Randy Couture remembers the path his life was supposed to follow. He would put his foreign language and literature degree to good use as a high school teacher, and his background as an All-American wrestler to work as a coach.

Those were the days before mixed martial arts, back when something called the “Ultimate Fighting Championship” was only beginning to give birth to an entirely new sport. The former NCAA runner-up at Oklahoma State was content trying out for the Olympics, helping young wrestlers in high school and college, and scraping together enough money for a decent living.

As school wrestling programs are put on chopping blocks across the country, either to reach Title IX compliance or save a few bucks in a down economy, mixed martial arts is providing the centuries-old sport some salvation. Kids interested in professional fighting without access to trainers or gyms are giving it a lift – simply by walking into wrestling rooms again.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, more than 355,000 high schoolers competed on 9,772 teams during the sport’s high-water mark in 1977, back when Dan Gable was an Olympic hero and the United States was a force on the international scene.

By 1995, more than 1,200 of those programs had been cut and participation was at 217,000.

For Complete Article by Dave Skretta, theTandD.com

HESKETT NAMED WRESTLING COACHFormer Ohio State Assistant, Four-Time All-American Joins Black Knights
 
WEST POINT, N.Y.  – Joe Heskett, a four-time All-American, national champion and former U.S. World Team member who spent the past four years as an assistant at Ohio State University, has been named the head wrestling coach at Army Athletics Director Kevin Anderson announced.Heskett, a 2001 graduate of Iowa State University, replaces Chuck Barbee who resigned following his 10th season to pursue other interests.
 
“I am very excited to have one of the young talents in collegiate wrestling as our head coach,” said Anderson. “Joe comes highly recommended from Athletic Director of the Year Gene Smith of Ohio State has unmatched credentials on the mat and his passion and dedication to the sport should pay immediate dividends. He has continued to advance his career and we are confident he can lead us to wins over Navy, EIWA Championships and national qualifiers.”
 
Heskett, who won the 165-pound national championship in 2002, is the ninth head coach in program history.
 
"Life will often surprise us with outstanding opportunities,” said Heskett. “I am humbled and honored to be able to lead and represent the Army wrestling program. I am inspired by what West Point represents and I graciously accept the challenge to mentor and motivate the cadet-athletes, improve their technical and tactical skills on the mat and to beat Navy. I would like to thank my family, Kevin Anderson, the West Point search committee, specifically Associate Athletic Director Gene McIntyre for his time and energy and the entire USMA athletic department."
 
Heskett, the eighth four-time All-American at Iowa State, graduated with a degree in speech communications and a career record of 143-9.
 
He was a three-time national finalist, winning one championship and finishing second and third. Heskett captured three Big 12 Championships, won the prestigious Midlands event on three occasions and graduated third on Iowa State’s all-time wins list.
 
Following his decorated collegiate career, Heskett earned a spot on the 2007 U.S. World Team after winning the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. He represented the United States at the ’07 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan with a fifth-place finish. He dropped a tough, three-period battle with a two-time world champion from Russia in the semifinals before wrestling back to finish fifth and was one of five wrestlers to qualify at his weight for the Olympics. Earlier that summer, he won a silver medal at 163 pounds at the 2007 Pan American Games.Less than a week after returning from the World Championships, Heskett was forced to retire from competitive wrestling due to an injury and joined the Ohio State staff.Hired as the volunteer assistant in 2006, Heskett was training for the Olympics while assisting in recruiting, team academic support, cultivating donor and alumni relations and other operational duties. Shortly after his competitive retirement, he was promoted to full-time assistant on Tom Ryan’s staff as the chief recruiter. In addition to his work on the mat, Heskett also assumed responsibility for practice plans, academic progress and community service initiatives.
 
During his tenure at Ohio State, Heskett helped the Buckeyes to four top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Tournament, three NCAA champions and 15 All-Americans. He played a large role in securing the nation’s top recruiting class in 2006 and helped sign a host of top prospects.
 
