(Jay Hieron’s victory mired in controversy/Phot by Jeff Sherwood for Sherdog.com)
Bellator 35 Debuts on MTV2 as Good, Hieron, Hawn, and Weedman advance to Welterweight Semifinals
Press Release – Lemoore, CA. (March 5, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships made its highly anticipated season 4 debut on MTV2, and the action certainly didn’t disappoint. The night saw Bellator’s Welterweight Tournament field get cut in half, with Brent Weedman, Rick Hawn, Jay Hieron, and Lyman Good moving onto the Bellator Welterweight Semifinals later this season.
“Weedman Nation” was on full display at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, and the Bellator veteran didn’t disappoint his fans, collecting a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Dan “The Handler” Hornbuckle in a surprising upset victory.
The action rolled on as former Judoka Olympian Rick Hawk entered the cage against the UK’s own “Judo” Jim Wallhead. While fans expected a judo heavy fight, it was anything but as Hawn showed off his improved striking game, eventually earning him a Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) victory over Wallhead.
In what was the most controversial fight of the night, former UFC and Strikeforce veteran Jay Hieron locked horns with submission specialist Anthony Lapsley. The two welterweights traded blows early, but near the end of the first round, Hieron locked Lapsley up in what seemed like a tight rear naked choke. After limited movement by Lapsley on the ground, the cage referee declared Lapsley had been put to sleep, and awarded Hieron a technical submission victory. A wide awake Lapsley was stunned by the decision, but Hieron was awarded victory and will move onto the Bellator welterweight semifinals.
The night’s final fight saw former Bellator World Welterweight Champion Lyman “Cyborg” Good take on Chris “The Assassin” Lozano in the final welterweight quarterfinal matchup. Both fighters exchanged solid strikes early, with Good landing a hard hook to the left eye of Lozano that left “The Assassin” with a large mouse under his eye. While Lozano continued to battle, Good seemed to get stronger as the fight went on, and the judges agreed, awarding Good a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) victory.
“We expected very close fights and that’s exactly what we got at a sold out Tachi Palace live on MTV2,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Official Main Card Results:
* Brent Weedman def. Dan Hornbuckle by Unanimous Decision [29-28, 29-28, 29-28]
* Rick Hawn def. Jim Wallhead by Unanimous Decision [29-28, 29-28, 30-27]
* Jay Hieron def. Anthony Lapsely by Rear Naked Choke [3:39, Round 1]
* Lyman Good defeats Chris Lozano by unanimous decision [30-27, 30-27, 29-28]
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.
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.