BOSTON, Mass. (April 28, 2010) – For the third time this year, Bellator Fighting Championships will host an open tryout that will provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an undiscovered professional fighter to earn spot in one of the organization’s upcoming nationally televised events.

The latest tryout will take place at the Sityodtong Academy in the Boston area on Tuesday, May 4th, two days before Bellator’s nationally televised event on Thursday, May 6th at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre. The event marks the first time that a major MMA promotion has hosted a nationally televised event in Boston since the Massachusetts state legislature became the 42nd state in the U.S. to officially sanction the sport in November.

“New England is a hotbed for MMA talent so we jumped at the chance to host another tryout in Boston while we will be in town for Bellator 17,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “At our last two tryouts in Kansas City and South Florida, we discovered some great talents including Tyler Stinson and Bryan Goldsby. As the first major MMA promotion to come to Massachusetts, we’re in a very advantageous position to find some great unsigned fighters here.”

The Sityodtong Academy is located at 100 Broadway in Somerville, Mass. Registration begins at 12 noon with tryouts starting promptly at 1 p.m. Both male and female fighters are invited to attend. All fighters must have an MMA.com federal I.D. and must bring their own gloves.

Bellator executives will choose one winner who will earn the opportunity to fight during a local featured fight during a Bellator Season 3 event in August, September or October. Bellator is also scouting for talent for its Season 3 tournaments.

Each Bellator event in Season 2 and 3 is televised LIVE in prime time on FOX Sports Net and during weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

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

Wednesday was a busy day as much of the post event news became available from this past weekends “WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber” event. The show took place this past Saturday night at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. with two preliminary bouts being aired on Spike TV and the showcasing of the first ever WEC pay-per-view.

The California State Athletic Commission released the notes on the attendance totals for the event. There was a total of 12,555 paid attendees to watch the featherweight title bout between still champ Jose Aldo and challenger Urijah Faber. That many fans brought in a total of $954,635 in gate revenue.

The CSAC also released the fighter salaries which totaled $336,500 for the event, setting a WEC Record. The top earner for the evening was defending featherweight champ Jose Aldo who earned $40,000 for his victory ($20,000 to show and $20,000 for the win). Read the rest of the fighter payouts after the jump.

The CSAC also suspended 11 fighters from the event. Eight fighters were handed down six month suspensions which included main event fighter Urijah Faber, who can be cleared by a physician for his left thigh and knee. Regardless of whether or not he is cleared, Faber is suspended for a minimum of 45 days for precautionary reasons. You can view the rest of the WEC 48 fighter suspensions after the jump.

Early estimates for the ppv buys has WEC 48 looking at a between 150,000-200,000 buys for the event. Something of a success considering fans had who normally watched it for free had to be convinced to pay to see this one.

Don’t expect another PPV for the next WEC event in Edmonton, UFC/WEC president Dana White told the press it will be business as usual.

“Every time we do a pay-per-view, you’ll see my monkey ass out here. But it’s business as usual when these guys are on Versus: same announcers, same everything.”

“We’ve got to take time and really look at it and hand-pick,” White said. “We’re doing so many pay-per-views, an boxing is going to do a few a year. You’ve got Vince (McMahon of the WWE) doing a bunch of pay-per-views a year. You have to pick and choose.

“We’ve got great partners with Versus and Comcast for the WEC. We know what we’re doing. We’ll do the right thing.”

Check out the full list of payouts and fighter suspensions after the jump.

The full fighter payouts include:

Jose Aldo: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Urijah Faber: $28,000

Ben Henderson: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus) def. Donald Cerrone: $14,000

Manvel Gamburyan: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Mike Brown: $21,000

Scott Jorgensen: $21,000 (includes $10,500 win bonus) def. Antonio Banuelos: $7,000

Shane Roller: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Njokuani: $7,000

Leonard Garcia: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Chan Sung Jung: $5,000

Anthony Pettis: $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Alex Karalexis: $10,000

Brad Pickett: $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Demetrious Johnson: $3,000

Chad Mendes: $8,500 (includes $4,000 win bonus) vs. Anthony Morrison: $4,000

Takeya Mizugaki: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Rani Yahya: $9,000

Tyler Toner: $5,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Visher: $4,000

As always these numbers don’t include fight bonuses (such as fight of the night, ko of the night or submission of the night), sponsorships, or any other unofficial payments nor do they deduce such expenses as insurance and taxes.

