Tag: Bellator

Ben Askren, Jay Hieron and Michael Chandler Win at Bellator 40

Filed under: BellatorBellator welterweight champion Ben Askren won a one-sided unanimous decision in a non-title match, and Jay Hieron and Michael Chandler advanced to the finals of their respective Season 4 tournaments on Saturday night at Bellator 40…

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Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren won a one-sided unanimous decision in a non-title match, and Jay Hieron and Michael Chandler advanced to the finals of their respective Season 4 tournaments on Saturday night at Bellator 40.

As is so often the case, Bellator put on an entertaining show on MTV2, but it will be largely overlooked because it took place on a night when there was a bigger MMA event going on in the Strikeforce card on Showtime. That’s a shame for Bellator, which is putting good fighters in the cage consistently.

Askren is one of the best wrestlers in MMA, and it was no surprise that he completely dominated Nick Thompson. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Askren, who’s the best welterweight outside the UFC and Strikeforce.

Bellator Books Top Prospect Tony Johnson vs. Carlos Flores

Filed under: BellatorWhether the Bellator Fighting Championships can carve out a niche for itself and survive in the UFC-dominated world of American mixed martial arts is an open question. But there’s no question at all that Bellator continues to sign …

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Whether the Bellator Fighting Championships can carve out a niche for itself and survive in the UFC-dominated world of American mixed martial arts is an open question. But there’s no question at all that Bellator continues to sign talented fighters.

Heavyweight Tony Johnson is the latest acquisition to demonstrate just how good Bellator is at attracting top fighters: Bellator formally announced Thursday that Johnson has signed, and that he’ll fight the 4-0 Carlos Flores at Bellator 41 on April 16.

“Tony is a fighter we have had our eye on for quite some time,” Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney said. “He’s one of the top heavyweight prospects in the world right now, and will make a great addition to our already impressive heavyweight lineup.”

The MMA Hour With Almeida, Cote, Miletich, ‘Mayhem,’ Riggs, Hale

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, BellatorThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s who will be stopping by:

* Ricardo Almeida will be in studio to discuss his recent retirement from MMA.

* Patrick Cote will talk abou…

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The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s who will be stopping by:

* Ricardo Almeida will be in studio to discuss his recent retirement from MMA.

* Patrick Cote will talk about life after the UFC and Saturday night’s fight against Kalib Starnes at Ringisde MMA 10.

* Strikeforce color analyst Pat Miletich will discuss Strikeforce Challengers 15 and the future of the organization.

* Jason “Mayhem” Miller will update us on what’s next for him.

* MMA fighter turned WWE Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs will talk about why he went from mixed martial arts to pro wrestling.

* Bellator light heavyweight Richard Hale will discuss the amazing inverted triangle he pulled off last week against Nik Fete.

And of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Download previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here.

Richard Hale Learned Inverted Triangle Choke Night Before Bellator Fight

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Bellator light heavyweight Richard Hale is a quick learner. When Hale submitted his opponent Nik Fekete with an inverted triangle choke a week ago at Bellator 38, it was a move he had learned of just the night before.

Hale’s inv…

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Bellator light heavyweight Richard Hale is a quick learner. When Hale submitted his opponent Nik Fekete with an inverted triangle choke a week ago at Bellator 38, it was a move he had learned of just the night before.

Hale’s inverted triangle was the second seen in Bellator. The first, performed by Toby Imada on the fifth Bellator card in 2009, is arguably the most talked-about moment in the promotion’s history.

“It was just fresh in my mind,” Hale said Monday on The MMA Hour. “What Bellator does is they play their highlight clips for best 10 knockouts, 10 best submissions, whatever at the weigh-ins that night before and so we were just watching that, me and my boxing coach were just like, “Wow, that was real smooth! Very clean move, nice technique, everything else and it was a great way to end the fight.”

Cole Konrad to Face Paul Buentello at Bellator 42

Filed under: Bellator, NewsBellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad has been booked to face UFC and Strikeforce veteran Paul Buentello in a non-title “superfight” scheduled for Bellator 42 on April 23 in Concho, Okla.

Konrad, who made his MMA debut i…

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Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad has been booked to face UFC and Strikeforce veteran Paul Buentello in a non-title “superfight” scheduled for Bellator 42 on April 23 in Concho, Okla.

Konrad, who made his MMA debut in 2010 and finished the year with a perfect record of 7-0, ran through Rogent Lloret, Damian Grabowski and Neil Grove during last season’s Bellator tournament to win the heavyweight belt. At 27 years of age, Konrad remains a prospect in MMA off his accomplishments as a two-time NCAA wrestling champion with the University of Minnesota.

Eddie Alvarez Wins a Decision, Keeps Bellator Belt

Filed under: BellatorWhen Eddie Alvarez walked into the cage on Saturday night he was supposed to win in dominant fashion, befitting his status as the best and most popular fighter in the Bellator Fighting Championships. But Saturday’s title fight agai…

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When Eddie Alvarez walked into the cage on Saturday night he was supposed to win in dominant fashion, befitting his status as the best and most popular fighter in the Bellator Fighting Championships. But Saturday’s title fight against Pat Curran was tougher than Alvarez (and most fans) could have expected.

Alvarez won a unanimous decision to retain the Bellator lightweight title, and the scorecards (one judge scored it 49-46 while the other two judges scored it 50-45) make it look like the fight wasn’t close. But Curran was a tough customer who was in it until the final bell.

“That guy’s got a hard, hard head, man,” Alvarez said of Curran afterward. “He can take a shot.”