Tag: Bryan Baker

Bellator 43 Results: Ron Sparks Defeates Vince Lucero Via First Round Submission

Heavy hitting Ron Sparks showed he has a good ground game as he submits Vince Lucero in the first round.In the first bout of the televised portion of Bellator 43, Vince Lucero (20-18) of Casa Grande, AZ took on up-and-coming Ron Sparks (6-0) of Louisvi…

Heavy hitting Ron Sparks showed he has a good ground game as he submits Vince Lucero in the first round.

In the first bout of the televised portion of Bellator 43, Vince Lucero (20-18) of Casa Grande, AZ took on up-and-coming Ron Sparks (6-0) of Louisville, KY in a heavyweight bout.

Before the fight, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told BleacherReport.com/MMA that he was afraid this was going to be the biggest mismatch on the card.

The first round began with both fighters exchanging punches in the middle of the cage. It was very clear on the on-start that Sparks was the more polished striker, as he landed the better of the punches and kicks.

Less than two minutes in to the opening round, Sparks landed a kick and punch that dropped Lucero. from there, Sparks got side control, and locked in a key lock that forced Lucero to tap.

From the outcome, it looks like Rebney’s prediction was correct. Don’t be surprised if we see Sparks in Bellator’s next heavyweight tournament.

Official Result—Ron Sparks defeated Vince Lucero via submission (key lock) at 2:18 of the first round.

Ron Sparks runs his perfect record up to 7-0, while Vince Lucero drops to 20-19.

 

 

Bellator 43 Live Results and Reaction from Newkirk, OK

Tonight, starting at 7:30 EST, Bleacher Report MMA will be live on the scene at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma to provide live results and reaction from Bellator 43.In the main event, Jay Hieron will be squaring off against judo speciali…

Tonight, starting at 7:30 EST, Bleacher Report MMA will be live on the scene at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma to provide live results and reaction from Bellator 43.

In the main event, Jay Hieron will be squaring off against judo specialist Rick Hawn in the finals of Bellator’s season four welterweight tournament to determine who will get the $100,000 grand prize and a title shot against reigning Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Also on the card, the inspirational Bellator veteran Bryan Baker will be taking on the rough and rugged Joe Riggs in a middleweight showdown.

Also on the main card, Jose Vega will be taking on Chase Bebbe in a bantamweight feature, and Vince Lucero will be up against Ron Sparks in a heavyweight feature attraction.

In undercard action, local fighters Mike Schatz will be taking on Michael Osborn in a lightweight tilt, and Rich Bouphanouvong will be facing David Rickles in a catchweight bout.

Be sure to check back often as results will be posted in real time, and follow all the action on Twitter @BR_MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator XXX: Guy on Guy Action!…Wait, What?

By ReX “Charles Bukkake” Richardson

(Bryan Baker putting the stomp on Jeremy Horn and cancer. Photo props Fight!Mag)
Bellator came back around to Louisville, Kentucky last night with a passel of pint sized contestants in the first bantamwe…

By ReX “Charles Bukkake” Richardson

(Bryan Baker putting the stomp on Jeremy Horn and cancer. Photo props Fight!Mag)

Bellator came back around to Louisville, Kentucky last night with a passel of pint sized contestants in the first bantamweight championship field, a middleweight fight featuring Bellator regular Bryan Baker and a man who has somewhere over 9000(!) fights at Moneyweight, and the standard assortment of young up and comers looking to have a breakout performance. Come on in and we’ll find out who’s going to the bantamweight tourney finals, who is bouncing back from serious illness, and who has a juvenile sense of humor.

You know who has the juvenile sense of humor? You do. But we dig that about you. Check it out: through pure coincidence (or epic matchmaking radness), Bellator’s thirtieth show features a card full of fighters with somewhat suggestive nicknames.

Just try to skim the names and not picture them working for Vivid Entertainment. (PS: You just lost the game.) (PPS: I’m sorry Mom, I was raised better than this.)

Ok, then: Fights!

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Baker Wins; West, Makovsky Advance at Bellator 30

Filed under: BellatorAnother chapter was written Thursday night in the great story of MMA fighter Bryan Baker, who’s continuing to fight in the cage while he fights cancer outside the cage.

The 24-year-old Baker defeated MMA veteran Jeremy Horn Thursd…

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Another chapter was written Thursday night in the great story of MMA fighter Bryan Baker, who’s continuing to fight in the cage while he fights cancer outside the cage.

The 24-year-old Baker defeated MMA veteran Jeremy Horn Thursday night at Bellator 30 in his first bout since publicly revealing that he has cancer. It was an impressive showing from Baker, who came back from a rough first round to win a unanimous decision.

“I feel great,” Baker said. “Everybody that supported me, loved me, gave me prayers and support, I thank you.”

Bellator’s Bryan Baker Fighting Through Cancer and Opponents Simultaneously

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, NewsBryan Baker walked into the Bellator cage on June 24 with a sense of faith and a sense of fate. He’s a spiritual man, an optimistic man, and to him it just seemed like everything was lining up perfectly. H…

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Bryan Baker walked into the Bellator cage on June 24 with a sense of faith and a sense of fate. He’s a spiritual man, an optimistic man, and to him it just seemed like everything was lining up perfectly. He’d won each of his first two tournament matches easily to advance to the middleweight final. He was feeling better than he had in months. He was settling into his new life in a new state. And just one more win would give him a chance to fight for a championship, a goal to which he’d long aspired.

A more pessimistic, or even more practical perspective might have looked at the situation differently. Such viewpoints might have seen things as unsettled at best, unraveling at worst. But dissenting viewpoints had no access to Baker’s reality. As he entered the fight against flashy Russian Alexander Shlemenko in Louisville, Kentucky, few were privy to the details of Baker’s physical condition. In fact, so closely held was the secret that even his boss, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, was among those who’d been left in the dark.

Unbeknownst to few more than his trainer, his doctor, a few family members and friends, 24-year-old Bryan Baker was competing in the biggest match of his mixed martial arts career while in the midst of a fight with cancer.

Bellator Tournament Finals: Warren Wins Controversial Decision, Shlemenko Rolls

Filed under: Bellator, NewsJoe Warren and Alexander Shlemenko captured Bellator tournament titles, taking completely different paths en route to victories at Bellator 22.

Warren overcame a nearly disastrous first round, grinding out a disputed three-r…

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Joe Warren and Alexander Shlemenko captured Bellator tournament titles, taking completely different paths en route to victories at Bellator 22.

Warren overcame a nearly disastrous first round, grinding out a disputed three-round split decision over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, while Shlemenko crushed his way to a first-round knockout win.