Heskett began his coaching career at Cal Poly University where he was the head assistant wrestling coach an also earned his master’s degree with honors in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Athletic Administration. He assisted in all facets of the program, including fundraising, and helped the Mustangs to their highest NCAA placement in nearly 20 years.
 
Leadership and leadership training is another passion of Heskett’s. He was Iowa State’s representative at the NCAA Leadership Conference, a board member of the Children’s Body Image, a former member of the Major Ray Mendoza Leadership Fund and an Ambassador and Public Awareness Speaker for the Ohio State Medical Center. He is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer for h Leadership in Columbus, Ohio, a firm with an array of industry expertsA native of Akron, Ohio, Heskett and his wife Tara have two daughters, Olivia and Ava, and are expecting a son in late July. They will reside at West Point.

Shane Carwin recently joined ESPN SportsCenter to discuss his impending heavyweight title clash withBrock Lesnar during UFC 116 this Saturday evening in Las Vegas.

“You’re going to see Brock Lesnar knocked out on the canvas,” stated Carwin when asked to offer a prediction for his upcoming bout with the former WWE superstar and Division I NCAA wrestling champion.

Check out Carwin breaking down the main event of UFC 116 in the video below:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 24, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships concluded its hugely successful second season with two more thrilling upsets on Thursday as middleweight Alexander Shlemenko scored a stunning TKO and featherweight Joe Warren won a hard-fought split decision to emerge as the Season 2 Tournament Champions in their respective divisions.

The sold-out event at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live downtown entertainment district tied a ribbon on Bellator Season 2 in fitting fashion as fans were once again treated to a full card of electrifying fights that also included shocking upsets at bantamweight and in a Women’s Feature Fight.

But the night undoubtedly belonged to Warren and Shlemenko, whose victories earned them $100,000 in prize money and the chance to fight reigning Bellator World Champions Joe Soto and Hector Lombard, respectively, in world title fights this fall.

Shlemenko, a 26-year-old army combat fighter known for his reliance on spinning back-fists and leg kicks, came out swinging in his typical style from the opening bell. But it was a far-more-conventional right hook to the jaw that eventually finished the heavily favored Bryan “The Beast” Baker roughly mid-way through Round 1.

The devastating punch left Baker (13-2) dazed and slowly crumpled him to the canvas before Shlemenko moved in for the finish with a flurry of punches. Referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight due to unanswered blows at 2:45 into Round 1.

It was just the second time that Baker had suffered a loss as a pro with the other coming at the hands of UFC star Chael Sonnen more than two years ago.

“We had heard that Alexander Shlemenko was one of the best middleweights in Europe and he definitely proved that here tonight,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said afterward. “He beat a very, very talented fighter in Bryan Baker and he’s more than earned the right to face our champion Hector Lombard later this year.”

Shlemenko, for his part, said the win was also a statement on behalf of all pure strikers in MMA today.

“This victory means that strikers soon will be all over MMA and that Bellator Fighting Championships will be owned by the strikers,” he said through his translator.

Warren, meanwhile, took a far-more-circuitous route to his title. The 33-year-old former NCAA all-American and Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, appeared to be all but finished near the end of Round 1 when his opponent, the previously undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Patricio Pitbull, dropped him to the canvas with a right cross and then began a vicious ground-and-pound before Warren was saved by the bell.

But Warren rebounded in remarkable fashion during Rounds 2 and 3, digging deep and using his world-class wrestling skills to score points with a series of takedowns that were each followed by relentless ground-and-pound attacks punctuated with sharp elbows and stiff forearms to Pitbull’s head.

The split decision victory was even more impressive given that Warren spent much of the day battling a stomach virus that left him unable to keep food down or maintain his balance.

“I feel tired but I’m very happy now,” he said after the fight. “I fought a great fighter in Pitbull and now I’m the champion. I’m the baddest man on the planet!”

Rebney agreed, saluting Warren’s resilience and his will to win even in spite of his illness.

“He showed up tonight with a sickness that would have put a lot of people in the hospital and beat a world-class fighter and put on the kind of performance that you just can’t script,” he said. “What he did tonight was just epic and very, very impressive.”

