Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez (22-2) defended his 155 pound title for the first time at Bellator 39, Saturday night. He faced season two tournament winner Pat Curran in the main event on the MTV2 live broadcast. Alvarez had stated previously to the bout that he’d look to finish his opponent, but Curran […]
Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez (22-2) defended his 155 pound title for the first time at Bellator 39, Saturday night. He faced season two tournament winner Pat Curran in the main event on the MTV2 live broadcast. Alvarez had stated previously to the bout that he’d look to finish his opponent, but Curran was able to stick it out for 25 minutes leaving the champ with a unanimous decision victory.
In this interview with Sherdog.com, Alvarez explains his frustrations at not being able to finish Curran and answering the critics concerning his status as a top lightweight.
“I didn’t get the finish…I pride myself on trying to get the finish, I didn’t tonight. Pat (Curran) came to fight, a lot of people didn’t give him the time of day and thought that I’d get him out of there pretty quick. To be honest, I thought I’d be able to catch him early. I was laying in some really good body shots, really good head shots, and the fact is, he just stuck in there.”
Press Release – Uncasville, Conn. (April 2, 2011) – Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez successfully defended his title against Season 2 Lightweight tournament champion Pat Curran in front of a full house at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for Bellator 39, which aired LIVE on MTV2. The night also saw […]
Press Release – Uncasville, Conn. (April 2, 2011) – Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez successfully defended his title against Season 2 Lightweight tournament champion Pat Curran in front of a full house at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for Bellator 39, which aired LIVE on MTV2. The night also saw Patricky Pitbull advance to the lightweight finals via a highlight-reel flying knee TKO (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/dKaDJu), Rick Hawn defeat former champ Lyman Good and Ben Saunders’ claim victory in his Bellator debut.
Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran did not disappoint MMA fans in the Bellator Lightweight World Championship fight. In front of a partisan crowd for Eddie Alvarez, the champ peppered Curran with punches in Round 1 but was unable to take him down, receiving a knee to the face on one attempt. Round 2 was similar, with Alvarez applying pressure and landing body shots but unable to overcome Curran’s takedown defense. Alvarez dominated Rounds 3 and 4 with continuous body shots, continuing the trend for earlier rounds. At the end of Round 5, Curran took Alvarez down and landed blows from the top position, but it was not enough to impress the judges who awarded Alvarez the victory via a unanimous decision.
“Eddie put on another dominant performance and Patricky’s Knockout was one of the best knockouts I’ve seen in the last couple years,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
In lightweight semifinal action, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricky Pitbull took on 2009 Submission of the Year Winner Toby Imada. After delivering several solid leg kicks in the first half of Round 1, Patricky landed a textbook flying knee to the face of Imada, followed up with a strong left hook. The referee quickly stepped in front of the relentless Pitbull and stopped the fight, awarding Patricky a TKO victory at 2:53 in Round 1, who now advances to the lightweight finals.
Former Bellator Welterweight World Champion Lyman Good met undefeated Judo Olympian Rick Hawn in the welterweight semifinal fight. Good slightly controlled Round 1 momentum, landing multiple uppercuts. In Round 2, Hawn executed an outside trip and took Good to the ground, where he held position until the bell rang. Hawn applied the pressure in Round 3 but Good effectively landed strikes. However, neither was able to seal the deal, leaving it to the judges who declared Hawn victorious via a split decision.
In the night’s special feature fight, UFC Vet Ben Saunders put on a devastating show against an impressively tough Matt Lee. Saunders set the tone of the fight early in Round 1, landing brutal knees and elbows, resulting in a bloody-nosed Lee. In Round 2, Lee attempted to change levels, but he was unable to take the bigger Saunders to the ground. By Round 3, the crowd at the Mohegan Sun roared in support of the physically hurt Lee. The referee saw enough and stopped the fight to consult the physician, who awarded Saunders the victory via TKO at 1:24 in Round 3.
Official Main Card Results:
World Lightweight Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision [49-46, 50-45, 50-45]
Welterweight Semifinal Fight: Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good by Split Decision [30-27 Hawn, 29-28 Hawn, 29-28 Good]
Lightweight Semifinal Fight: Patricky Freire def. Toby Imada by TKO [2:53, Round 1]
Catch Fight @ 175 lbs.: Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee by TKO [Doctor Stopppage – cut 1:24, 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.
Last week we had a 205 pound fighter pull off an inverted triangle at Bellator 38, this week we get a flying knee from Patricky “Pitbull” Freire to advance to the lightweight finals at Bellator 39. Check out the video description below, as well as the inverted triangle after the jump.
