2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

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 (formerly M2) is an American pay television channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to shift its programmin ...

Bellator 35

''Bellator 35'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

event held by

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

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25 ...

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

Background

On December 14, 2010, Bellator and

announced a three-year deal to broadcast Bellator's tournaments and special events. This will be the first Bellator event to air on MTV2. Bellator's Women's Strawweight Champion Zoila Frausto fought in a non-title catchweight bout against Karina Hallinan. At this event Steve Carl was expected to fight

Jay Hieron James Thomas Hieronymus (born July 29, 1976) is an American actor, stuntman and former mixed martial artist. Hieron was the final IFL Welterweight Champion, competing for the Los Angeles Anacondas, and has also competed in the UFC, WEC, Affl ...

in the opening round of the welterweight tournament. However, Carl injured himself during training and was removed from the tournament. His replacement was Anthony Lapsley. Poppies Martinez was expected to fight at this event, but a bout never materialized. The event drew an average of around 200,000 viewers on

. Which helped MTV2 in several key advertising demographics including, an 83 percent increase among men aged 18 to 49, an 80 percent increase among men 18 to 34, and a 133 percent increase among men aged 25 to 34.

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Chris Lozano vs.

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion. Good currently co ...

:Good defeated Lozano via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27). * Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Anthony Lapsley vs.

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

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and the UFC . Wallhead is a member of Team Rough House and Le ...

vs. Rick Hawn :Hawn defeated Wallhead via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27). * Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Brent Weedman vs. Dan Hornbuckle :Weedman defeated Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Local feature fights

* Women's (125 lb) bout: Zoila Gurgel vs. Karina Hallinan :Gurgel defeated Hallinan via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). * Catchweight (175 lb) bout: Waachiim Spiritwolf vs. Jaime Jara :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 Brandon Logan Bender (born February 5, 1987) is an Italian-American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Bender has fought in multiple promotions, including ...

:Bender defeated Herrick via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:42 of Round 1 * Bantamweight bout: Jesus Castro vs.

Paul Ruiz Paul Ruiz Mena (born 21 September 1962) is a retired male shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a ...

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

Bellator 36

''Bellator 36'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on March 12, 2011, at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The card featured opening-round fights in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Toby Imada Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good ...

was originally scheduled to face French fighter

Ferrid Kheder Ferrid Kheder (born 3 March 1975) is a retired French judo Olympian who placed seventh at the Olympic Games in Sydney(2000) and a former professional mixed martial artist who fought from 2004 to 2013. Judo career Kheder began training judo i ...

; however, Kheder refused to weigh in and

Josh Shockley Josh Shockley (born November 15, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Shockley has also previously competed for the UFC and Bellator. Mixed martial arts ...

was moved up from the preliminary card to face Imada. Shockley's original opponent, Kelvin Hackney, still weighed in, but was pulled off the card and paid his show money and win bonus. Hackney was expected to fight at Bellator 45. The event drew an estimated 230,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Lightweight Quarterfinal bout: Rob McCullough vs.

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA, Bellator's Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division, wher ...

:Freire defeated McCullough via TKO (punches) at 3:11 of round 3. * Lightweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs.

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

Carey Vanier Carey D. Vanier Sr. (born August 3, 1981) is a Guyanese-American mixed martial arts fighter. He previously fought for Bellator Fighting Championships in the lightweight division. He also took part in the season two tournament held by Bellator. B ...

vs. Lloyd Woodard :Woodard defeated Vanier via TKO (punches) at 0:46 of round 2. * Lightweight Quarterfinal bout:

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

vs. Marcin Held :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 lb) bout: Matt Hunt vs.

Kevin Aguilar Kevin Aguilar (born September 7, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). Aguilar was the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) Featherweight champion and he currently competes in the featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

: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 lb) bout: Javone Duhon vs. Booker Arthur :Arthur defeated Duhon via verbal submission (elbows) at 2:31 of round 2.

Bellator 37

''Bellator 37'' was a

event held by

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

Concho, Oklahoma Concho is an unincorporated community in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is north of the Concho Indian Boarding School. The post office opened April 20, 1915. The ZIP code is 73022. The school and post office were named for Indian a ...

. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

. The event drew an estimated 173,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Georgi Karakhanyan vs.

Patricio Freire Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal ru ...

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

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis Monte Alto Gonçalves (born January 6, 1985, in Januária) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC ...

vs. Zac George :Reis defeated George via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:09 of round 1. * Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Daniel Straus vs. Nazareno Malegarie :Straus defeated Malegarie via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). * Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Kenny Foster vs. Eric Larkin :Foster defeated Larkin via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:15 of round 1.

Local feature fights

* Middleweight bout: Jake Rosholt vs. John Bryant :Rosholt defeated Bryant via technical submission (rear naked choke) in 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 Badih Massouh (born September 12, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional from 2005 until 2011, he fought in the World Extreme Cagefighting, WEC, Bellator MMA, Bellator, Pancrase, and King of th ...

: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 38

''Bellator 38'' was

event held by

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

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the Un ...

