Bellator Fighting Championships 40
April 9, 2011

First Council Casino,
Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States

Non Title Bout

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Ben Askren (8 – 0 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Nick Thompson (38 – 14 – 1).  Askren remains ranked at [#21] with this victory.  Askren showed true positional dominance on the ground, thoroughly flustering Thompson in all 3 rounds.  Nick Thompson drops 1 spot from [#128] to [#129].  Thompson, who is on a 4 fight losing streak and has not won since February of 2009, announced his intention to retire following the bout.

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Semifinal

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Jay Hieron (21 – 4 – 0) defeated Brent Weedman (18 – 6 – 1) via unanimous decision.  Weedman was the aggressor for much of the bout, but the judges felt Hieron’s boxing earned him the victory.  Hieron breaks into the top ten, jumping 5 spots from [#15] to [#10].  He will face [#47] Rick Hawn in the finals of the season 4 welterweight tournament.  Now Hieron is 11 spots higher than Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren.  Brent Weedman drops 2 spots from [#28] to [#30].  Prior to this loss, Weedman was on a 3 year, 10 fight win streak.

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal

Lightweight (155 lbs)
Michael Chandler (7 – 0 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Lloyd Woodard (11 – 1 – 0)  Chandler used superior wrestling to control the taller Woodard throughout the fight.  Chandler, who bounds 109 spots forward from [#161] to [#52], advances to the finals to face [#51] Patricky Freire.  Chandler had stopped all his opponents prior to this bout.  Lloyd Woodard falls 20 spots from [#46] to [#66].  Woodard suffered defeat for the first time on Saturday night, but he has much to offer and should be back in the Bellator cage soon.

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Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Daley

April 9, 2011
Valley View Casino Center

San Diego, California, United States

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Nick Diaz (25 – 7 – 0) extended his winning streak to 10 in his dazzling finish over Paul Daley (27 – 10 – 2) by TKO due to punches at 4:57 of the 1^st round.  Daley, who was just 3 seconds shy of being saved by the bell, protested the stoppage by “Big” John McCarthy.  However, Daley looked unsteady when he was helped up onto his stool, leading one to believe that the stoppage may have been justified.  Diaz and Daley rocked each other numerous times throughout the truncated tussle, but the legendary chin of Diaz allowed him to recover and prevail.  Daley has never been stopped by strikes in his career prior to this loss.  With this win, Diaz moved up 2 spots, eking past [#5] B.J. Penn and [#4] Jon Fitch to rest at [#3].  Diaz has more or less beaten everyone in the Strikeforce welterweight division except for unbeaten [#35] Tyron Woodley.  Paul Daley was on a 4 fight win streak prior to this loss, and is 8-2 in his last 10.  After suffering his first TKO loss due to strikes, he will want to come back with an emphatic victory to prove he is still a top tier welterweight.  A bout with fellow loser to Nick Diaz, [#32] Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos would most likely produce fireworks on the feet, propelling the victor back into title contention.  Daley drops 8 spots from [#8] to {#14].

Strikeforce Lightweight Championship

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Gilbert Melendez (19 – 2 – 0) brutalized Tatsuya Kawajiri  (27 – 7 – 0) and won via TKO due to elbows at 3:14 of the 1^st round.  Melendez truly made a statement by dominating fellow top ten competitor Kawajiri in such shocking fashion.  Ironically it was his elbows, which are newly allowed in Strikeforce, that forced the stoppage.   Melendez, like his teammate Nick Diaz, does not have a paucity of talent available for him to face.  A rematch with [#4] Shinya Aoki or a bout against [#28] Justin Wilcox could prove interesting. The cross promotional dream match between Melendez and Bellator lightweight champ [#5] Eddie Alvarez would always be appealing.  Melendez moves 2 spots up the ranks from [#4] to [#2], usurping [#3] Gray Maynard’s previous spot.  Melendez is on a 5 fight win streak.  Tatsuya Kawajiri has suffered two hard 1^st round defeats in the last year, and these have both shown sizeable chinks in his armor.  Kawajiri did not impress in his Stateside debut, and should look for bouts with [#13] Jorge Masvidal or [#50] Pat Healy.  Kawajiri drops 2 spots from [#9] to [#11].

