Bellator Fighting Championships came one step closer to determining the first heavyweight champion in promotional history Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Bellator 29, as both Cole Konrad and Neil Grove emerged victorious in their respective bouts to earn spots in the division’s tournament final.
Konrad defeated Damian Grabowski, who entered the match-up with a 13-0 record, by way of unanimous decision. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion used his grappling skills to take “The Polish Pitbull” down throughout the fight and control him from the top. It was Konrad’s fourth consecutive win by way of the judges’ scorecards and improved his overall record to 6-0.
Comparably, 39-year old Grove’s journey to the Bellator heavyweight title-fight took a lot less time than Konrad’s. The 6’6” Brit knocked Alexey Oleinik forty-five seconds into the opening frame of their Bellator 29 bout. It was Grove’s second straight first-round TKO for the organization (a 90-second win over Eddie Sanchez at Bellator 24 being the other).
The full list of Bellator 29 results is as follows:
Justin Lemke def. Jason Guida via Split Decision Kyle Weickhardt def. Luis Ramirez via KO Round 1 (Head Kick) Sasa Perkic def. Nick Dupees via Unanimous Decision Jameel Massouh def. Nick Mamalis via Submission Round 1 (Guillotine Choke) Brett Cooper def. Matt Major via TKO Round 2 (Strikes) Neil Grove def. Alexey Oleinik via TKO Round 1 (Strikes) Cole Konrad def. Damian Grabowski via Unanimous Decision
Bellator 24's fight lineup just got a little bit heavier.
Bellator vet Eddie Sanchez and recent acquisition Neil Grove meet at Bellator 24 in the opening round of the promotion's inaugural eight-man heavyweight tournament, the promotion today announced.
Bellator 24, which kicks off the organization's 12-week third season, takes place Aug. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and airs live on FOX Sports Net.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (July 15, 2010) — For the second time in three months, Bellator Fighting Championships will bring its action-packed, nationally televised brand of mixed martial arts to the historic Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio on Thursday, Sept. 2nd.
Tickets for the event go on sale at 10 a.m. CDT Friday at all Ticketmaster outlets and at ticketmaster.com.
Bellator 27 will be headlined by three opening-round fights in Bellator’s Season 3 Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournaments as well as five other fights featuring top local fighters from throughout South Texas.
Fighters will be announced in the coming weeks.
Bellator last visited the Majestic Theatre on May 27th for Bellator 20, which saw dramatic wins by Alexander “Storm” Shelemenko, Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Eddie Sanchez.
“San Antonio is a great fight town and we were embraced very enthusiastically by the city’s MMA fans during our first visit to the Majestic Theater back in May,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We can’t wait to return on Sept. 2nd with a full card of eight more exciting fights.”
The Sept. 2 event will once again be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.
For more information, visit Bellator.com or 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 based 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.
The latest Bellator Fighting Championship event, Bellator 20, is already underway from the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX.
The event is being shown live on Fox Sports Net, and its regional sports network affiliates, with a highlights package airing on Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.
The show features two middleweight tournament bouts between Bryan Baker vs. Eric Schambari and Jared Hess vs. Alexander Shlemenko.
To see the full Bellator XX results click
Tournament bouts
Middleweight bout: Bryan Baker def. Eric Schambari via submission (triangle choke) – R1, 2:29
Middleweight bout: Alexander Shlemenko def. Jared Hess via TKO – doctor stoppage (knee injury) – R3, 2:20
Non-Tournament bouts
Lightweight bout: Adam Schindler def. Brian Melancon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight bout: Aaron Rosa def. Robert Villegas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez def. Marcus Sursa via TKO – R3, 0:23
Featherweight bout: Nik Mamalis def. Mark Oshiro via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:29
Welterweight bout: Andrew Chappelle def. Cedric Marks via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 3:18
Flyweight bout: Jimmy Flick def. Humberto DeLeon via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Fernando Rodriguez def. Kenneth Battle via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:28
FiveOuncesofPain.comis on-site at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio where Bellator Fighting Championships is gearing up for tonight’s Bellator 20 event!
On tap, the promotion’s middleweight tournament comes one step closer to establishing a contender for current champ Hector Lombard’s title as a duo of semi-final bouts are set to unfold on the card. On one side of the bracket, Jared Hess will take on Alexander Shlemenko while on the other Bryan Baker faces Eric Schambari.
Also scheduled for the show are former UFC heavyweight Eddie Sanchez, as well a regional “superfight” featuring Texans Aaron Rosa and Robert Villegas.
Bellator 20 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.
A full set of live results are listed below:
Kenneth Battle vs. Fernando Rodriguez
Sam Hoger in Battle’s corner. Rodriguez gets lots of love from hometown crowd. Feeling out turns into takedown counter from Rodriguez. Action stays on ground. Rodriguez gets Battle’s back but Battle defends position well. Rodriguez locks up arm and lands strikes, many of which are to the back of Battle’s head but go without warning from the ref. Battle reverses position but gets caught in Triangle attempt with ten seconds in first frame. Triangle turns into armbar. Round ends.
