Bellator Section

Who is Bellator

Bellator kicked off its debut in 2008 on ESPN Deportes. Bellator is led by former Boxing promoter Bjorn Rebney. Rebney has worked tirelessly alongside matchmaker Sam Caplan in building a promotion around new stars, rather than recycled talent from the UFC. Bellator eventually moved its show to MTV2, but when the UFC decided to not re-sign with SpikeTV, it opened the door for Bellator.

Bellator, recently purchased by Viacom, has arguably become the second biggest MMA promotion in the world. Bellator’s promotion is distinctly different than the UFC’s model. Bellator prefers to use the tournament format, and has no intentions to enter the pay-per-view business. Bellator’s tournaments are usually comprised of top prospects and established veterans.

Original tournament winners were deemed Bellator Tournament Champions, and each defends their title against forthcoming tournament winners. In order to keep their champions busy, Bellator has their champions face opposition, called Super Fights. Most Super Fights are non-title, in order to protect their promotion’s champion from losing his title to a fighter not signed to a long-term contract. Bellator’s tournament champions are locked into contracts, which means we won’t be seeing any of its champions fight for the UFC anytime soon.

Bellator’s current champions

BW – Zach Makovsky
FW – Joe Warren
LW – Michael Chandler
WW – Ben Askren
MW – Hector Lombard
LHW – Christian M’Pumbu
HW – Cole Konrad

Bellator’s past tournament champions

BW – Zach Makovsky (Season 3)
FW – Joe Soto (Season 1), Joe Warren (Season 2), Patricio Freire (Season 4), Pat Curran (Season 4 Summer)
LW – Eddie Alvarez (Season 1), Pat Curran (Season 2), Michael Chandler (Season 4)
WW – Lyman Good (Season 1), Ben Askren (Season 2), Jay Hieron (Season 4), Douglas Lima (Season 5)
MW – Hector Lombard (Season 1), Alexander Shlemenko (Season 2), Alexander Shlemenko (Season 5)
LHW – Christian M’Pumbu (Season 4)
HW – Cole Konrad (Season 3)

Tournament Results

Bantamweight
Season 3
Quarterfinals
Ulysses Gomez def. Travis Reddinger (Dec)
Jose Vega def. Danny Tims (Dec)
Ed West def. Bryan Goldsby (Dec)
Zach Makovsky def. Nik Mamalis (Dec)

Semifinals
Zach Makovsky def. Bryan Goldsby(replaced U.Gomez) (Dec)
Ed West def. Jose Vega (Dec)

Finals
Zach Makovsky def. Ed West (Dec)

Season 5
Quarterfinals
Ed West def. Luis Nogueira (Dec)
Alexis Vila def. Joe Warren (KO, Rd.1)
Marcos Galvao def. Chase Beebe (Dec)
Eduardo Dantas def. Wilson Reis (TKO, Rd.2)

Semifinals
Alexis Vila def. Marcos Galvao (Dec)
Eduardo Dantas def. Ed West (Dec)

Finals
Eduardo Dantas def. Alexis Vila

Featherweight
Season 1
Quarterfinals
Wilson Reis def. Henry Martinez (Dec)
Joe Soto def. Ben Greer (TKO, Rd.1)
Yahir Reyes def. Nick Gonzalez (Sub, Rd.1)
Estevan Payan def. Luis Palomino (Dec)

Semifinals
Joe Soto def. Wilson Reis (Dec)
Yahir Reyes def. Estevan Payan (KO, Rd.2)

Finals
Joe Soto def. Yahir Reyes (Sub, Rd.2)

Season 2
Quarterfinals
Joe Warren def. Eric Marriott (Dec)
Wilson Reis def. Shad Lierley (Sub, Rd.3)
Georgi Karakhanyan def. Bao Quach (KO, Rd.1)
Patricio Freire def. William Romero (Sub, Rd.1)

Semifinals
Joe Warren def. Georgi Karakhanyan (Dec)
Patricio Freire def. Wilson Reis (Dec)