Earlier, in the first televised fight of the night, Fresno, Calif.-based striker Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto scored a huge upset with a first round knockout of the world’s top-ranked 125-pound female fighter, England’s Rosi Sexton.

At just two minutes into Round 1, Frausto (7-1) landed a left knee to Sexton’s chin, knocking her unconscious and dropping her to the canvas before finishing her with three straight right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.

“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said afterward, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”

Also Thursday, in what was billed as an “Eliminator Bout” to determine the latest entrant into Bellator’s forthcoming Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament, two-time Wyoming state high school wrestling champion Nik “Garfield” Mamalis scored his second consecutive Bellator victory to improve his pro MMA record to 10-4 and punch his ticket into the tournament’s eight-man field. The soft-spoken Mamalis used an aggressive attack to neutralize L.A.-based rising star Albert Rios (12-5) via TKO at 4:40 into Round 1.

Afterward, Rebney said that Mamalis had more than earned his place in the Bantamweight Tournament draw.

“That’s what Bellator’s all about,” Rebney said. “it’s about giving a guy like Nik who hasn’t had a chance on the big stage the opportunity to that and then he takes that opportunity by the throat.”

The evening also played host to four non-televised “Local Feature Fights” showcasing top rising stars from Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Indiana. The results of those fights are as follows:

- Brent Weedman def. John Troyer via armbar submission – Round 1, 4:55
- Daniel Straus def. Chad Hinton via unanimous decision
- Stoney Hale def. Mike Fleniken via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 4:20
- Kurt Kinser def. David Overfield via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:30

Bellator returns to TV in August for its much-anticipated third season, which will feature eight-man tournaments at bantamweight and heavyweight as well as a first-of-its-kind Women’s Tournament showcasing eight female fighters ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes.

Each fight will once again be broadcast LIVE in primetime on Fox Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows every Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Bellator.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 17, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships crowned its second Season 2 champion Thursday night as former NCAA wrestling superstar and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren put on a grappling clinic to neutralize knockout artist and rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle in a dominating and well-rounded performance.

The 25-year-old University of Missouri product drew from the vocal support of an adoring crowd at the Kansas City Power & Light District to win a unanimous decision victory and complete the metamorphosis from highly touted prospect to full-fledged MMA star that many experts had predicted.

With his new wife Amy watching cageside, Askren (6-0) controlled the fight from the start, taking the veteran Hornbuckle to the mat early on in all three rounds and holding him at bay with his world-class wrestling skills. Hornbuckle tried to stop the momentum a few times, attempting a triangle choke mid-way through Round 2 and a kimura mid-way through Round 3, but Askren was able to escape both submissions.

“This is exactly the kind of performance we had hoped Ben would put on when we signed him six months ago,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “He showed some great talent in his first two Bellator fights but saved the best performance for last. It was a tremenously impressive night for Ben all the way around.  As an MMA fan, I cannot wait to see his World Title fight against Lyman Good this fall. ”

Afterward, Askren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith that he has already shifted his sights to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good, who he’ll face in a title fight later this year.

“Lyman, keep my belt warm,” he said as his hometown crowd egged him on. “Shine it up once a week and enjoy it while you can because it’s mine, baby.”

Joining Askren in the winner’s circle was Lisa Ward, the 27-year-old Seattle-based submission artist who improved her pro record to 13-3 and gave fans a sneak preview of what they’ll see when she enters the cage as part of Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament beginning in August.

Ward wasted no time locking 19-year-old MMA up-and-comer Stephanie Frausto (2-2) into a tight rear-naked choke, putting her to sleep and ending the fight via technical submission just 2:01 into Round 1. Ward said after the fight that she is hoping for tournament matchup with Megumi Fujii, the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, who handed Ward one of her three losses during a 2007 showdown in Canada.

“I would love another shot at Megumi,” Ward said. “We definitely have some unfinished business.”

Earlier, 24-year-old Missouri native Jose Vega delivered yet another Bellator “YouTube moment” with a highlight-reel knockout of North Carolina-based jiu-jitsu specialist Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card just 39.8 seconds into the first round of their “Bantamweight Feature Fight.”

