Press Release – Yuma, AZ. (April 16, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships brought its world-class MMA action outdoors for Bellator 41, LIVE on MTV2 from Cocopah Casino and Resort. The night saw two Bellator Champions earn Super Fight victories with Bellator Featherweight World Champion and self proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” Joe Warren earning a unanimous decision win, Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Zach Makovsky capturing his first knockout victory, along with Patricio Pitbull and Daniel Straus punching their tickets to the Bellator Featherweight Finals with impressive victories.
Bellator Featherweight World Champion Joe Warren stepped back into the Bellator cage for the first time since his championship victory at Bellator 27 over Joe Soto as he met the imposing Marcos “Louro” Galvao, who was making his Bellator debut. Warren was the aggressor throughout the fight, but Galvao always seemed to have an answer, and delivered several strong counters to Warren’s advances. As the third and final round began, sensing he was down, Warren left it all in the cage, and finally connected with solid strikes to the head and ribs of an exhausted Galvao. The fight went to the judges, and in a somewhat controversial decision, Joe Warren stayed undefeated in Bellator with a unanimous decision victory over a stunned Marcos Galvao.
“This season continues to produce outstanding fights, and tonight was no different,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Two of our Champions came away with victories, and Pitbull and Straus both earned well deserved trips to our featherweight final later this season on MTV 2 – which will make for an unbelievable championship fight.”
Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky was back in action, taking on Chad Robichaux in a Bantamweight Super Fight. As expected, submission attempts were on display from both fighters early on, but the fight ultimately saw Zach Makovsky record the first knockout of his career, as the champ hammered Robichaux on the ground before referee Jason Herzog awarded Makovsky the knockout victory.
A featherweight rematch between long time Bellator veteran Wilson Reis and Brazilian striker Patricio Pitbull determined which fighter would make it to the finals, and it was evident early both fighters had plans to fight in the finals. With both fighters holding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelts, Reis and Pitbull spent the early portion of the fight feeling each other out. As the fight progressed, Patricio became more aggressive with his strikes, and as the third round was coming to a close, Pitbull delivered a vicious array of blows that ended the fight early, giving Pitbull another victory and a spot in the Bellator Featherweight Finals.
Watch the highlight here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK-etrNHDPo
In the additional featherweight semifinal fight, Daniel Straus punched his ticket to the finals by delivering a tight Guillotine choke to Kenny “The Tooth Fairy” Foster late in round three. Straus controlled the action throughout the fight, delivering a solid flying knee to Foster in the first, which seemed to shake up the New York native. As the fight moved on, Straus looked for the finish, and eventually found it in the third round, securing a spot in the finals against Patricio Pitbull later this season.
Official Main Card Results:
Joe Warren def. Marcos Galvao by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Zack Makovsky def. Chad Robichaux by TKO (Unanswered Strikes, Round 3)
Patricio Pitbull def. Wilson Reis by KO (3:29, Round 3)
Daniel Straus def. Kenny Foster by Submission (Guillotine, Round 3)
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator Fighting Championships is the first MMA promotion to hold a nationally televised tournament format. Bellator’s fourth season will begin March 5, 2011, airing LIVE on MTV2.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.