In lightweight semifinal action, […]
Last week we had a 205 pound fighter pull off an inverted triangle at Bellator 38, this week we get a flying knee from Patricky “Pitbull” Freire to advance to the lightweight finals at Bellator 39. Check out the video description below, as well as the inverted triangle after the jump.
In lightweight semifinal action, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricky “Pitbull” Freire took on 2009 Submission of the Year Winner Toby Imada. After delivering several solid leg kicks in the first half of Round 1, Patricky landed a textbook flying knee to the face of Imada, followed up with a strong left hook. The referee quickly stepped in front of the relentless Pitbull and stopped the fight, awarding Patricky a TKO victory at 2:53 in Round 1, who now advances to the lightweight finals.
Bellator Fighting Championships presents its latest event tonight on MTV2, Bellator 39 takes place at the at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Tonight’s main card airs live at 9PM EST on MTV2 and includes a lightweight title match between champion Eddie Alvarez and Season two tournament winner Pat Curran.
The televised main card […]
Bellator Fighting Championships presents its latest event tonight on MTV2, Bellator 39 takes place at the at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Tonight’s main card airs live at 9PM EST on MTV2 and includes a lightweight title match between champion Eddie Alvarez and Season two tournament winner Pat Curran.
The televised main card also features two season four semifinal tournament bouts in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. Fighting for an opportunity to advance to the finals and a shot at $100,000 are welterweight semi-finalists Rick Hawn and Lyman Good, as well as lightweights Toby Imada and Patricky Freire.
If you don’t have access to MTV2 in the States, or The Score in Canada, Sherdog.com has live ‘Play-by-Play’ coverage of the entire event, just hit the link.
To view the full ‘Quick Results’ for Bellator 39 click
Main Card:
Lightweight Championship bout: Eddie Alvarez def. Pat Curran via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Welterweight Semifinal bout: Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Lightweight Semifinal bout: Patricky “Pitbull” Freire def. Toby Imada TKO (strikes – flying knee) – R1 @ 2:53
Catchweight (175 lbs) bout: Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee via TKO (doctors stoppage) – R3 @ 1:24
Local Feature Fights:
Local feature bout: Dan Cramer def. Greg Rebello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30, 27, 30-27)
Local feature bout: Ryan Quinn def. Mike Winters via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Local feature bout: David Jansen def. Scott McAfee via submission (Brabo choke) – R1 @ 4:58
Local feature bout: Rene Nazare def. Luiz Azeredo via TKO (injury) – R1 @ 5:00 Reports have Azeredo breaking his arm blocking one of Nazare’s kicks
Local feature bout: John McLaughlin def. Blair Tugman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Press Release – Uncasville, CT – (April 2, 2011) —Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the East Coast at the Mohegan Sun Arena for Bellator 39 airing LIVE on MTV2 tonight. This evening’s event features Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez, Season 2 Lightweight Tournament winner Pat Curran, as well as Lyman Good, Rick Hawn, Toby […]
Press Release – Uncasville, CT – (April 2, 2011) —Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the East Coast at the Mohegan Sun Arena for Bellator 39 airing LIVE on MTV2 tonight. This evening’s event features Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez, Season 2 Lightweight Tournament winner Pat Curran, as well as Lyman Good, Rick Hawn, Toby Imada, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Ben Saunders, and Matt Lee. Below you will find quotes from each fighter.
Eddie Alvarez
“Pat Curran is young, he’s hungry, and he has a lot of momentum coming into this fight. Especially considering that he’s been the underdog in every fight he’s had with Bellator, and he’s overcome the odds every single time. So I’m sure he’s very confident and he’s feeling pretty good about being the underdog again. I’m sure he feels like he can overcome the odds, and I truly hope he comes prepared on April 2nd.”
“The only pressure I have is the pressure I put on myself to fight how I know I can fight. I need to live up to my own expectations. More than any fight in my career – in this fight with Pat Curran – I just want to completely dominate. It has nothing to do with Pat; it’s just what I feel like I have to do regardless of who I’m fighting, in order to earn my rank of number one in the world.”
“The fact that Pat [Curran] has been dreaming about this fight with me night after night just makes him that more dangerous. When a person is that fearful, you know they’re going to prepare. They’re going to prepare themselves properly. It’s just a matter of not letting that fear freeze him when he goes in there. Hopefully he can let go of that fear when he gets in the cage, and fight me.”