. The card featured the opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event showcased the inaugural light heavyweight tournament. Originally, Blagoy Ivanov was set to fight John Brown on the undercard. However, Brown pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Johnathan Ivey. Ivey was then pulled off the card for a suspension by the Georgia Athletic Commission. Ivanov instead fought William Penn. The event drew an estimated 150,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Tim Carpenter vs. Daniel Gracie :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: Rich Hale vs. Nik Fekete :Hale defeated Fekete via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) at 1:55 of round 1. * Light Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Chris Davis vs.

Christian M'Pumbu Christian M'Pumbu (born June 2, 1977) is a French-Congolese professional mixed martial artist. He was the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion. Background M'Pumbu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the ...

: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 lb 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: Blagoy Ivanov 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 39

''Bellator 39'' was a

held by

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

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

. The card featured one semi-final fight in both the Bellator Season Four Welterweight and Lightweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

The lightweight semifinal bout between

and

was originally set to take place at Bellator 40. In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion, Luiz Azeredo stepped in to replace Matt Veach in a preliminary card matchup. The event drew an estimated 174,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Lightweight Championship bout:

Eddie Alvarez Edward "Eddie" Alvarez (born January 11, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight (170 lb) division of ONE Championship. He also formerly competed in the UFC and Bellator MMA, winning world titles ...

(c) vs. Pat Curran :Alvarez defeated Curran via unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) to retain the Bellator Lightweight Championship. * Welterweight Semifinal bout: Rick Hawn vs.

:Hawn defeated Good via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27). * Lightweight Semifinal bout:

vs.

:Freire defeated Imada via KO (Flying Knee & Punches) at 2:53 of round 1. * Catchweight (175 lb) bout: Ben Saunders vs. Matt Lee :Saunders defeated Lee via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:24 of round 3.

Local feature fights

* Middleweight bout:

Dan Cramer Daniel John Cramer (born October 31, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2009 until 2014, Cramer made his professional debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and was a competitor on SpikeTV's ' ...

vs.

Greg Rebello ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Franklin'' for the final episode of the season) is the eleventh installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced r ...

: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 Ryan Quinn (born January 22, 1987) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2008 until 2017, he competed for Bellator MMA, Titan FC, and CES MMA. Mixed martial arts career Early career Quinn began his MMA caree ...

:Quinn defeated Winters via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–26). * Lightweight bout: Dave Jansen vs. Scott McAfee :Jansen defeated McAfee via submission (D'arce choke) at 4:58 of round 1. * Catchweight (160 lbs) bout: Luiz Azeredo vs. Renê Nazare :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 40

''Bellator 40'' was a

event held by

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

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Cher ...

. The card featured fights in the Welterweight and Lightweight Bellator Season Four Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Bellator Welterweight champion

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade before competing in ...

competed in a non-title bout against Nick Thompson at this event. A lightweight semifinal bout between

and

was originally set to take place on this card. However, the fight was moved to

Bellator 39 2011 in Bellator MMA 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 Feather ...

and replaced with the welterweight semifinal fight between Brent Weedman and

. The Hieron-Weedman fight was rescheduled because Weedman needed to receive clearance for a facial laceration suffered in his Bellator 35 victory over Dan Hornbuckle. Former

Sengoku The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

fighter

Ronnie Mann Ronnie Mann (born 12 October 1986) 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. Mann is a veteran of the form ...

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.Visa Issues Delay Ronnie Mann’s Bellator Debut, Pushed Back to April 23
MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-05. The event drew an estimated 218,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Welterweight bout:

vs. Nick Thompson :Askren defeated Thompson via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27). * Welterweight Semifinal bout: Brent Weedman vs.

:Hieron defeated Weedman via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). * Lightweight Semifinal bout: Lloyd Woodard vs.

: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 1. * Heavyweight bout:

Eric Prindle Eric Prindle (born August 30, 1976) is an American Heavyweight mixed martial artist who last competed in 2018. A professional competitor since 2008 he has fought in Bellator MMA and Pancrase, and was the Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tournam ...

vs. Josh Burns :Prindle defeated Burns via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2 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 :Rickels defeated Smith via submission (triangle choke) at 3:32 of round 1.

Bellator 41

''Bellator 41'' was a

event held by

on April 16, 2011 at Cocopah Resort and Casino in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...

. The card featured two semi-final fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Tony Johnson was expected to fight Carlos Flores at the event, but for unknown reasons was replaced by Rudy Aguilar. The event drew a season low of 132,000 average viewers on

Results

Main card

* Catchweight (137 lb) bout: Joe Warren vs.

Marcos Galvão Marcos Galvão (born 23 June 1981) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2003, Galvão peaked at a global rank ...

:Warren defeated Galvão via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28. 29–28) * Featherweight Semifinal bout:

vs.