Round two starts out with both men swinging against the fence. Rodriguez ends up in side control from the back, rains down a few punches, locks in choke, and gets the tap.
Winner -Fernando Rodriguez via Submission Round 2
Humberto DeLeon vs. Jimmy Flick
Flick comes out and throws a big shot. Men scramble and go to the ground. DeLeon grabs neck, then goes for guillotine attempt. Flick controls from top. DeLeon goes for triangle but no luck.
Second round and Flick comes out throwing a big kick which ends up putting him on his backside. Recovers, then ends up on top again in guard after the scramble. DeLeon locks in a nice armbar attempt but Flick escapes. Back into guard. Men stand up, throw a few more shots, and the round ends.
Third round and Flick ends up in guard again within first 30 seconds. Both working hard on the ground. Flick gets DeLeon’s back. Remainder of the round stays in a similar position with Flick eventually ending up in side control, dropping down some nice knees to the body, and ultimately emerging the bout’s winner.
Winner – Jimmy Flick via Decision
Brian Melancon vs. Adam Schindler
Fighters start out swinging with technique thrown to the wind. Some nice shots are landed but nothing that changes the tide of the bout.
Melancon and Schindler start the second out exchanging leather as well before Schindler gets a takedown. He is unable to advance position so the two return to their feet. A takedown later and Schindler ends up in half-guard. He lands an elbow that opens Melancon up as the round expires.
The third frame starts out like the first two with wild punches and kicks. Both fighters are bleeding now. Schindler shoots in but gets stuffed. A few more punches from both and Schindler goes for another takedown. Melancon sprawls effectively for awhile, but Schindler continues to work and eventually works his way on top and into half-guard. Schindler moves into Melancon’s guard and throws a few punches/hammerfists. Schindler prepares to advance which leads to Melancon rolling to avoid the change in position. Schindler gets his back for awhile, then ends up back on top in half-guard. He lands a few punches prior to the bell expiring. There may not have been a finish but Schindler certainly shouldn’t be asking himself if he could have done more when reflecting on the performance.
Winner – Adam Schindler via Decision
Cedric Marks vs. Andrew Chappelle
Fighters feeling each other out after big leg kick from Chapelle. Lock up, ends up with Chapelle getting the takedown and working into side control. Chapelle back into mount position but Marks keeps him from posturing up. Chapelle drops a few elbows in an attempt to get loose but Marks holds on. Chapelle transitions into his back and lands a few punches from behind. Chapelle grabs a hold of Marks’ neck but runs out of time before locking anything in.
Similar start to second round with Chapelle dropping a few bombs from the top, once again getting Marks’ back, and this time locking in the choke. The crowd approves of the performance as well as a post-fight backflip from the victor.
Winner – Andrew Chapelle via Submission Round 2
Robert Villegas vs. Aaron Rosa
Villegas charges in and pushes Rosa into the cage. He tires to drag Rosa to the canvas but Rosa refuses to go down easily. The fighters seperate and Rosa becomes the agressor, though Villegas is able to use his momentum against him and pushes Rosa up to the fence again. The two back off each other, then start throwing punches with both men doing equal damage. Rosa locks back up with Villegas who appears to pull guard. He decides to give up on advancing position so the two stand back up and begin scrapping again. At one point Villegas even motions for Rosa to “bring it”. Rounds ends with more punching but no stumbling/sleeping.
The second round opens up like the first with Rosa ending up in Villegas’ guard again. Rosa works the body and head from the top but can’t land anything significant so the referee decides to stand the two Texans up. They immediately go right back into throwing punches with both landing a few shots in the process. The San Antonio crowd starts chanting for their hometown boy as the round ends with more, semi-ineffective stand-up.
More of the same in the third, though Villegas looks a little tired and is letting his hands drop. Villegas drops to his back and attempts a half-hearted kneebar that Rosa easily pulls out of. Rosa jumps into his guard and goes back to trying to strike from the top. Villegas controls his arms for the most part and little damage is actually done. Rosa pulls out and steps back but Villegas doesn’t appear to want to return to his feet. Needless to say the audience disappoves. The referee finally stands him up with ten seconds and both men fire away power shots as time expires.
Winner – Aaron Rosa via Decision
Nik Mamalis vs. Mark Oshiro
Oshiro starts out with a leg kick and comes in with a few more strikes before Mamalis grabs underhooks and pushes him up against the cage. Mamalis gets Oshiro to the ground but runs into the Hawaiian’s rubber guard. Oshiro controls from the bottom while Mamalis continues to push him up against the cage. Mamalis postures up and lands a few punches. Oshiro takes advantage of the position and goes for an unsuccessful triangle attempt. Mamalis switches to side control, postures up, and eventually ends up back in the rubber guard. Mamalis scoops him up and slams him on his back for the attempt. Oshiro upkicks a downed Mamalis and gets warned for the foul but no points are deducted. The fighters exchange a high five and action continues. Round ends with Mamalis on top.