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Bellator Fighting Championships 30
April 2, 2011
Uncasville, Connecticut, United States

 

Bellator Lightweight Championship

Lightweight (155 lbs)
Eddie Alvarez (22 – 2 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Pat Curran (13 – 4 – 0).  Alvarez stays ranked at [#5] with this victory.  Alvarez is on a 7 fight win streak, and is regarded as one of the top lightweights in the world.  Pat Curran drops 7 spots from [#38] to [#45].  Although he lost, Curran proved a lot by going the distance with Alvarez.  Curran, who is 4 – 1 in is last 5, hinted at a possible move down to 145 lbs after this loss.

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Semifinal

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Rick Hawn (11 – 0 – 0) defeated Lyman Good (11 – 2 – 0) by a razor thin split decision.  Hawn jumps 13 spots forward from [#60] to [#47].  He will face the winner of Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman in the finals of the season 4 welterweight tournament.  Lyman Good drops 3 spots from [#54] to [#57].  Good, who has now lost 2 of his last 3, is still a top welterweight prospect inside the Bellator cage.

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal

Light Heavyweight (155 lbs)
Patricky Freire (9 – 1 – 0) blasted Toby Imada (29 – 16 – 0) and won  by TKO due to a huge flying knee and punches at 2:53 into round 1.  Freire, who bounds 80 spots forward from [#132] to [#52], has to be the odds on favorite to win the lightweight tournament now.  Freire is on a 5 fight win streak, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.  Toby Imada falls 31 spots from [#42] to [#73].  Imada, who hasn’t suffered a TKO loss since 2006, will have to go back to the drawing board and come back strong.  He has been in this position before, and has proven capable to return from demoralizing defeats.

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In Episode 2, Keon Caldwell left the competition as he couldn’t stand to be separated from his family.  His replacement will be announced in the next episode.

In the second opening round fight, Team Lesnar’s Chris Cope defeated Team Dos Santos’ Javier Torres by a unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards) after an overtime round.

The current win tally is 1 Team Dos Santos, 1 Team Lesnar.

Here’s who remains:

[#113] Anthony Ferguson

[#179] Myles Jury
episode 1: forced to withdraw due to an injury

[#200] Ryan McGillivray

[#247 LW] Ramsey Nijem

[#289] Chuck O’Neil
episode 1: alternate taking place of Miles Jury

[#321] Charlie Rader

[#364] Shamar Bailey
episode 1: moved on to quarter-finals with a 20-18 unanimous decision win over Nordin Asrih

[#387] Clay Harvison

[#441] Chris Cope
episode 2: moved on to quarter-finals with a 29-28 overtime unanimous decision win over Javier Torres

[#475] Len Bentley

[NR] Nordin Asrih
episode 1: lost a unanimous decision (20-18) to Shamar Bailey

[NR] Michael Bowman

[NR] Keon Caldwell
episode 2: withdrew from competition

[NR] Zachary Davis

[NR] Javier Torres
episode 2: lost an overtime unanimous decision (29-28) to Chris Cope

 

 

Featherweight (145 lbs)

Janailson Kevin Pereira Lima (8 – 12 – 0) defeated Marcos Vinicius (7 – 1 – 0) by split decision.  Lima, who was previously unranked, breaks into the featherweight “Top 250” at [#161].  Lima has won 3 of his last 4 (not counting one No Contest).  Vinicius drops 64 spots from [#117] to [#164].

 

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Leonardo Guimaraes (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Cassio Jacare (4 – 2 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 1:11 into round 2.  Guimaraes, who was previously unranked, breaks into the heavyweight “Top 250” at [#165].  Guimaraes has stopped all but 1 of his opponents.  Cassio Jacare, who remains unranked, has gone 2-2 in his last 4 fights.

 

Women’s Bantamweight (135 lbs)

Vanessa Porto (12 – 4 – 0) defeated Kalindra Carvalho Faria (1 – 3 – 1) by armbar submission at 3:57 into round 1.  Porto, who was previously unranked, breaks into the women’s bantamweight “Top 15” at [#9].  Porto won 5 of her last 6, 4 by armbar submission.  Faria remains unranked.