:Freire defeated Reis via KO (punches) at 3:29 of round 3. * Bantamweight bout: Zach Makovsky vs. Chad Robichaux :Makovsky defeated Robichaux via TKO (strikes) at 2:02 of round 3. * Featherweight Semifinal bout: Daniel Straus vs. Kenny Foster :Straus defeated Foster via submission (guillotine choke) at 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 (D'arce 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 42

''Bellator 42'' was a

event held by

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

. The card featured the semi-finals in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

fighter

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

Results

Main card

* Light Heavyweight Semifinal bout: Rich Hale vs. D.J. Linderman :Hale defeated Linderman via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28). * Catchweight (147 lbs) bout:

vs. Josh Arocho :Mann defeated Arocho via unanimous decision (30–25, 30–27, 30–27). * Light Heavyweight Semifinal bout: Tim Carpenter vs.

:M'Pumbu defeated Carpenter via TKO (punches) at 2:08 of round 1. * Bantamweight bout: Luis 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 lb) bout: Chris Bell vs.

Jared Hess Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess ( Demke; born May 12, 1980) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers best known for their work on '' Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004), '' Nacho Libre'' (2006) and '' Gentlemen Bronc ...

: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 :Howell defeated Oshiro via submission (D'arce 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 43

''Bellator 43'' was a

held by

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

. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

A heavyweight bout between Neil Grove and The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumnus, Zak Jensen was scheduled for this event; however, Grove pulled out of the bout on May 3 due to an injury. A local feature bout between George Burton and John Bryant was also scratched. The event drew an estimated 182,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Tournament Final bout:

vs. Rick Hawn :Hieron defeated Hawn via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) to win Bellator's Season Four Welterweight Tournament. * Middleweight bout:

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly ...

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

Local feature fights

* Catchweight (179 lb) bout: Rich Bouphanouvong vs. David Rickels :Rickels 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 44

''Bellator 44'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on May 14, 2011, at Harrah's Resort. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

was scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle in a welterweight bout. However, on May 6, Good pulled out of the fight due to an injury. A scheduled bout between Anthony Morrison and Bryan Goldsby was canceled due to Morrison weighing-in 10 pounds over weight. The event drew a season high of 325,000 average viewers on

Results

Main card

* Lightweight Tournament Final bout:

vs.

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

Hector Lombard In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

vs. Falaniko Vitale :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 vs. Brett Cooper :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 vs. Jeff Lentz :Lentz defeated Leone via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). * Middleweight bout:

Jay Silva Jay Silva (born May 25, 1981) is an Angolan-born American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, Silva has also formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, the MFC, KSW, and Ta ...

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

Bellator 45

''Bellator 45'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on May 21, 2011 at the

L'Auberge du Lac Resort L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles is a casino hotel in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment. L'Auberge employs over 2,400 people, and has nearly 1,000 hotel rooms. It regular ...

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasi ...

. The card featured final round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

Thiago Santos Thiago Santos de Lima (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), competing in the light heavyweight division. Prior to signing with the PFL, Santos competed for the U ...

and Derrick Lewis was scrapped after Santos suffered an injury. The event drew an estimated 264,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship bout: Rich Hale vs.

:M'Pumbu defeated Hale via TKO (punches) at 4:17 of round 3. * Featherweight Tournament Final bout:

vs. Daniel Straus :Freire defeated Straus via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27). * Middleweight bout:

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

vs.

Sam Alvey Samuel William Alvey (born May 6, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Alvey has also formerly co ...

: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 vs. Nicolae Cury :Santos defeated Cury via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). * Lightweight bout: Renê Nazare vs. Kelvin Hackney :Nazare defeated Hackney via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:44 of round 1. * Catchweight (140 lb) bout: Joseph Abercrombie vs. Ben Parpart :Abercrombie defeated Parpart via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:11 of round 1.

Tournaments

Light Heavyweight tournament bracket

Welterweight tournament bracket

Lightweight tournament bracket

Featherweight tournament bracket

Bellator 46

''Bellator 46'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on June 25, 2011 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured opening round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man featherweight tournament to be held over the Summer Series. David Baggett missed the middleweight limit allowance of 186 for non-title fights, weighing in at 191.5 lb, and his bout with Moyses Gabin was scrapped from the card. The event drew an estimated 185,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Pat Curran vs. Luis Palomino :Curran defeated Palomino via submission (peruvian neck-tie) at 3:49 of round 1. * Featherweight Quarterfinal bout:

Marlon Sandro Marlon Sandro (born March 8, 1977) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He has competed for Bellator, Pancrase, Shooto, and World Victory Road. He is the former King of Pancrase Featherweight Champion and former Sengoku Featherweight C ...

vs. Genair da Silva :Sandro defeated da Silva via split decision (30–27, 28–29, 29–28). * Featherweight Quarterfinal bout: Nazareno Malegarie vs. Jacob DeVree :Malegarie defeated DeVree via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:25 of round 3. * Featherweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs. Adam Schindler :Mann defeated Schindler via KO (punches) at 4:14 of round 1.

