a bit at the onset of the fourth round when Askren shot for the takedown and missed, and again when referee Kevin Mulhall inexplicably stood the fighters up. Good then nearly pulled it out with an upkick and subsequent deep triangle choke late in Round 5 but Askren was able to slip out and hold on for the unanimous decision, winning all three scorecards, 49-46, 48-47, 50-45, to take the belt.

"I’m glad people got a chance to see my heart. I’m pretty happy with my performance. I told people I was ready to five and that’s what I did," said Askren. "I’ve only been punching things for about a year, so I have a lot of room for improvement."

In other televised bouts, which aired across the country on both FOX Sports Net and ComcastSportsnet, Brazilian featherweight Wilson Reis, who now fights out of Philadelphia, upended former WEC and IFC star Devidas Taurosevicius by split decision, and undefeated welterweight Rick Hawn, a 2004 U.S. Olympian in judo, stayed perfect by topping the capable Levon Maynard by knockout at 4:53 of the first round.

Reis (11-5) earned the first round by controlling the clinch and sweeping Taurosevicius (12-5) to the canvas. He then almost finished things in the second with a triangle but Taurosevicius showed some signs of life in the
final round with a hard right from the mount. Reis was able to reverse, however, and run out the clock for a the split decision victory, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

Hawn (9-0) tripped and fell after glancing Maynard (10-7) with a right high kick to the head but Maynard made the mistake of following Hawn to the ground and the Olympian quickly unloaded with some vicious ground and pound before referee Keith Peterson rushed in and stopped the bout.

"They had a good defense for me," Hawn said. "I had to get moving around and I finally did. I put everything in those punches."

Philly bantamweight Fred Evans Jr. kicked off the night by catching Lewis Cassner in a triangle choke at 3:20 of the first round in the professional debut for both fighters while Tuan Pham (2-4), another Philadelphia fighter, wasn't as lucky in the second bout of the evening, falling to Nick Cottone (7-1) of Pine Hill, NJ by unanimous decision in a 130-pound catchweight bout.  All three judges scored that one 29-28 for Cattone, who controlled a rather dull fight on the ground.

Meanwhile, in post-television dark matches, Luiz Azeredo got past Eduardo Guedes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Kenny Foster topped Lester Caslow also by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) and Tim Carpenter edged Jamal Patterson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

"What an incredible night of fights, my first thank you tonight is to the city of Philadelphia," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "The crowd, the energy was great, I’m glad Philadelphia fans were treated to a world-class mixed martial arts display."


Notes: Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren, who won the crown with an impressive KO of Joe Soto back on Sept. 2 in San Antonio was at ringside...Just about the entire lower bowl in the Liacouras Center was filled and this was easily the second biggest MMA card in Pennsylvania since the sport was sanctioned by the state in 2009. UFC 101 featuring Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn sold out the Wachovia Center back in August of 2009.

Lineup set for Bellator 33 in Philly

Bellator 33 is set for Oct. 21 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia with Kensington's Eddie Alvarez, the company's lightweight champ, taking on Roger Huerta in a non-title fight and welterweight champ Lyman Good defending his title against Ben Askren, a former NCAA wrestling champ from Missouri.


The undercard has also now been set with former Olympian Rick Hawn, ex-EliteXC champ Wilson Reis and WEC veteran Deividas Taurosevicius headlining.


Alvarez (20-2 MMA, 4-0 BFC)  was originally scheduled to defend his crown against Pat Curran, who won the recent Bellator lightweight tourney but had to bow out of this fight with a shoulder injury, opening the  door for Huerta, the former UFC star who was eliminated by Curran in the semifinals of the tourney.

The main card, which will be televised on FOXSports Net,  will also include 2004 Olympic judoka and undefeated MMA fighter Hawn against fellow welterweight LeVon Maynard (10-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC), as well as former EliteXC bantamweight champ and season-two and season-three Bellator tourney competitor Reis vs. WEC and IFL veteran Taurosevicius. The Brazilian Reis is also fighting out of Philadelphia now.

home and should have a home-field advantage.

A preliminary card heavy on local talent includes light-heavyweight submission specialist Tim Carpenter (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. longtime IFL fighter Jamal Patterson (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and WKA Muay Thai champion Tuan Phan (2-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. fellow flyweight Nick Cottone (8-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

Additionally, one-time UFC fighter Chris Liguori (11-8 MMA, 0-0 BFC) takes on fellow lightweight Eduard Guedes (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC), Lester Caslow (6-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC) meets fellow featherweight Kenny Foster (7-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC), and bantamweight Lewis Cassner (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) takes on Francis Evans (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

Bellator Fighting Championships holding MMA tryout in Philly

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that it will host an open tryout in the City of Brotherly Love which will provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an undiscovered professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter to earn spot in one of the organization’s upcoming area events.

The tryout will take place at the famed Daddis Fight Camps in downtown Philadelphia on Saturday, October 2nd at 11 A.M.  In addition to eligible aspiring fighters, the tryouts are open to the public.

“Philadelphia is a hotbed for MMA talent so holding a tryout before our October 21st nationally televised event seemed like the right time and the right place,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We have discovered some great talents in our past open tryouts, including Tyler Stinson, Bryan Goldsby, and James Krause, who all went on to compete in the Bellator Tournament.”

Daddis Fight Camps is located at 1719 Washington Avenue in Philadelphia.  Tryouts will be  judged by industry insiders including Bellator Matchmaker Sam Caplan, gym owner Brad Daddis, and Philadelphia native and Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.

Fighters are asked to bring their own equipment, as well as their federal I.D. Fighters currently signed by another promotion are not eligible to try out.

Bellator will host its first event in Philadelphia with Bellator 33, taking place at the Liacouras Center on October 21st. Tickets for the event are on sale NOW at ComcastTix.com.