Finals
Joe Warren def. Patricio Freire (Dec)

Season 4
Quarterfinals
Patricio Freire def. Georgi Karakhanyan (KO, Rd.3)
Daniel Straus def. Nazareno Malegarie (Dec)
Wilson Reis def. Zac George (Sub, Rd.1)
Kenny Foster def. Eric Larkin (Sub, Rd.1)

Semifinals
Patricio Freire def. Wilson Reis (KO, Rd.3)
Daniel Straus def. Kenny Foster (Sub, Rd.3)

Finals
Patricio Freire def. Daniel Straus (Dec)

Season 4 Summer
Quarterfinals
Marlon Sandro def. Genair Da Silva (Dec)
Pat Curran def. Luis Palomino (Sub, Rd.1)
Ronnie Mann def. Adam Schindler (KO, Rd.1)
Nazareno Malegarie def. Jacob DeVree (Sub, Rd.3)

Semifinals
Marlon Sandro def. Nazareno Malegarie (Dec)
Pat Curran def. Ronnie Mann (Dec)

Finals
Pat Curran def. Marlon Sandro (KO, Rd.2)

Lightweight
Season 1
Quarterfinals
Eddie Alvarez def. Greg Loughran (Sub, Rd.1)
Jorge Masvidal def. Nick Agallar (TKO, Rd.1)
Toby Imada def. Alonzo Martinez (Sub, Rd.1)
Eric Reynolds def. Thomas Schulte (TKO, Rd.1)

Semifinals
Eddie Alvarez def. Eric Reynolds (Sub, Rd.3)
Toby Imada def. Jorge Masvidal (Sub, Rd.3)

Finals
Eddie Alvarez def. Toby Imada (Sub, Rd.2)

Season 2
Quarterfinals
Roger Huerta def. Chad Hinton (Sub, Rd.3)
Pat Curran def. Mike Ricci (KO, Rd.1)
Toby Imada def. James Krause (Sub, Rd.2)
Carey Vanier def. Joe Duarte (TKO, Rd.3)

Semifinals
Pat Curran def. Roger Huerta (Dec)
Toby Imada def. Carey Vanier (Sub, Rd.2)

Finals
Pat Curran def. Toby Imada (Dec)

Season 4
Quarterfinals
Patricky Freire def. Rob McCullough (TKO, Rd.3)
Toby Imada def. Josh Shockley (Sub, Rd.1)
Michael Chandler def. Marcin Held (Sub, Rd.1)
Lloyd Woodard def. Carey Vanier (TKO, Rd.2)

Semifinals
Patricky Freire def. Toby Imada (TKO, Rd.1)
Michael Chandler def. Lloyd Woodard (Dec)

Finals
Michael Chandler def. Patricky Freire (Dec)

Welterweight
Season 1
Quarterfinals
Lyman Good def. Hector Urbina (Sub, Rd.2)
Dave Menne def. Norman Paraisy (Sub, Rd.3)
Omar De La Cruz def. Victor Meza (Dec)
Jorge Ortiz def. Aaron Romero (Dec)

Semifinals
Lyman Good def. Jorge Ortiz (TKO, Rd.2)
Omar De La Cruz def. Dave Menne (TKO, Rd.1)

Finals
Lyman Good def. Omar De La Cruz (TKO, Rd.1)

Season 2
Quarterfinals
Dan Hornbuckle def. Tyler Stinson (Sub, Rd.1)
Ben Askren def. Ryan Thomas (Sub, Rd.1)
Steve Carl def. Brett Cooper (Dec)
Ryan Thomas def. Jacob McClintock (TKO, Rd.1)

Semifinals
Dan Hornbuckle def. Ryan Thomas (Dec)
Ben Askren def. Steve Carl (Sub, Rd.1)

Finals
Ben Askren def. Dan Hornbuckle (Dec)

Season 4
Quarterfinals
Jay Hieron def. Anthony Lapsley (Sub, Rd.1)
Lyman Good def. Chris Lozano (Dec)
Rick Hawn def. Jim Wallhead (Dec)
Brent Weedman def. Dan Horbuckle (Dec)