Local feature fights

* Women's (115 lb) bout:

Jessica Aguilar Jessica Aguilar (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican- American mixed martial artist who competes in RIZIN. At the time of her voluntary departure from World Series of Fighting, she was the reigning WSOF Women's Strawweight Champion. Aguilar previousl ...

vs. Carla Esparza :Aguilar defeated Esparza via split decision (30–27, 28–29, 30–27). * Heavyweight bout: Tony Johnson vs. Derrick Lewis :Johnson defeated Lewis via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). * Catchweight bout (152 lb):

Alexandre Bezerra Alexandre Bezerra (born 25 September 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Bezerra made his professional MMA debut in July 2008. He quickly established an ...

vs. Sam Jones :Bezerra defeated Jones via submission (triangle choke) at 3:27 of round 1. * Middleweight bout:

vs. Josh Samman :Cramer defeated Samman via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Bellator 47

''Bellator 47'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on July 23, 2011 at

Casino Rama Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel, and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery a ...

Rama, Ontario Rama is a First Nations community on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. It is the home of Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the home arena of the Couchichi ...

. The card featured semi-final fights in the Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event was to feature Joe Warren's first defense of his featherweight title against season four tournament winner

. Freire, however, pulled out of the fight in early July due to a broken hand. This was Bellator's first event in Canada. Bellator 4 was set to take place in Canada, but was moved due to the promotion unable to come to terms with the Quebec Boxing Commission. Ben Saunders was expected to fight at this event, but had to pull out due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training. Bantamweights Bo Harris and Bryan Goldsby were originally announced to be facing each other, but the bout did not materialize in the days leading up to the event as Harris failed to complete his medical requirements in a timely fashion. The event drew an estimated 277,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Featherweight Semifinal bout: Pat Curran vs.

:Curran defeated Mann via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27). * Featherweight Semifinal bout:

vs. Nazareno Malegarie :Sandro defeated Malegarie via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). * Lightweight bout:

Chris Horodecki Christopher Horodecki (born September 24, 1987) is a Polish-Canadian mixed martial artist. He has competed for the WEC, the IFL, Bellator, TKO Major League MMA, and Palace Fighting Championship. Background Horodecki was born in London, Ontari ...

vs. Chris Saunders :Horodecki defeated Saunders via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). * Heavyweight bout: Neil Grove vs. Zak Jensen :Grove defeated Jensen via TKO (punches) at 2:00 of round 1.

Local feature fights

* Lightweight bout:

vs. Jesse Gross :Bezerra defeated Gross via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:28 of round 1. This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Horodecki vs. Saunders bout. * Featherweight bout: William Romero vs. Daniel Langbeen :Romero defeated Langbeen via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27). * Lightweight bout: Alka Matewa vs. Alex Ricci :Ricci defeated Matewa via TKO (elbows and punches) at 2:40 of round 2.

Bellator 48

''Bellator 48'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on August 20, 2011 at the

. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured the final round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

, but an injury forced Clarke out of the bout. Jeff "The Wolfman" Nader stepped in as Clarke's replacement. The event drew an estimated 226,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Featherweight Tournament Final: Pat Curran vs.

:Curran defeated Sandro via KO (head kick and punches) at 4:00 of round 2. * Heavyweight bout: Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello :Konrad defeated Buentello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). * Catchweight (230 lb) bout:

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American semi-retired mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, I ...

vs.

Seth Petruzelli Seth Christopher Petruzelli (born December 3, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and entrepreneur. Petruzelli competed in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions for the UFC, WEC, Elit ...

:Petruzelli defeated Rodriguez via KO (punches) at 4:21 of round 1. * Lightweight bout: Juan Barrantes vs. Renê Nazare :Nazare defeated Barrantes via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2.

Local feature fights

* Light Heavyweight bout:

vs. Jeff Nader :Nader defeated Cramer via TKO (punches) at 1:04 of round 3. * Light Heavyweight bout: Nik Fekete vs. Mark Griffin :Fekete defeated Griffin via TKO (elbows) at 3:12 of round 2. * Lightweight bout:

Andrew Calandrelli Andrew Calandrelli, Jr. is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2014, he competed in Bellator MMA. Mixed martial arts career Early career Calandrelli made his professional MMA debut in 2004. He amassed a recor ...

vs. Matt Nice :Calandrelli defeated Nice via submission (keylock) at 3:55 of round 1. * Welterweight bout: Brett Oteri vs.

:Quinn defeated Oteri via technical submission (rear naked choke) at 1:48 of round 1. This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Rodriguez vs. Petruzelli bout. * Featherweight bout: Saul Almeida vs. Tateki Matsuda :Almeida defeated Matsuda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Featherweight tournament bracket

Bellator 49

''Bellator 49'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 10, 2011 at

Caesars Atlantic City Caesars Atlantic City is a luxury hotel, casino, and spa resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it has an ancient Roman and ancient Greek theme. Atlantic City's second casino, it opened in 1979 as the Boardwalk Re ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. The card was the debut of the promotion's fifth season and distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man welterweight tournament to be held over the duration of Bellator's fifth season. Rick Hawn was expected to face Ben Saunders at this event but Hawn was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury. Hawn was replaced by Bellator newcomer Chris Cisneros.

The Ultimate Fighter 12 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series '' The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Cha ...

competitor,

Andy Main ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series '' The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlo ...