After setting it up with a pair of stiff leg kicks, Vega (8-3) connected with a left hook to Card’s jaw, knocking him unconscious and dropping him to the canvas, bringing Vega’s many hometown fans to their feet.

“I’m lost for words,” an emotional Vega said afterward. “I’ve never had a KO before, but my hands have improved – [former Bellator fighters] Brian Davidson, James Krause and Tyler Stinson have been helping me with that. I saw the opening and I just went for it.”

In the first televised fight of the night, IFL and M1 veteran Raphael Davis improved his record to 9-1 by dominating Arena Football League veteran and one-time Nebraska state high school wrestling champion Demetrius Richards (5-3). Davis took the fight to the ground early on and quickly took Richards’ back, wearing him down with hammer fists and a flurry of knees to the body before Richards submitted to punches just 2:51 into Round 1.

The event also played host to five Local Feature Fights:

-       Tyler Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha via rear-naked choke (1:42)

-       Rudy Bears def. Brian Green via rear-naked choke (3:49)

-       Cole Konrad def. John Orr via unanimous decision

-       Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg via rear-naked choke (11:35)

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., where Bellator will conclude its second season with the championship rounds of its Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

The two championship fights and the rest of the Bellator 23 featured card will again be televised live on FOX Sports Net.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (June 10, 2010) – Pat Curran completed his unlikely Cinderella-story run through Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 2 Lightweight Tournament on Thursday, scoring a split decision victory over MMA veteran and 2009 Submission of the Year titleholder Toby Imada to win the tournament championship.

Curran’s win headlined another great night of fights from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Florida, roughly 30 miles south of the high school that Curran represented in the state wrestling finals just four years ago.

On Thursday, with dozens of his friends and family looking on, the 22-year-old impressed the judges with an athletic takedown defense and a series of powerful blows to the head that opened two cuts around Imada’s right eye. With the win, Curran earned the Season 2 Championship and the right to fight reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion and 20-2 MMA star Eddie Alvarez.

Alvarez, who watched the fight cageside with his son, Eddie Jr., called Curran’s performance “tough” and “impressive.”

“The guy’s powerful and he hits hard,” Alvarez said as Curran (12-3) was presented with a check for $100,000. “I’m looking forward to fighting him.”

Curran, who was inspired to begin a career in MMA by his cousin, UFC, WEC and Strikeforce veteran Jeff Curran, said afterwards that Bellator “changed my life.” It was his third consecutive upset victory along with a quarterfinal KO of Georges St.-Pierre training partner Mike Ricci and a semifinal decision win against UFC veteran and early tournament favorite Roger Huerta.

“What Pat Curran accomplished tonight is exactly what Bellator is all about,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He proved to himself and to the world that he deserves this championship and he deserves a fight with Eddie Alvarez thanks to three straight outstanding wins against three very tough opponents.”

Imada, who helped put Bellator on the map during its inaugural season with his now-famous inverted triangle choke submission of Jorge Masvidal, accepted the defeat graciously, congratulating Curran and saying “that’s what I get for leaving it up to the judges.”

The night also featured an impressive statement from Megumi Fujii, the consensus No. 1-ranked female fighter in the world, who improved her pro MMA record to an impressive 20-0 with a third round TKO of Missouri-based jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah Schneider in the evening’s “Female Showcase Fight.”

Schneider turned in a gutsy performance to survive the first two rounds but Fujii took the fight to the ground early on in Round 3, moved quickly to full mount and unleashed a rapid-fire ground-and-pound that forced the stoppage at 1:58. It was Fujii’s first-ever TKO and she admitted afterwards that she was “very surprised” not to have won via submission.

The win cemented Fujii’s position as the overwhelming favorite in Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 women’s tournament, despite the inclusion of a bevy of the world’s top 10 female fighters including 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the world’s No. 1-ranked 125 lbs. female), 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward and 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene.