Semifinals
Jay Hieron def. Brent Weedman (Dec)
Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good (Dec)

Finals
Jay Hieron def. Rick Hawn (Dec)

Season 5
Quarterfinals
Douglas Lima def. Steve Carl (Dec)
Ben Saunders def. Chris Cisneros (TKO, Rd.3)
Chris Lozano def. Brent Weedman (Dec)
Luis Santos def. Dan Hornbuckle (Dec)

Semifinals
Douglas Lima def. Chris Lozano (KO, Rd.2)
Ben Saunders def. Luis Santos (Sub, Rd.3)

Finals
Douglas Lima def. Ben Saunders

Middleweight
Season 1
Quarterfinals
Hector Lombard def. Virgil Lozano (KO, Rd.1)
Yosmany Cabezas def. Edwin Aguilar (Sub, Rd.1)
Jared Hess def. Daniel Tabera (Sub, Rd.1)
Damien Stelly def. Alex Andrade (Dec)

Semifinals
Hector Lombard def. Damien Stelly (TKO, Rd.1)
Jared Hess def. Yosmany Cabezas (TKO, Rd.3)

Finals
Hector Lombard def. Jared Hess (TKO, Rd.4)

Season 2
Quarterfinals
Bryan Baker def. Sean Loeffler (TKO, Rd.1)
Jared Hess def. Ryan McGivern (Sub, Rd.2)
Eric Schambari def. Luke Zachrich (Sub, Rd.1)
Alexander Shlemenko def. Matt Major (Dec)

Semifinals
Bryan Baker def. Eric Schambari (Sub, Rd.1)
Alexander Shlemenko def. Jared Hess (TKO, Rd.3)

Finals
Alexander Shlemenko def. Bryan Baker (TKO, Rd.1)

Season 5
Quarterfinals
Alexander Shlemenko def. Zelg Galesic (Sub, Rd.1)
Bryan Baker def. Jared Hess (TKO, Rd.3)
Vitor Vianna def. Sam Alvey (Dec)
Brian Rogers def. Victor O’Donnell (TKO, Rd.1)

Semifinals
Vitor Vianna def. Bryan Baker (TKO, Rd.1)
Alexander Shlemenko def. Brian Rogers (TKO, Rd.2)

Finals
Alexander Shlemenko def. Vitor Vianna

Light Heavyweight
Season 4
Quarterfinals
D.J. Linderman def. Raphael Davis (TKO, Rd.3)
Tim Carpenter def. Daniel Gracie (Dec)
Rich Hale def. Nik Fekete (Sub, Rd.1)
Christian M’Pumbu def. Chris Davis (TKO, Rd.3)

Semifinals
Rich Hale def. D.J. Linderman (Dec)
Christian M’Pumbu def. Tim Carpenter (TKO, Rd.1)

Finals
Christian M’Pumbu def. Rich Hale (TKO, Rd.3)

Heavyweight
Season 3
Quarterfinals
Cole Konrad def. Rogent Lloret (Dec)
Damian Grabowski def. Scott Barrett (Dec)
Neil Grove def. Eddie Sanchez (TKO, Rd.1)
Alexey Oleinik def. Mike Hayes (Dec)

Semifinals
Cole Konrad def. Damian Grabowski (Dec)
Neil Grove def. Alexey Oleinik (TKO, Rd.1)

Finals
Cole Konrad def. Neil Grove (Sub, Rd.1)

Season 5
Quarterfinals
Ron Sparks def. Mark Holata (KO, Rd.1)
Mike Hayes def. Neil Grove (Dec)
Blagoi Ivanov def. Zak Jensen (Sub, Rd.2)
Eric Prindle def. Abe Wagner (Dec)

Semifinals
Eric Prindle def. Ron Sparks
Thiago Santos(replaced M.Hayes) def. Neil Grove(replaced B.Ivanov)

Finals
Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos