When you’re fighting a guy nicknamed “The Arm Collector”, who has won twelve of his sixteen victories by armbar, you might spend extra time working on your takedown defense. And maybe resist the urge to stick your arms out during the fight. I emphasize “you”, because Darryl Cobb, the middleweight who fought Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana on the undercard of Bellator 53 last night in Miami, Oklahoma, did not have the same gameplan. Giva Santana is now 17-1 in his MMA career, his only loss a split-decision at the hands of Bellator veteran Jaime Jara.
In main card action, Ben Saunders picked up his fourth straight victory since being bounced from the UFC by submitting Luis Santos in the third round. Killa B showed off a much more well-rounded attack than what we’re accustomed to seeing from him, thoroughly out-grappling Santos for the entire fight. In other welterweight tournament action, Douglas Lima picked up a brutal second round knockout against Cleveland native Chris Lozano. Lima has now won eight straight fights, and will meet Ben Saunders at Bellator 56 on November 12 to determine the winner of the welterweight tournament.
When you’re fighting a guy nicknamed “The Arm Collector”, who has won twelve of his sixteen victories by armbar, you might spend extra time working on your takedown defense. And maybe resist the urge to stick your arms out during the fight. I emphasize “you”, because Darryl Cobb, the middleweight who fought Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana on the undercard of Bellator 53 last night in Miami, Oklahoma, did not have the same gameplan. Giva Santana is now 17-1 in his MMA career, his only loss a split-decision at the hands of Bellator veteran Jaime Jara.
In main card action, Ben Saunders picked up his fourth straight victory since being bounced from the UFC by submitting Luis Santos in the third round. Killa B showed off a much more well-rounded attack than what we’re accustomed to seeing from him, thoroughly out-grappling Santos for the entire fight. In other welterweight tournament action, Douglas Lima picked up a brutal second round knockout against Cleveland native Chris Lozano. Lima has now won eight straight fights, and will meet Ben Saunders at Bellator 56 on November 12 to determine the winner of the welterweight tournament.
In non-tournament action, Thiago Santos, originally set to fight Blagoi Ivanov in the heavyweight tournament before visa issues forced him off of Bellator 52, easily took care of Detroit heavyweight Josh Burns. The victory propels Thiago Santos back into the tournament to replace the injured Mike Hayes. Coincidentally, Mike Hayes was scheduled to meet Blagoi Ivanov in the next round. Also, British prospect Ronnie Mann got back in the W column with a first round triangle choke over Kenny Foster. Mann dedicated the fight to his recently deceased trainer, Shawn Tompkins.
Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima both looked great on Saturday night. Next they’ll face each other.
Saunders and Lima earned impressive victories in the semifinals of the Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight tournament, earning a spot in the final where they’ll meet each other next month.
For Saunders, it was a dominant, one-sided victory over Luis Santos in which he finally forced Santos to tap out with an americana in the third round. For Lima, the victory came when he landed a beautiful right cross to the chin of Chris Lozano, knocking him cold.
The wins by Saunders and Lima were part of an entertaining Bellator 53 card on Saturday night, which also featured some solid undercard action:
— Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana made his Bellator debut and did exactly what everyone expected him to do, submitting Darryl Cobb with an armbar in the first round. It improved Santana’s record to 17-1, including an incredible 13 wins by armbar.
— In a fast-paced featherweight contest, Ronnie Mann submitted Kenny Foster with a triangle choke. The victory improves Mann’s record to 21-4-1, including 11 wins by submission. Mann showed that he’s one of the top fighters in Bellator’s featherweight division, which is the promotion’s best weight class.
— And in the heavyweight division, Thiago “Big Monster” Santos finally made his Bellator debut and made quick work of Josh Burns. Santos easily controlled Burns on the ground and forced him to tap out to a rear-naked choke midway through the first round. It was a solid Bellator debut for the Brazilian.