“If I had a quarter for every time someone said they were going to stand with me and knock me out, I wouldn’t have to fight for a living [laughs]. I have twelve knockouts on my professional record right now, and all of those guys said the same thing Pat Curran is saying right now. He may be saying he wants to stand in front of me, but that would be a stupid, stupid game plan. I highly doubt he’s going to be standing in front of me for long, let me put it that way.”
“I want to dominate Pat Curran. I won’t be happy with anything less than complete and total domination. I don’t want this fight to turn into a brawl and I don’t want to take damage, I just want to go out there and dominate Pat Curran in every aspect of the game.”
“I actually figured out a way to make weight without killing myself for this fight. Lyman Good came down to my gym recently and he gave me some good tips on how to make weight. It definitely seems like the weight is coming off a lot easier this time thanks to the advice I got from Lyman.”
Pat Curran
“I’ve been dreaming every night about this Bellator World Championship fight with Eddie Alvarez. I think about it in the morning, all day, when I go to bed, and in my dreams. I definitely see myself finishing Eddie. It’s been driving me harder than ever before to work hard in the gym. This moment has been playing over and over in my head and now it’s here. I have all the confidence in the world that I can beat Eddie Alvarez so now it’s up to me to go out there and do it.”
“I never wanted to look back at my life and wonder what I could have done. I’ve already made it. I’m 23-years-old and I’m fighting for a word title. I’m living my dream and I feel like the sky’s the limit for me. I definitely have a long career ahead of me. I’m going to be here for a long time, and I definitely know I’m going to be a champion.
Eddie Alvarez is great in every aspect of the game. He doesn’t have any weaknesses so I know it’s going to be a great test for me. He’s going to come hard. I’m expecting that. I know he’s going to come right after me in the first round so I’m just going to make him respect me early on.”
“This is a win-win situation for me. I have nothing to lose in this fight with Eddie Alvarez so I’m going to put it all on the table. The fans are going to see my best performance ever. I have nothing to lose.”
“I’m going to shock a lot of people in this fight with Eddie Alvarez. I’m going to go out there and make a name for myself on Saturday night. People are definitely going to remember me and recognize me from this fight.
I’ve improved tremendously since my fight with Toby Imada. I’m going to be a completely different fighter in this fight with Eddie Alvarez.”
“I’m going to stand right in front of Eddie [Alvarez] and I’m going to let my hands fly. I’m looking for the finish, but I’m also going to be careful not to give him anything he can take advantage of. I’m going to be smart, but like I said, I really just want to stand right in front of him and let my hands fly. I’m coming out there to shock the world. I’ve been dreaming about this fight for months and months, I’ve shocked everyone I’ve fought in the tournament on my way here, and I’m ready to do it again on Saturday night.”
“Being a champion has always been a dream of mine and I don’t have the Bellator World Lightweight Championship right now, so I’m definitely going to be hungrier in this fight with Eddie [Alvarez].”
Lyman Good
“Rick Hawn is coming into this fight with an extensive background in Judo, so I have to respect his ability to get the fight to the ground, but other than that I don’t really see anything from Rick that seriously concerns me. I’m fully prepared to go in this fight and win.”
“I definitely think I’m going to bring something in this fight that he has never seen before. I think I have a different prowess going into this fight with Rick than any of the other opponents he’s fought so far. I’m different than anyone he’s ever faced and I plan on going out there, implementing my game plan on him and sending him home with his first loss.”
“Ben Askren and Rick Hawn have two entirely different backgrounds. Ben is a wrestler and Rick is a Judo guy. Just because they’re both Olympians doesn’t mean that Rick’s judo will translate into the fight the way Ben’s wrestling does. If he thinks that he has an advantage because he’s an Olympian, he has another thing coming. I hope Rick Hawn isn’t looking past me, because that would be his first mistake.”
Rick Hawn
“I definitely think Lyman Good is going to be the toughest fight of my career so far. The fact that he’s already won the title I’m working to get makes him the toughest challenge I’ve had up to this point. He has that experience.”
“It’s hard to tell how powerful Lyman Good truly is. Some guys look really strong, but they really aren’t. It’s hard to tell until you put your hands on someone.”
“Lyman Good has never fought anyone like me before. The closest thing he’s fought to me would be Ben Askren, and Ben Askren tooled him for five rounds. I’m not saying I’m the wrestler Ben Askren is, but I have that same level of grappling in Judo, which Lyman’s never seen before. i definitely think my judo will come in handy during the fight. I see that as something I can definitely exploit in his game.”