“I will show my skills and I will be the champion,” Fujii told Bellator TV commentator Jimmy Smith after her fight, which also marked her first appearance on national television in the U.S.

In the evening’s first televised bout, a “Heavyweight Showcase Fight,” Seattle-area native Mike “300” Hayes (12-3-1) overcame a 30-pound weight disadvantage to win a unanimous decision victory over former Arena Football League player Steve Banks (4-3). The southpaw Banks used his size to claim the center of the cage and control the fight during Round 1, but he began showing signs of serious fatigue early on in Round 2. Hayes used his superior conditioning to control the fight the rest of the way and earn his fourth straight victory.

Later, in a “Bantamweight Feature Fight,” Philadelphia brawler Zack Makovsky (9-2) defeated local fan favorite and American Top Team product Eric Luke (4-3) with a crafty kimura submission at 4:28 into Round 2. With the win, Makovsky earned a spot in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament.

The event also played host to four Local Feature Fights, a sampling of which will be aired at Bellator.com beginning this Sunday as part of Bellator’s ongoing “Sunday Night Fights” promotion. The results of the local fights were:

- Brian Eckstein def. Mitchell Chamale via unanimous decision
- Moyses Gabin def. Chris Boffil via rear-naked choke submission (4:41)
- Sabah Homasi def. Frank Carrillo via TKO (13:36)
- Luis Palomino def. Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Kansas City Power & Light District, where former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren faces MMA rising star Dan Hornbuckle in the championship round of Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

CHICAGO, Ill. (June 1, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that it will bring the much-anticipated finale of its highly successful second season to the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., on June 24th.

The event—which will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and mun2—marks the first time ever that a major national mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has staged an event in the Bluegrass State.

It will also mark the first time that a live sporting event will be held at Fourth Street Live, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketsweb.com.

“If you’ve ever been to Fourth Street Live, I think you can envision what a spectacular and exciting event this is going to be,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We are extremely proud to be partnering with The Cordish Company to bring the Bellator brand of MMA to Louisville and the hundreds of thousands of MMA fans in the Greater Louisville area.”

The evening will feature two championship fights in Bellator’s ongoing Season 2 Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

In the first fight, world champion Greco-Roman wrestler and former NCAA all-American Joe Warren (4-1) will face undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt Patricio Pitbull (14-0) in the Featherweight Tournament Finals. The winner will earn the title of No. 1 Contender to reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto (9-0) and the chance to face Soto in a title fight later this year.

Then, in the Middleweight Tournament Finals, 13-1 WEC veteran Bryan “The Beast” Baker looks to continue his seven-fight winning streak when he squares off with Russian striker Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (29-4). The winner will earn the title of No. 1 Contender to reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (25-2-1) and the chance to face Lombard in a title fight later this year.

In the spirit of Rocky Balboa, the Louisville card will also include six “Local Feature Fights” showcasing top up-and-coming fighters from Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Indiana with selected winners qualifying to compete at future Bellator events. Competitors will be announced over the coming weeks.

This is the final event in Bellator’s 12-week-long second season. Season 3 kicks off on Aug. 12 in Hollywood, Fla.

Bellator has also held highly successful Season 2 events in Miami, Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, Dallas and San Antonio this year.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 26, 2010) — Ben Askren, who won two NCAA wrestling championships while competing at the University of Missouri and then represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games, will headline Bellator Fighting Championships’ latest event at KC Live! in the Kansas City Power & Light District on June 17th.

Askren (5-0) will take on MMA superstar Dan Hornbuckle (21-2) in the finals of Bellator’s ongoing Welterweight Championship Tournament. The winner will become the No. 1 contender to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (10-0) and will earn the chance to face Good in a world title fight later this year.

The much anticipated Askren-Hornbuckle showdown is one of eight fights scheduled as part of the June 17th event, which marks Bellator’s second visit in six weeks to the Power & Light District, a state-of-the-art, open-air, mixed-use entertainment venue in the heart of downtown Kansas City, owned and managed by The Cordish Company.