(Chris Lozano jacks Brent Weedman with an uppercut during their three-rounder at Caesars Atlantic City. Photo via Bellator)
Bellator’s fifth season kicked off last night, featuring the quarterfinals of their latest welterweight tournament. Still undefeated since his release from the UFC last year, Ben Saunders grabbed his second Bellator victory — and a spot in the semi-finals — in classic “Killa B” fashion, abusing Chris Cisneros for two rounds before ending the bout early in the third frame with a storm of knees from his infamous Thai clinch. Former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima also impressed in his promotional debut, winning a unanimous decision over Steve Carl.
On a less-triumphant note, former Bellator standouts Chris Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle ate their second-consecutive losses at the event. Weedman, who ran through his first four opponents under the Bellator banner before getting outpointed by Jay Hieron at the Season 4 Welterweight Finals, fell short once again against Chris Lozano. Weedman took the first round easily on the strength of a knockdown and a slam-takedown, but Lozano controlled the next ten minutes and won a unanimous nod from the judges. Earlier in the evening, Dan Hornbuckle was thoroughly handled by season Brazilian vet Luis “Sapo” Santos.
(Chris Lozano jacks Brent Weedman with an uppercut during their three-rounder at Caesars Atlantic City. Photo via Bellator)
Bellator’s fifth season kicked off last night, featuring the quarterfinals of their latest welterweight tournament. Still undefeated since his release from the UFC last year, Ben Saunders grabbed his second Bellator victory — and a spot in the semi-finals — in classic “Killa B” fashion, abusing Chris Cisneros for two rounds before ending the bout early in the third frame with a storm of knees from his infamous Thai clinch. Former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima also impressed in his promotional debut, winning a unanimous decision over Steve Carl.
On a less-triumphant note, former Bellator standouts Chris Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle ate their second-consecutive losses at the event. Weedman, who ran through his first four opponents under the Bellator banner before getting outpointed by Jay Hieron at the Season 4 Welterweight Finals, fell short once again against Chris Lozano. Weedman took the first round easily on the strength of a knockdown and a slam-takedown, but Lozano controlled the next ten minutes and won a unanimous nod from the judges. Earlier in the evening, Dan Hornbuckle was thoroughly handled by season Brazilian vet Luis “Sapo” Santos.
Spike.com’s broadcast of the prelims turned out to be a crowd-pleasing affair, as all five local feature fights ended by stoppage. Full Bellator 49 results are below.
Main Card (Season 5 Welterweight Quarterfinals)
– Chris Lozano def. Brent Weedman via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Ben Saunders def. Chris Cisneros via TKO, 0:29 of round 3
– Luis Santos vs. def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Douglas Lima def. Steve Carl via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
Spike.com Prelims
– Alexandre Bezerra def. Scott Heckman via TKO, 1:38 of round 2
– Giedrius Karavackas def. LeVon Maynard via TKO, 1:32 of round 3
– Joel Roberts def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via technical submission (triangle choke), 1:47 of round 2
– Lester Caslow def. James Jones via TKO (injury), 0:15 of round 2
– Azunna Anyanwu def. J.A. Dudley via TKO, 4:16 of round 2
Ben “Killer B” Saunders has fought under the bright lights and scrutiny of large promotions. Chris Cisneros hasn’t, and it definitely showed on Saturday night at Bellator 49 in New Jersey.Saunders took care of Cisneros at in the third…
Ben “Killer B” Saunders has fought under the bright lights and scrutiny of large promotions. Chris Cisneros hasn’t, and it definitely showed on Saturday night at Bellator 49 in New Jersey.
Saunders took care of Cisneros at in the third round of the Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight tournament quarterfinals. If you were looking for a fight that exhibited many facets of mixed martial arts, then this was the bout to watch. Cisneros seemed to be a minor hurdle for Saunders as Killer B controlled the fight from start to finish.
Saunders came out blazing with a series of kicks and took control of Round 1 within the first minute. The Ultimate Fighter: Season 6 alum exhibited great wrist control and volleyed back and forth between Kimura and Americana attempts. Chris Cisneros was clearly overwhelmed, appearing just happy to be there.