Toby Imada
“There’s nothing specific about Patricky Pitbull that gives me any major reason for concern, other than the fact that he’s a dangerous fighter that has just as much of a chance to win as I do.”
“I’m not really sure how dangerous Patricky is right now, but I’ll definitely be able to tell after the fight. I’m not really concerned with how dangerous he is or isn’t, I just have to go out there and make the most of any opportunity he gives to me.”
“At the core, this is just another fight. I’m feeling extremely frustrated and angry heading into this fight, and I just want to get in there and get it over with. My only focus in life right now is this tournament. I have to do what have to do to win this tournament. I’m just going to go into this fight with Patricky, and take out all of my frustration.”
Ben Saunders
“Matt Sung Lee is a tough veteran. He’s been fighting for a long time, he’s fought some really tough competition, and he brings the fight. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. I’m expecting for him to bring the fight and we’re going to go out there and put on a show.”
“Of course Matt Lee’s not going to say he wants to go out there and win a close decision. I know he’s going to be looking for the knockout, but I’m looking for the knockout too. I’m looking for the knockout, the TKO, the submission, or whatever it takes to get the win without going to the judges.”
“It’s been a year since I’ve been on a live televised card and I think my fans are definitely excited to see me fight LIVE on MTV2, and for those that don’t know who I am yet, I’m anxious to go out there and increase my fan base. I’m excited to show the world what I’m capable of and just how much better I keep getting.”
“I come to put on a show and to make it exciting, but above all, I’m going to make you pay for ever stepping foot inside of that cage with me. Whether I kick you in the face, knee you in the face – a punch to the face, an elbow – you name it. I’m looking to make you bleed.”
Matt Sung Lee
“I’ve been waiting for a chance like this for a while. Ben Saunders is a big name in the sport, and this fight is a huge opportunity for me.”
“I know I’m being looked at as the underdog in this fight, but that makes me feel angry. I feel like if I trained with Ben Saunders in the gym, I’d probably be better than him in every aspect. I honestly feel like I have the better stand up, I’m a better wrestler, and I’m better at jiu-jitsu than Ben Saunders.”
“I think Ben Saunders is going to try to take me down. I don’t think he’s going to want to stand with me. I’m going to go out there, light him up, take him down, and submit him.”
“I’m not going into this fight with Ben Saunders just to compete. I’m not taking this fight just to get some TV time, or to tell people that I’m a fighter, or that I fight for Bellator. I’m going out there to beat this guy. I’m entering that cage to knock Ben Saunders out.”
“I have been completely obsessed with this fight for the last 5-6 weeks. My entire life has stopped and all I’ve been doing is thinking about and training for this fight with Ben Saunders. Thinking about winning and how I’m going to beat him.”
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.
Press Release – Uncasville, CT. (April 1, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the East Coast at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the official weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference. Fans witnessed live each fighter stepping on the scale in anticipation of tomorrow’s event featuring Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez against Season 2 Lightweight […]
Press Release – Uncasville, CT. (April 1, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the East Coast at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the official weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference. Fans witnessed live each fighter stepping on the scale in anticipation of tomorrow’s event featuring Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez against Season 2 Lightweight Tournament winner Pat Curran, as well as Lyman Good, Rick Hawn, Toby Imada, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Ben Saunders, and Matt Lee.
Bellator 39 will be broadcast LIVE on Saturday, April 2 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT exclusively on MTV2.
The official results of tonight’s weigh-in are as follows:
MAIN CARD:
World Lightweight Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez (154 lbs.) vs. Pat Curran (154 lbs.)
Welterweight Semifinal Fight: Lyman Good (169.5 lbs.) vs. Rick Hawn (170.5 lbs.)
Lightweight Semifinal Fight: Toby Imada (155 lbs.) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (154.75 lbs.)
Catch Fight @ 175 lbs.: Ben Saunders (174.5 lbs.) vs. Matt Lee (174 lbs.)
UNDERCARD:
Local Feature Fight: Luiz Azeredo (lbs.)* vs. Rene Nazare (160.75 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: Greg Rebello (185.5 lbs.) vs. Dan Cramer (185.5 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: Mike Winters (170 lbs.) vs. Ryan Quinn (169.75 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: David Jansen (155.5 lbs.) vs. Scott McAfee (155.75 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: John McLaughlin (134.75 lbs.) vs. Blair Tugman (135 lbs.)
*Luiz Azeredo will be weighed prior to Saturday’s event.
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.