Oshiro comes out kicking again, but Mamalis shows he isn’t afraid to stand and fires a few shots back. Mamalis ends up taking Oshiro down in a scramble, takes his back, rolls into mount, then return to Oshiro’s back where he locks in a RNC for the second round sub.
Winner – Nick Mamalis via Submission Round 2
Eddie Sanchez vs. Marcus Sursa
Opening round features a lot of clinching against the cage. Sanchez controls bulk of action, including a few takedowns, with Sursa taking advantage of a failed guillotine attempt to get on top at one point.
Second round opens with Sursa dropping Sanchez with a clean shot to the jaw but he’s unable to finish things. Sanchez has a broken nose, but recovers and eventually gets on top of Sursa. The former UFC heavyweight works some decent ground-and-pound, including a brutal elbow in the process. Sanchez gets mount, Sursa turtles up to defend, and somehow weathers a series of strikes from the mount to end the round. Huge amount of heart displayed by Sursa and credit to the referee for not stopping things.
Sanchez rushes in to start off the third, takes Sursa down, and goes back to ground-and-pounding him. Almost gets mount, then throws some punches from the side and it appears Sursa has had enough. Referee calls for stoppage less than 30 seconds in.
Winner – Eddie Sanchez via TKO Round 3
Alexander Shlemenko vs. Jared Hess
Shlemenko comes out to “Du Hast” by Rammstein, Hess to country music. Care to guess which song the crowd preferred?
Action starts on their feet with a few leg kicks and pawing jabs. Neither seems ready to fully commit to swinging but Hess is the agressor for sure. Hess fakes a punch, then shoots in and takes Shlemenko down. Hess in side control, working to advance, but his Russian adversary holds on and prevents any major change in position. Hess gets Shlemenko’s back with fellow Bellator fighter Roger Huerta shouting out instructions from ringside and encouraging his fellow Austinite.
Hess almost locks in a RNC but Shlemenko keeps his chin tucked and prevents the hold. Fights goes back into standing position temporarily, then back to the ground with Hess taking Shlemenko’s back and landing a few punches before the first round ends. Fighters roll around a bit with Hess landing in guard for the rest of the fight.
Second round opens with Shlemenko throwing a kick and getting taken down for his effort. Hess works from the guard but can’t fire away with anything too powerful due to Shlemenko’s defense. Schlemenko throws up a triangle and locks it in. Hess tries to slam him but can’t, then escapes the hold, gets Shelmenko’s back, and almost locks in his own submission. Shlemenko works for a kneebar to no avail. Fighters roll around for a bit with Hess on ending up on top as the round ends.
Third sees more stand-up with Shlemenko getting the best of things. Hits Hess with some nice shots, but action slows down. When referee asks Hess to stand he tries but collapes. Further examination reveals some sort of serious damage to Hess’ knee that has rendered the joint into an enormous swollen mess. Replay reveals Hess apparently he dislocated his kneecap when planting his leg wrong. The crowd lets loose a series horrified “oohs” during each replay.
Winner – Alexander Shlemenko via TKO Round 3 (injury)
Bryan “The Beast” Baker vs. Eric Schambari
Feeling out process on their feet with Baker getting a nice punch or two in but nothing major. Schambari shoots in for a takedown, puts Baker’s back against the cage, and eventually scoops him up to procure it. Baker throws up a triangle that looks tight but doesn’t appear to be able to finish Schambari. A minute later the triangle is still in, Schambari is no longer able to hold out, and taps to the choke.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 26, 2010) — On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated show at the Majestic Theatre in downtown San Antonio, the fighters competing in tomorrow’s event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this evening.
Bellator 20 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.
The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:
MAIN CARD:
Bryan “The Beast” Baker (186 lbs.) versus Eric Schambari (185 lbs.) – at 185 lbs.
Alexander Shlemenko (184.8 lbs.) versus Jared Hess (185.2 lbs) – at 185 lbs.
Eddie Sanchez (234.4 lbs.) versus Marcus Sursa (219.2 lbs.) – at 265 lbs.
Nik Mamalis (135.2 lbs.) versus Mark Oshiro (135.4 lbs.) – at 135 lbs.
LOCAL FEATURE FIGHTS:
Robert Villegas (205.2 lbs.) versus Aaron Rosa (205.2 lbs.) – at 205 lbs.