, was set to fight Kenny Foster on the undercard of this event. However, after an undisclosed injury, Main was pulled from the bout. On September 6, 2011, it was announced Bellator's Season 5 "Local Feature Fights" would be streamed live on Spike.com, starting with this event. The event drew an estimated 235,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Chris Lozano vs. Brent Weedman :Lozano defeated Weedman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). * Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Ben Saunders vs. Chris Cisneros :Saunders defeated Cisneros via TKO (knee to body and punches) at 0:29 of round 3. * Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Luis Santos vs. Dan Hornbuckle :Santos defeated Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). * Welterweight Quarterfinal bout: Steve Carl vs.

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

:Lima defeated Carl via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Catchweight bout (147 lb):

vs. Scott Heckman :Bezerra defeated Heckman via TKO (punches) at 1:38 in round 2. * Welterweight bout: Giedrius Karavackas vs. LeVon Maynard :Karavackas defeated Maynard via TKO (knee and punches) at 1:32 in round 3. * Featherweight bout:

Brylan Van Artsdalen Brylan Van Artsdalen (born August 14, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Van Artsdalen has formerly competed for Bellator and CES MMA. Mixed martial ...

vs. Joel Roberts :Roberts defeated Van Artsdalen via technical submission (triangle choke) at 1:47 in round 2. * Catchweight bout (150 lb): James Jones vs.

Lester Caslow Lester Caslow (born July 10, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Before making his professional debut, Caslow held an amateur record of 1-0. In a sp ...

:Caslow defeated Jones via TKO (injury) at 0:15 in round 2. * Heavyweight bout: Azunna Anyanwu vs. J.A. Dudley :Anyanwu defeated Dudley via TKO (punches) at 4:16 in round 2.

Bellator 50

''Bellator 50'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 17, 2011 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

The event hosted the opening round of the middleweight tournament in Bellator's fifth season. Veteran welterweight fighter Ailton Barbosa won Bellator's open tryouts in

in June 2011 to earn his spot on the card. R.J. Goodridge was scheduled to fight

J. P. Reese James Patrick Reese (born December 21, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist. He bases his training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Amateur wrestling career J.P. Reese began wrestling at Rochester Adams High School in Roches ...

, but after suffering an undisclosed injury Goodridge pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Martin Brown. Also, Ryan Hodge was scheduled to fight Valdir Araujo, but was pulled from the bout with an injury, and replaced with Brett Cooper. On September 15, 2011, Luis Palomino suffered an injury in training and was pulled from his scheduled bout with James Edson Berto. Berto was later pulled from the card as well, and the fight was scratched altogether; The two then met at W-1: Reloaded in which Palomino defeated Berto. A scheduled lightweight bout between Dietter Navarro and Marcelo Goncalves was changed into a 156 lb catchweight bout after both fighters missed weight. The event drew an estimated 114,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Middleweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs. Bryan Baker :Baker defeated Hess via TKO (strikes) at 2:52 of round 3. * Middleweight Quarterfinal bout: Victor O'Donnell vs. Brian Rogers :Rogers defeated O'Donnell via TKO (strikes) at 1:56 of round 1. * Middleweight Quarterfinal bout: Zelg Galesic vs. Alexander Shlemenko :Shlemenko defeated Galesic via submission (standing guillotine) at 1:55 of round 1 * Middleweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs. Vitor Vianna :Vianna defeated Alvey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Catchweight (140 lb) bout: Marcos da Matta vs. Shah Bobonis :Bobonis defeated da Matta via KO (punch) at 2:04 of round 3. * Catchweight (156 lb) bout: Dietter Navarro vs. Marcelo Goncalves :Goncalves defeated Navarro via submission (armbar) at 2:01 of round 1. * Middleweight bout: Brett Cooper vs. Valdir Araujo :Cooper defeated Araujo via TKO (punches) at 0:35 of round 3. * Lightweight bout: Rad Martinez vs. Brian van Hoven :Martinez defeated van Hoven via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). * Welterweight bout: Ailton Barbosa vs. Ryan Keenan :Barbosa defeated Keenan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:55 of round 1. * Welterweight bout: Cristiano Souza vs. John Kelly :Souza defeated Kelly via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). * Lightweight bout:

vs. Martin Brown :Reese defeated Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Bellator 51

''Bellator 51'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 24, 2011 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also form ...

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

. The Jessica Eye-Casey Noland bout was changed from 125 lb to a 127 lb catchweight after Noland failed to make weight./ The event drew an estimated 158,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Bantamweight Quarterfinal bout: Joe Warren vs. Alexis Vila :Vila defeated Warren via KO (punch) at 1:04 of round 1. * Bantamweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs. Eduardo Dantas :Dantas defeated Reis via KO (flying knee and punches) at 1:02 of round 2. * Bantamweight Quarterfinal bout: Chase Beebe vs.

