Bellator Fighting Championships 43 went down at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The main card for the event aired live on MTV2.
The live broadcast kicked off at 9PM EST (7PM PST) and featured a four fight main card.
Tonight’s main event featured the Bellator Season Four Welterweight tournament Finale between finalists Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron and Rick Hawn. Both men would go three rounds with Hieron earning a controversial split decision.
Hieron controlled the first round, counter striking effectively, outstriking Hawn who was willing to keep the fight standing. The second saw Hawn push the pace, scoring more than he did in the first, bu ta late takedown by Hieron may have given him the edge in the round. The third round had Hieron trying to continue to counter, but it was Hawn who was finding the mark more often than not.
In the end, only one judge saw the bout in favor of Hawn giving him the 29-28 edge, but the other two judges scored Hieron the bout 29-28 giving “The Thoroughbred” the win.
The full results for Bellator 43 are as follows:
Main Card
Welterweight Tournament Final bout: Jay Hieron def. Rick Hawn via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Middleweight bout: Bryan Baker def. Joe Riggs via knockout (punch) – R2 @ 3:53
Bantamweight bout: Chase Beebe def. Jose Vega via submission (guillotine choke) – R1 @ 4:06
Heavyweight bout: Ron Sparks def. Vince Lucero via submission (keylock) – R1 @ 2:18
Local Feature Fights
Catchweight (179 lbs) bout: David Rickels def. Richard Bouphanouvong via submission (triangle choke) – R2 @ 1:11
Lightweight bout: Michael Osborn def. Mike Schatz via submission (strikes) – R1 @ 1:58
Middleweight bout: George Burton vs. John Bryant*
* Bout will take place after the live MTV2 broadcast