 

Iron Man Championship 4
March 31, 2011
Pan Amazon,
Belem, Para, Brazil

 

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Dirlei Brundestuki (3 – 1 – 0) weathered the opening storm and upset the much larger Geronimo “Mondragon” Dos Santos (21 – 13 – 0) by TKO due retirement at 4:15 into round 2.  Brundestuki remains unranked.  Dos Santos, who was previously ranked at [#151], fell off the rankings.  Dos Santos is 4-2 in his last 6, losing both fights by TKO due to retirement.

 

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Marinho Rocha (3 – 4 – 0) won a suspect split decision over Luis Sergio da Fonseca Melo. (22 – 8 – 3).  Rocha, who remains unranked with his victory, broke a 4 fight losing streak with this win.  Melo, who drops 72 spots from  [#108] to [#180], is 5-1-1 in his last 7.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)

Andre Lobato (11 – 2 – 0) defeated Alexandre Goncalves Alves Jr. (5 – 4 – 0) by submission due to heel hook at 0:34 into round 1.  Lobato, who jumped 26 spots forward from [#277] to [#251], has won 6 of his last 7 all by 1^st round submission.  Alves Jr, who remains unranked, has lost 3 of his last 4.

 

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Rafael Bastos (35 – 14 – 1) won a unanimous decision over Jamil Silveira (20 – 12 – 0).  Bastos, who jumps 108 spots from [#415] to [#307], is on a 4 fight win streak, stopping 2 of his opponents.  Silveira, who remains unranked, has lost 5 of his last 7 all via unanimous decision.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)

Maurilio de Souza (4 – 4 – 0) upset Paulo Henrique Garcia Rodrigues (12 – 6 – 0) by guillotine choke at 0:27 into round 1.  De Souza, who remains unranked, is on a 2 fight win streak, stopping both of his opponents in under 30 seconds.  Rodrigues, who was ranked at [#259], has fallen off the middleweight “Top 350.”  Prior to two losses, Rodrigues was on a 4 fight win streak, all by armbar.

 

Lightweight (155 lbs)
Jose Ivanildo Lopes Souza (6 – 5 – 0) defeated Carlos Heide (9 – 6 – 0) by guillotine choke submission at 1:30 into the 1st round.  Lopes, who was previously unranked, enters the lightweight “Top 500” at [#447].  Lopes has won 5 of his last 6 fights.  Heide, who remains unranked, is 4-2 in his last 6.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)
Marcio Henrique Castanheira (6 – 1 – 0) defeated Edilson Florencio (8 – 11 – 0) by TKO due to retirement at 1:42 into the 1st round.  Castanheira, who was previously unranked, enters the middleweight “Top 350” at [#275].  Castanheira has won all 6 of his fights by stoppage.  Florencio, who remains unranked, is 4-2 in his last 6.

 

 

Strikeforce – Challengers 15

April 1, 2011
Stockton, California, United States

 

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Justin Wilcox (11 – 3 – 0)  continued his march towards a Strikeforce lightweight title shot as he disposed of Rodrigo Damm (9 – 5 – 0) by stopping the bout due to doctors stoppage at the end of round 1.  Rodrigo Damm looked like he had little to offer Wilcox, who dominated the Brazilian with powerful head kicks and ground and pound including precision elbows (thanks to Strikeforce adopting the unified rules and allowing elbows).  In the post fight interview, Wilcox stated that he has his eye on the gold.  It is hard to argue against him after the performance he showed on Friday night.  Other than a title fight with the winner of [#4] Gil Melendez and [#9] Tatsuya Kawajiri (taking place on April 9^th), a bout with [#13] Jorge Masvidal would prove telling for Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox.  Wilcox jumps 12 spots forward, from [#40] to [#28] with this victory, and now on a 6 fight win streak.  Rodrigo Damm is in a tough spot , losing 4 of his last 5.  Perhaps scraps between he and [#78] Billy Evangelista, who is coming off the first loss of his career to Jorge Masvidal, or [#89] Carlo Prater would be worthwhile.  Damm drops 29 spots from [#92] to {#121].

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