This fight would’ve definitely been over if elbows were allowed in the tournament. I’m not sure if the short notice or lack of big fight experience blinded Cisneros to Saunders’ attacks, but he clearly wasn’t on top of his game.
Saunders did show some fight on the ground with a couple of reversals as well as thwarting off a few of the submission attempts from Saunders, but it was for not. As in many fights before, Saunders’ razor-sharp knees destroyed Cisneros in the clinch, and Saunders swarmed to finish with ground and pound before the referee stepped in and called the fight.
Saunders definitely looks like a solid candidate to win the tournament and challenge for the championship belt. Cisneros should be evaluated when he has a full training camp and against an opponent more on his level.
Filed under: BellatorChris Lozano, Ben Saunders, Luis Santos and Douglas Lima all won and advanced to the semifinals of Bellator’s welterweight tournament as Bellator began its fifth season on Saturday night.
Chris Lozano, Ben Saunders, Luis Santos and Douglas Lima all won and advanced to the semifinals of Bellator‘s welterweight tournament as Bellator began its fifth season on Saturday night.
In the main event, Lozano and Brent Weedman fought almost evenly for 15 minutes, but in the end all three judges scored it 29-28 for Lozano. In his post-fight interview, Lozano was quick to praise his opponent. “Brent Weedman is one bad MF-er,” Lozano said afterward. “Brent, that was a war, baby.”
Saunders looked outstanding in beating Chris Cisneros by third-round TKO. Saunders was dominating throughout the fight, but at the start of the third round he came out like a guy who needed a finish: He exploded on Cisneros, kneed him in the face with a Thai clinch and then finished him off with punches on the ground, just 29 seconds after the third round started. It was a great showing from Saunders.
Santos beat Dan Hornbuckle with an easy unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards. This was the 50th career victory for Santos, who has mostly fought on small shows in Brazil before signing with Bellator. Hornbuckle has now lost in the first round of two straight Bellator welterweight tournaments, and it may be time for him to ply his trade elsewhere.
Lima beat Steve Carl by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 on the judges’ scorecards. It was the Bellator debut for Lima, the Maximum Fighting Championships welterweight champion, and he said afterward that he expects Bellator to give him his biggest challenges to date. “A lot of these guys are really tough. There are no easy fights,” Lima said.
The undercard was streamed on Spike.com, as part of a new deal between the network and the promotion. Although the stream only attracted a few thousand viewers, it was a good show, highlighted by a fantastic fight between Joel Roberts and Brylan Van Artsdalen, with Roberts winning by submission with a triangle choke in the second round.
It was a little less than 18 months ago that Ben Saunders stepped up to the plate to try and help bail the UFC out of a serious problem. UFC 111 was set to go off in just a few days when word came down that Saunders’ teammate at American Top Team, Thia…
It was a little less than 18 months ago that Ben Saunders stepped up to the plate to try and help bail the UFC out of a serious problem. UFC 111 was set to go off in just a few days when word came down that Saunders’ teammate at American Top Team, Thiago Alves, had been declared unfit to fight due to some abnormalities that had shown up during a brain scan.
UFC 111 was an important card for the organization as it was being held in New Jersey, right outside New York City, which the UFC has been unable to infiltrate to this date. Alves was scheduled to face fellow top contender Jon Fitch in a welterweight showdown and rematch that could possibly determine who would face the winner of the card’s main event.
The UFC Welterweight Champion was putting his title on the line against the charismatic Dan Hardy, and a convincing win by either Fitch or Alves could land them the winner and another shot at the championship. Now Fitch was left without an opponent, Alves career was in jeopardy and the UFC was about to lose one of its main card fights. In steps Saunders with a move that was sure to make UFC President Dana White proud.
Saunders forgot his bout with Jake Ellenberger in order to face Fitch in a fight that he would be considered a heavy underdog, but he showed balls and initiative, something White would surely appreciate. Unfortunately Saunders lost via unanimous decision, but one would think he would have built up some goodwill within the UFC.