The event, Bellator 22, will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows the following Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Tickets are on sale now at The Midland by AMC box office in downtown Kansas City and at ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets start at just $15 in advance/$25 at the door. Ringside and VIP tickets are also available and start at $75.

Other scheduled fights include:

- Winfield, Kan., native Tyler Stinson (17-6) vs. Omaha-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Leonardo Pechana (11-5) in the evening’s “Local Main Event”
- Kansas City’s Tammie Schneider vs. Lisa Ward in a “Female Showcase” fight at 115 lbs.
- Kansas City’s John Orr (5-4) vs. former NCAA Champion wrestler and current Brock Lesnar training partner Cole Konrad (3-0) in a “Heavyweight Feature Fight”

“We’re thrilled to be coming back to Kansas City for another event at the Power & Light District,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our first trip to the venue back in late April produced one of the most magical events we’ve ever been a part of. Kansas City is a great fight town with great fans and the Power & Light District is a one-of-a-kind venue. We can’t wait to come back on June 17th with a Main Event fight featuring one of the top welterweights in the world, Dan Hornbuckle, and another star on the rise in Ben Askren.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com or powerandlightdistrict.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (May 20, 2010) – MMA star Dan Hornbuckle and former U.S. Olympian Ben Askren both booked passage into the championship round of Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 2 Welterweight Tournament at Bellator 19 on Thursday with dominant performances.

Meanwhile, reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto improved his record to a perfect 9-0 with a “Super Fight” victory over crafty UFC veteran Diego Saraiva.

The three fights – all dominant performances – were just part of another great night of Bellator action in front of a raucous crowd at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas – the first of two consecutive Bellator events in the Lone Star State this month.

The night’s most anticipated bout was undoubtedly Askren’s fight with UFC veteran Ryan Thomas – a rematch made possible when Thomas (13-5) re-entered the Welterweight Tournament to replace late scratch Jim Wallhead.

But while the first Thomas-Askren fight ended in controversy (a disputed referee’s stoppage), their fight on Thursday was controlled from the get-go by Askren, the two-time NCAA wrestling Champion at the University of Missouri. Askren held the dominant position for all three rounds, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision that improved his pro MMA record to 5-0. It was the first time that one of his fights had ever gone past the first round.

“It was a war … he definitely came to fight,” Askren said afterward. “I definitely had to dig deep. I was going for some submissions but he kept slipping out. It was a great fight.”

Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney agreed, saluting Askren’s commanding performance.

“Ben Askren was impressive,” Rebney said in the post-fight press conference. “For someone this new to MMA to be able to put on a performance like that against a fighter like Ryan Tomas is a testament to his huge, huge talent. He’s going to be tough guy to bet against.”

Earlier in the night, Iraq War veteran Steve Carl (13-2) took Hornbuckle to the ground shortly after the opening bell of their semifinal-round fight, but “The Handler” maintained his composure on his back, using a tight kimura to end the fight just 2:31 into Round 1. Hornbuckle has now recorded 10 submission wins 10 nine knockouts in his 23 career fights.

After the fight, Rebney made the case that Hornbuckle is quickly emerging as one of the top 170-pound fighters in the world.

“He continues to evolve and grow as a mixed martial artist,” Rebney said. “He is an awfully dangerous welterweight and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the world at 170 who would go in as a favorite against him right now. I’m looking forward to watching him again next month.”

In the “Super Fight,” Soto assumed the dominant position early on in the fight and landed a huge elbow to Saraiva’s forehead near the end of Round 1, opening a deep cut that forced the ringside doctor to stop the fight at the end of the round. It was the first time that Saraiva (18-9-1) had been stopped in 38 career pro bouts.

“It sucks that I had to end him with the cut, but that’s the way it goes,” Soto said afterward. “Now I’m just looking forward to fighting the winner of the tournament.”

Rebney called the fight “a major statement” by Soto.

“This was a very dangerous fight for Joe,” Rebney said. “But he came to us and said ‘I want the toughest guy you can find at 145.’ With a performance like that against a fighter of Diego’s caliber, it ‘s a great night for him.”