:Galvao defeated Beebe via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). * Bantamweight Quarterfinal bout: Ed West vs. Luis Nogueira :West defeated Nogueira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Featherweight bout:

Frank Caraballo Frank Caraballo (born December 18, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. Mixed martial arts career Bellator Fighting Championships Caraballo lost to UFC veteran Waylon Lowe via unanimous decision ...

vs. Dustin Kempf :Caraballo defeated Kempf via TKO (Knee Injury) at 1:19 of Round 1. * Women's (127 lb) bout:

Jessica Eye Jessica Jo-Anne Eye (born July 27, 1986) is an American retired mixed martial artist. She competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Jessica Eye was born in Akron, Ohio to Randy Allen and Colleen Joanne Eye ...

vs. Casey Noland :Eye defeated Noland via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28). * Bantamweight bout: Farkhad Sharipov vs. Jessie Riggleman :Riggleman defeated Sharipov via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27). * Light Heavyweight bout: Dane Bonnigson vs. Dan Spohn :Spohn defeated Bonnigson via KO (knee) at 0:09 of round 1. * Light Heavyweight bout: John Hawk vs. Allan Weickert :Hawk defeated Weickert via TKO (retirement) at 5:00 of round 2. * Lightweight bout: Clint Musser vs. Joey Holt :Holt defeated Musser via KO (flying knee) at 4:07 of round 1.

Bellator 52

''Bellator 52'' was a

event held by

. It took place on October 1, 2011 at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the opening round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament. Blagoy Ivanov was originally scheduled to face

. Santos, however, was unable to travel from Brazil for the event and was replaced by Zak Jensen. The event drew an estimated 269,000 viewers on MTV 2.

Results

Main card

* Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Neil Grove vs. Mike Hayes :Hayes defeated Grove via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). * Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Zak Jensen :Ivanov defeated Jensen via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:35 of round 2. * Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout:

vs. Abe Wagner :Prindle defeated Wagner via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). * Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout: Mark Holata vs. Ron Sparks :Sparks defeated Holata via KO (punches) at 1:24 of round 1.

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Catchweight 150 lb bout: Genair da Silva vs. Bryan Goldsby :da Silva defeated Goldsby via submission (D'arce choke) at 3:51 of round 1. * Lightweight bout: Cosmo Alexandre vs. Josh Quayhagen :Quayhagen defeated Alexandre via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). * Heavyweight bout: Liron Wilson vs. Justin Frazier :Frazier defeated Wilson via TKO (punches) at 1:50 of round 1. * Catchweight (213 lb) bout: Matt Van Buren vs. Nick Nichols :Van Buren defeated Nichols via TKO (punches) at 2:29 of round 2.

Bellator 53

''Bellator 53'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on October 8, 2011 at the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. The event drew an estimated 103,000 viewers on

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Semifinal bout: Ben Saunders vs. Luis Santos :Saunders defeated Santos via submission (americana) at 1:45 of round 3. * Welterweight Semifinal bout: Chris Lozano vs.

:Lima defeated Lozano via KO (punch) at 3:14 of round 2. * Featherweight bout:

vs. Kenny Foster :Mann defeated Foster via submission (triangle choke) at 3:51 of round 1. * Heavyweight Tournament Reserve bout:

vs. Josh Burns :Santos defeated Burns via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:23 of round 1.

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Catchweight (160) bout: E. J. Brooks vs. Greg Scott : Brooks defeated Scott via TKO (punches) at 2:40 of round 2. * Middleweight bout: Darryl Cobb vs. Giva Santana : Santana defeated Cobb via submission (armbar) at 2:00 of round 1. * Catchweight (175) bout: A.J. Matthews vs. Rudy Bears : Matthews defeated Bears via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28). * Light Heavyweight bout: Raphael Davis vs. Myron Dennis :Davis defeated Dennis via KO (punch) at 0:29 of round 2. * Welterweight bout: Levi Avera vs. David Rickels :Rickels defeated Avera via submission (triangle choke) at 1:06 of round 2. * Catchweight (140) bout: Zak Laird vs. Luis Nogueira :Nogueira defeated Laird via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:51 of round 1.

Bellator 54

''Bellator 54'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on October 15, 2011 at the

Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atla ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Bellator bantamweight champion, Zach Makovsky, competed in a non-title bout at this event. He faced one-time UFC competitor Ryan Roberts. This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament.

was scheduled to make his second title defense of his lightweight championship against

on this card; however, on September 20, it was announced that Alvarez suffered an injury and the match has been pushed back to Bellator 58.

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

Results

Main card

* Middleweight Semifinal bout: Alexander Shlemenko vs. Brian Rogers :Shlemenko defeated Rogers via TKO (knees) at 2:30 of round 2. * Middleweight Semifinal bout: Bryan Baker vs. Vitor Vianna :Vianna defeated Baker via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 1. * Bantamweight bout: Zach Makovsky vs. Ryan Roberts :Makovsky defeated Roberts via submission (north/south choke) at 4:48 of round 1. * Lightweight bout: Jacob Kirwan vs. Renê Nazare :Kirwan defeated Nazare via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Middleweight bout: Daniel Gracie vs. Duane Bastress :Bastress defeated Gracie via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2. * Light Heavyweight bout: Tim Carpenter vs. Ryan Contaldi :Carpenter defeated Contaldi via TKO (punch) at 2:16 of round 1. * Catchweight (187 lb) bout: Lewis Rumsey vs. Joey Kirwan :Kirwan defeated Rumsey via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:40 of round 1. * Catchweight (140 lb) bout: Brian Kelleher vs. Claudio Ledesma :Ledesma defeated Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). * Women's (145 lb) bout: Andria Caplan vs. Adrienne Seiber :Caplan defeated Seiber via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Bellator 55