Saunders followed up that loss with another unanimous decision loss to Dennis Hallman at UFC 117, which by the way is where Fitch and Alves finally met once again after having their fight canceled on two separate occasions. Not long after that loss to Hallman, Saunders received his release from the UFC in a move that somewhat shocked people. Yes, it was his second loss in a row, but shouldn’t he be given a little slack for the Fitch loss?
Now Saunders is set to take on Chris Cineros in the Bellator welterweight tournament which begins this Saturday night. Having no regrets and feeling no ill will towards the UFC, Saunders is happy to be fighting again and is excited for the opportunity that Bellator has provided him. Now it’s time for him to show the world what type of fighter he can be and what the UFC is possibly missing out on. He also has an interesting take on the whole tournament format.
“To be honest with you the way I look at the tournament it seems to be a more structured Ultimate Fighter,” Saunders explained to Bleacher Report. “The biggest difference is that TUF was spread out over 6-8 weeks while Bellator plays out over a span of three months. Also, the level of fighters who participate on The Ultimate Fighter aren’t the same caliber of the Bellator fighters.
“I really like the fact that there is an opportunity offered where I could possibly fight three times in as many months. That’s damn near impossible in this day and age of Mixed Martial Arts. You’re lucky if you get three fights a year with the UFC, just due to the size and talent their rosters hold.”
With other fighters like Dan Hornbuckle and Douglas Lima, who are also trained by American Top Team, Saunders has to be considered one of the favorites going into the tournament. Although Cineros doesn’t carry a big name, “Killa-B” realizes he is certainly capable of carrying a mighty big stick.
“I really don’t know much about him other than he has some pro boxing and pro kickboxing in his background,” Saunders said. “I believe his MMA record is 11-3, he fights out of Hawaii so you know he’s coming to fight. I’ve heard he has a lot of heart and a lot of passion, but for me I train for anyone and everyone, I try and improve my whole game when preparing for a fight.”
Saunders looks at the talent-laden roster that comprises the welterweight tournament and sees a mixed bag of talented fighters. While he likes to feel confident, he knows not to take anything too seriously. Even though some people have picked him to win, he learned a long time ago not to let the positive get him too high or the negative get him too low.
“Some people have chosen me, others have picked Hornbuckle and then there is Douglas Lima who is also the MFC champion,” explained Saunders. “The “Handler and Lima are teammates of mine and we all decided that if we had to fight we would do it and shake hands afterwards, this is what we get paid to do.
“At the end of the day I would hope that I would win, but do it without injuring either fighter. That would make it not worthwhile; I would never want to hurt any other fighter especially a teammate. We punch each other in the face everyday we might as well get paid to do it.”
As witnessed in his last two UFC fights, it was very evident that Saunders’ main Achilles Heel was his wrestling. Fitch took him down at will, and Hallman didn’t seem to have very many problems either. American Top Team has taken the initiative to recruit top-flight wrestlers to their camp with the hopes of not only developing some great fighters, but also to help their own fighters strengthen themselves in that department.
“The second I got back from the loss to Hallman I was back in camp working on my wrestling,” Saunders said matter-of-factly. “I always felt like I had a good base for wrestling, but never had to utilize it all that much. So when it came time to recall the training and put it into a real life situation I was unable to do it. I became overaggressive and put myself into some bad positions against some high level wrestlers.”
The big news recently has been the UFC jumping over to Fox, FX and Fuel which now leaves Spike TV without an MMA partner. The casual fan more than likely thinks of Spike when they think of MMA so it would make sense to see Bellator make the move to Spike and leave MTV2, which like Spike, is owned by Viacom.
“Right now the only thing I have heard is that they are both owned by Viacom and that some Spike TV officials have been showing up at our events,” said Saunders. “It would seem like the smart move to take Bellator over to Spike. We could then be offered in HD as well as become available to so many more households. For the fighters it would mean more money especially in sponsorship dollars. It would be a win-win all the way around.”
Ben “Killer B” Saunders has fought under the bright lights and scrutiny of large promotions. Chris Cisneros hasn’t, and it definitely showed on Saturday night at Bellator 49 in New Jersey.
Chris Lozano,