The event also played host to six Local Feature Fights:

- Douglas Frey def. Aaron Wise via guillotine choke (0:49)
- Joshua Smith def. Donyiell Winrow via unanimous decision
- Johnny Bedford def. Jared Lopez via TKO (12:16)
- Scott Barrett def. Ty Lee via TKO (2:25)
- Joe Christopher def. Brandon McDowell via guillotine choke (1:36)
- Chas Skelly def. Daniel Pineda via kneebar submission (7:16)

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next week from the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio with two semifinal fights in the Season 2 Middleweight Tournament: Eric Schambari vs. Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Russian import Alexander Shlemenko vs. former NCAA all-American wrestler Jared Hess.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

MONROE, La. (May 13, 2010) – World Champion wrestler Joe Warren and undefeated jiu-jitsu black belt Patricio Pitbull punched their tickets to the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Finals on Thursday while reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard made yet another statement that he is one of the world’s top 185-pounders during a thrilling night of fights at Bellator 18.

Lombard used a vicious right-left combo to the chin to KO former UFC fighter Jay Silva just 6.1 seconds into their fight, bringing the capacity crowd at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La. – and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney – to their feet.

“That’s the Hector Lombard I expected to see tonight,” Rebney said afterward. “He is a tremendously talented middleweight who I believe is one of the best in the world and now American MMA fans are getting to see what some of us already know.”

Lombard, who improved his stellar pro record to 25-2-1 with the win, summed up his performance in three words: “That was beautiful,” he said.

But while Lombard’s knockout will undoubtedly be the most-talked-about moment from Bellator 18, the victories by Warren and Pitbull had more immediate implications, setting up an intriguing final-round fight between one of America’s top wrestlers and an incredibly well-rounded and pedigreed jiu-jitsu and muay thai specialist.

In his fight, Warren used sheer strength and determination to slip out of no less than five submission attempts – two armbars, a heel hook and two guillotines – to win a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over up-and-comer and former pro soccer player Georgi Karakhanyan (13-2).

Warren (4-1), the 2006 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion and a former NCAA all-American at the University of Michigan, used a series of powerful wrestling takedowns to control the cage for all three rounds, wearing Karakhanyan down with a relentless ground-and-pound.

“I knew that he was good with the knees, so I thought I’d take him down,” an amped-up Warren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith after the fight. “I’m one step closer to that belt now and that’s what I’m here for.”

Later, in a battle of two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Pitbull used his superior standup game to score points with leg kicks, jabs and knees to the head to withstand a strong challenge from Bellator Season 1 runner up Wilson Reis (10-2).

With the win, Pitbull improved his overall pro record to a perfect 14-0 and booked passage into the Season 2 finals along with Warren, who said of Pitbull afterward: “He’s a great fighter … he’s going to be a great win on my record.”

Pitbull, wearing the Brazilian flag as a cape, disagreed.

“Everyone wants to talk, talk, talk,” he said through his translator. “I want to see what happens in the cage. I’m looking forward to the next round.”

Rebney, for his part, sang Pitbull’s praises, calling him “a true phenom.”

“He’s done some amazing things in Brazil that nobody’s gotten to see, and now we’re all getting a chance to see it,” Rebney said. “And Joe Warren proved yet again what a great, determined fighter he is with another gutsy performance. It’s gonna be a great final round.”

In the final televised fight of the night – a match-up between two former all-state wrestlers from Louisiana – New Orleans-area native Charlie Rader (11-4) scored the sixth KO of his career with a first round knockout (3:20) of former TUF competitor Christian Fulgium.

“From beginning to end, it was a spectacular night of fights,” Rebney said. “It was great being back in the city of Monroe and putting on a great show. We’ll be back again soon.”

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next week from the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas, with two semifinal fights in the Season 2 Welterweight Tournament: former two-time NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren vs. UFC veteran Ryan Thomas and fast-rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle vs. Iraq war veteran Steve Carl. The evening also features another Bellator “Super Fight,” with reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto taking on UFC veteran Diego Saraiva..

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.