Cedric Marks (166.8 lbs.) versus Andrew Chappelle (174.8 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.*
Brian Melancon (161.2 lbs.) versus Adam Schindler (154.8 lbs.) – at 155 lbs.^
Humberto DeLeon (124.6 lbs.) versus Jimmy Flick (124.6 lbs.) – at 125 lbs.
Kenneth Battle (154.8 lbs.) versus Fernando Rodriguez (153.8 lbs.) – at 155 lbs.
* Chappelle and Marks are negotiating a catchweight
^ Melancon and Schindler are negotiating a catchweight
**Well that’s it folks, the weigh-ins are complete for Bellator 20. We’ll have the results tomorrow night so check back in with us!**
The live video stream features fighters for tomorrow’s Bellator 20 event in San Antonio, Tex.
Hitting the scales first are the non-tournament fighters.
Today’s festivities take place at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, which also hosts Thursday’s FOX Sports Net-televised event and middleweight tournament semifinal fights of Eric Schambari vs. Bryan Baker and Alexander Shlemenko vs. Jared Hess.
Tournament bouts
Middleweight bout: Bryan Baker (186) vs. Eric Schambari (185)
Middleweight bout: Jared Hess (185.2) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (184.8)
Non-Tournament bouts
Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez (234.4) vs. Marcus Sursa (219.2)
Bantamweight bout: Nik Mamalis (135.2) vs. Mark Oshiro (134.4)
Light Heavyweight bout: Aaron Rosa (205.2) vs. Robert Villegas (205.2)
Lightweight bout: Brian Melancon (161.2) vs. Adam Schindler (154.8)
Welterweight bout: Andrew Chappelle (174.8) vs. Cedric Marks (166.8)
Flyweight bout: Humberto DeLeon (124.6) vs. Jimmy Flick (124.6)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 26, 2010) — The official weigh-in and pre-fight press conference for Bellator Fighting Championships’ Thursday evening event at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, will take place TODAY beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT.
Bellator will once again provide a LIVE video stream of the weigh-in and press conference at Bellator.com.
Participants include Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney as well as all 18 competitors in Thursday’s event including Middleweight Tournament semifinalists Eric Schambari, Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Jared Hess and Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko.
The event will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael C. Williams and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith.
The full fight card for Bellator 19 is below:
MAIN CARD:
Middleweight Tournament Semifinal Bout: Eric Schambari (12-1) vs. Bryan Baker (12-1)
Middleweight Tournament Semifinal Bout: Alexander Shlemenko (28-4) vs. Jared Hess (11-1-1)
Heavyweight Feature Fight: Eddie Sanchez (12-3) vs. Marcus Sursa (8-5)
UNDERCARD:
Local Main Event: Robert Villegas (7-2) vs. Aaron Rosa (10-4)
Featherweight Showcase Fight: Nik Mamalis (8-4) vs. Mark Oshiro (12-2)
Local Feature Fight #1: Cedric Marks (27-20) vs. Andrew Chappelle (7-6)
Local Feature Fight #2: Brian Melancon (3-0) vs. Adam Schindler (6-1)
Local Feature Fight #3: Humberto DeLeon (5-2) vs. Jimmy Flick (pro debut)
Local Feature Fight #4: Kenneth Battle (2-2) vs. Fernando Rodriguez (pro debut)
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.
There has been a change to the only heavyweight bout on the Bellator 20 card for this Thursday with Marcus Sursa (6-5) replacing Wayne Cole (16-15) at the event. He’ll be facing UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez (11-3) just day’s before the show.
The latest event for Bellator Fighting Championship’s, Bellator 20, will take place tomorrow at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Tex. The event airs live on FOX Sports Net (or on a few hours’ delay if preempted by local sports programming), and highlights packages air Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.
Cole was removed from the event after he failed to complete all of the necessary medical work required by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation according to MMAjunkie.com.
Sursa had a four fight win streak stopped by Trevor Prangley last November at a Sharks Fight event and will look to bounce back against Sanchez.
Sachez, a former UFC fighter with a 3-3 record in the promotion, has won his last three fights, all of which occurred in 2009, and will make his second Bellator appearance having KO’d Jay White at an event last May.
The official Bellator 20 card appears as follows:
Tournament bouts
Middleweight bout: Bryan Baker vs. Eric Schambari
Middleweight bout: Jared Hess vs. Alexander Shlemenko
Non-Tournament bouts
Heavyweight bout: Eddie Sanchez vs. Marcus Sursa
Light Heavyweight bout: Aaron Rosa vs. Robert Villegas
Featherweight bout: Nik Mamalis vs. Mark Oshiro
Welterweight bout: Andrew Chappelle vs. Cedric Marks
Lightweight bout: Brian Melancon vs. Adam Schindler
Flyweight bout: Humberto DeLeon vs. Jimmy Flick
Bellator 24's fight lineup just got a little bit heavier.
Six-time UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez will fight in