''Bellator 55'' was a

event held by

on October 22, 2011 at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Somerton, Arizona. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

fought

Travis Wiuff Travis James Wiuff (born March 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001 and a longtime veteran of the sport, Wiuff has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Bellat ...

in a non-title bout. M'Pumbu become the first Bellator champion to lose in a non-title bout. Despite a close split decision loss, main eventer Marcos Galvão was awarded a "win" bonus. The event earned an average of 168,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

Main card

* Bantamweight Semifinal bout: Alexis Vila vs.

:Vila defeated Galvão via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28). * Bantamweight Semifinal bout: Ed West vs. Eduardo Dantas :Dantas defeated West via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27). * Light Heavyweight bout:

vs.

:Wiuff defeated M'Pumbu via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). * Lightweight bout:

Ricardo Tirloni Ricardo Tirloni (born February 3, 1983) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Tirloni has fought in various promotions, including Bellator, the MFC, and Pancrase. ...

vs. Steve Gable :Tirloni defeated Gable via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:54 in round 2.

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Lightweight bout: Cesar Avila vs.

Efrain Escudero Efraín Escudero (born January 15, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He trains under Drew Fickett and competes in the 155 lb (70.3 kg) weight class. Efrain was the winner of season eight of Spike TV's reality ...

:Escudero defeated Avila via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:55 in round 1. * Catchweight (210 lb) bout: Rich Hale vs. Carlos Flores :Hale defeated Flores via TKO (punch) at 0:18 in round 1. * Middleweight bout:

Edgar Garcia Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

vs. Jacob Ortiz :Ortiz defeated Garcia via KO (punch) at 4:06 of round 1. * Catchweight (158 lb) bout: Erin Beach vs. Roscoe Jackson :Beach defeated Jackson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:52 in round 1. * Featherweight bout: Nick Piedmont vs. Jade Porter :Porter defeated Piedmont via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). * Middleweight bout:

Steve Steinbeiss Steve Thomas Steinbeiss (born May 5, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who recently fought in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Ultimate Fighting Championship Steinbeiss was pa ...

vs. Dano Moore :Steinbeiss defeated Moore via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:52 in round 1.

Bellator 56

''Bellator 56'' was a

event held by

. It took place on October 29, 2011 at Memorial Hall in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament. Mike Hayes was expected to face Blagoi Ivanov at this event, However Hayes was issued a 60-day medical suspension by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission due to a fractured orbital bone sustained during his fight with Neil Grove at

Bellator 52 2011 in Bellator MMA 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 Feather ...

. Thiago Santos stepped in for the injured Hayes. Ivanov subsequently had to pull out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Neil Grove.

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Championship bout:

: Askren defeated Hieron via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47). * Heavyweight Semifinal bout:

vs. Neil Grove : Santos defeated Grove via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:38 of Round 1. * Heavyweight Semifinal bout:

vs. Ron Sparks : Prindle defeated Sparks via KO (Punch) at 0:40 of Round 1. Local Feature Fight (Spike.com) * Welterweight bout: Rudy Bears vs. Marcio Navarro :Navarro defeated Bears via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28). * Featherweight bout: Adam Schindler vs. Jeremy Spoon :Spoon defeated Schindler via unanimous decision. This bout aired on MTV2 following the Prindle/Sparks match. * Light Heavyweight bout: Kelvin Tiller vs. Dan Spohn :Tiller defeated Spohn via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28). * Lightweight bout: Willian De Souza vs. E. J. Brooks :Brooks defeated De Souza via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26). * Featherweight bout: Jeimeson Saudino vs. Jacob Akin :Akin defeated Saudino via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:26 of round 1. * Bantamweight bout: Aaron Ely vs. Owen Evinger :Ely defeated Evinger via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:45 of round 1. * Heavyweight bout: Daniel Gallemore vs. Derrick Ruffin :Gallemore defeated Ruffin via TKO (retirement) at 5:00 of round 2.

Bellator 57

''Bellator 57'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 12, 2011 at

. The event was distributed live in primetime by

Background

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

. This event hosted the final rounds of Bellator's Season Five Welterweight Tournament and Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament. Bellator's Women's champion, Zoila Gurgel, was scheduled to compete in a non-title bout against Carina Damm. However, an injury forced her off the card.

Results

Main card

* Welterweight Tournament Final:

vs. Ben Saunders :Lima defeated Saunders via KO (punches) at 1:21 of round 2. * Middleweight Tournament Final: Alexander Shlemenko vs. Vitor Vianna :Shlemenko defeated Vianna via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). * Light Heavyweight bout: Roger Hollett vs. John Hawk : Hollett defeated Hawk via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). * Featherweight bout:

vs. Doug Evans :Bezerra defeated Evans via submission (ankle lock) at 4:04 in round 1.

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Light Heavyweight bout: Shawn Levesque vs. Matt Van Buren :Van Buren defeated Levesque via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:38 in round 1. * Lightweight bout:

vs.

Mike Corey Mike Corey (born March 8, 1984) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2005 until 2014, he fought in the IFL and the World Series of Fighting. Biography A high-school wrestler, Corey joined the Marines and started MMA t ...

:Horodecki vs. Corey declared a majority draw (29-28 Horodecki, 28-28, 28-28). * Lightweight bout: Ashkan Morvari vs. Dave Jansen :Jansen defeated Morvari via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:47 in round 2. * Bantamweight bout: Chuck Mady vs. Denis Puric :Puric defeated Mady via TKO (injury-broken jaw) at 5:00 in Round 2. * Lightweight bout: Eric Moon vs.

:Shockley defeated Moon via submission (guillotine) at 0:35 in round 1. * Lightweight bout: Mike Sledzion vs. Taylor Solomon :Solomon defeated Sledzion via KO (punch) at 1:10 in round 1.

Bellator 58

''Bellator 58'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 19, 2011 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

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

, was expected to compete in non-title, light heavyweight fight against UFC and Strikeforce veteran,

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ul ...

, at this event. However, for unknown reasons, Sobral was replaced by

Trevor Prangley Trevor Prangley (born 24 August 1972) is a South African mixed martial artist. He has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream, King of the Cage, MFC, the SFL, Shark Fights, and Bodog Fight. He competed in the Middleweight and Light ...

. The event drew a season high 269,000 viewers with the immediate repeat also drawing 160,000 viewers.

Results

Main card

* Lightweight Championship bout:

:Chandler defeated Alvarez via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:06 in round 4 to become the new Bellator Lightweight Champion. * Catchweight (195lb) bout:

vs.

:Lombard defeated Prangley via TKO (punches) at 1:06 in round 2. * Women's (115 lb) bout:

vs. Lisa Ellis :Aguilar defeated Ellis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). * Featherweight bout:

vs. Rafael Dias :Sandro defeated Dias via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:56 in round 1.

Local feature fights (Spike.com)

* Middleweight bout: Brett Cooper vs.

:Cooper defeated Hess via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). * Welterweight bout: Valdir Araujo vs. Ailton Barbosa :Araujo defeated Barbosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 , 29-28). * Catchweight bout (157 lb): Cosmo Alexandre vs. Avery McPhatter :Alexandre defeated McPhatter via KO (knees) at 0:20 in round 1. * Middleweight bout: Jonas Billstein vs.

Herbert Goodman Herbert Goodman (born August 31, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist and former NFL running back for the Green Bay Packers. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2011, Goodman competed for Bellator, M-1 Global and K ...

:Goodman defeated Billstein via disqualification (illegal soccer kick) at 3:21 in round 2. * Lightweight bout: Farkhad Sharipov vs. Fabio Mello :Mello defeated Sharipov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Bellator 59

''Bellator 59'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 26, 2011 at

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the final round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament as well as the Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. Michael Costa pulled out of his fight with

due to an injury, which led the organization to scrap Good from the event all together. The lightweight bout between

Phillipe Nover Phillipe J. Nover (born February 3, 1984), is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion. Early l ...

and Marcin Held was promoted to the main card. The final of the Heavyweight tournament was ruled a No Contest after an accidental groin kick by

rendered

unable to continue. Following the event Santos failed to make weight for a scheduled rematch causing the bout to be cancelled, and Prindle to be awarded the tournament win by default.

Results

Main card

* Heavyweight Tournament Final bout:

vs.

:The bout was ruled a No Contest after Santos kicked Prindle in the groin at 1:24 of the round 1 and Prindle was unable to continue. * Lightweight bout:

vs. Kurt Pellegrino :Freire defeated Pellegrino via TKO (punches) at 0:50 of round 1. * Bantamweight Tournament Final bout: Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila :Dantas defeated Vila via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). * Lightweight bout: Marcin Held vs.

:Held defeated Nover via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Local feature fights

*Catchweight (175 lb) bout:

vs. Jesus Martinez :Amoussou defeated Martinez via TKO (punches) at 2:20 of round 1. * Welterweight bout: LeVon Maynard vs. Christopher Wing :Maynard defeated Wing via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). * Catchweight (175 lb) bout: Doug Gordon vs. Lucas Pimenta :Pimenta defeated Gordon via KO (elbows) at 0:40 in round 1. * Featherweight bout:

vs. Scott Heckman :Heckman defeated Van Artsdalen via submission (standing modified guillotine) at 1:38 in round 1. * Middleweight bout: Gregory Milliard vs. Brandon Saling :Milliard defeated Saling via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Tournaments

Heavyweight tournament bracket

Middleweight tournament bracket

Welterweight tournament bracket

Bantamweight tournament bracket

References

External links

Bellator
{{Bellator Tournament Events 2011 American television seasons 2011 in mixed martial arts Bellator MMA events