Fighter Suspensions:

Urijah Faber suspended for 6 months (minimum 45 days for precautionary reasons) unless cleared by a physician for his left thigh and knee.

Mike Brown is suspended for 45 days for precautionary reasons.

Leonard Garcia is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible right hand fracture.

Chan Sung Jung is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a right distal ulna shaft fracture, as well as a two month suspension for facial lacerations.

Antonio Banuelos is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible nasal fracture.

Scott Jorgensen is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible left metacarpal fracture.

Anthony Pettis is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a fracture in his right foot.

Bradd Picket is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared fora left clavicle fracture.

Rani Yahya is suspended for 60 days unless cleared by a physician for a left eye laceration.

Demetrious Johnson is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a dislocation and fracture of his right thumb.

Brandon Visher is suspended for 45 days for precautionary reasons.

HT: MMAjunkie.com

As part of our ongoing effort to bring you the details of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling news from all parts, here are the results of Northwest Submission Challenge which took place last weekend.

If you are a tourney organizer, we encourage you to send us the results of your Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling events too. If you are a competitor, feel free to send us a write up of your competition experience as well! Details are here.

Mens Beginner Nogi 130-150lbs
1st – Maziar Sobbi
2nd – JR Paredes
3rd – Hal Hammaker – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Beginner Nogi 150-170lbs
1st – Carl Sims – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Blake Fluhart – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Alex Martinez – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Beginner Nogi 170-190lbs
1st – Mat Lkinger – Team Beast BJJ
2nd – Eric Bowen – Alliance
3rd – Phil Lott – Alliance

Mens Beginner Nogi 190-210lbs
1st – Ryan Vrenderbur – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Scott Gray – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Gary Major – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Beginner Nogi over 210lbs
1st – Mariano Godoy – Combat Fitness
2nd – Nate Silvester

Mens Beginner Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Mariano Godoy – Combat Fitness
2nd – Jeff White – Crow’s MMA
3rd – Blake Fluhart – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Rick Stone – Combat Fitness

Mens Intermediate Nogi 130-150lbs
1st – David Burgara – Twin Falls BJJ
2nd – Kazuaki Honjo – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Justin Freeman

Mens Intermediate Nogi 150-170lbs
1st – Tyler Freeland – Throwdown
2nd – Mike Getchell – Combat Fitness
3rd – David Iles – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Intermediate Nogi 170-190lbs
1st – Jake Williams – Throwdown
2nd – Austin Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Jeff Moore – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Intermediate Nogi 190-210+lbs
1st – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Kurt Gregory

Mens Intermediate Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Josh Miler – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jake Williams – Throwdown
3rd – Cason Bowen – Alliance

Mens Advanced Nogi 140-180lbs
1st – Clint Christensen – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Brian Weiber – Combat Fitness
3rd – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Advanced Nogi over 180lbs
1st – Sam Zylstra – Alliance
2nd – Ricky Robinson – Team Beast BJJ

Mens Advanced Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Clint Christensen – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Jacen Flynn – Combat Fitness
3rd – Matt Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens White Belt 130-150lbs
1st – Justin Eyre – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Justing Freeman – Machado Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Hal Hammaker – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens White Belt 150-170lbs
1st – David Iles – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Zach Hollibaugh – Alliance
3rd – Carl Sims – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt 170-190lbs
1st – Josh Maggard – Alliance
2nd – Eric Bowen – Alliance
3rd – Austin Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt 190-210lbs
1st – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Todd Loree – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Ryan Vredenbur – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt over 210lbs
1st – Phil Shiplett – Alliance
2nd – Jason Bedke – Alliance
3rd – Nate Silvester

Mens White Belt ABSOLUTE
1st – Jordan Tabb – Alliance
2nd – Jared Borge – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jason Bedke – Alliance
3th – Phil Shiplett – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt 130-150lbs
1st – David Burgara – Twin Falls BJJ
2nd – Batt Badasci – Alliance
3rd – Kazuaki Honjo – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Blue Belt 150-170lbs
1st – Josh Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Brad Troyer – Pedro Sauer – Team Emfield
3rd – Paul Sundrini – Gracie Barra Idaho

Mens Blue Belt 170-190lbs
1st – Brandon Christensen – Alliance
2nd – Ari Bolden – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – James Hansen – Alliance*
3rd – Damon Tong – Keith Owen*

Mens Blue Belt 190-210lbs
1st – Drew Ledwich – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt over 210lbs
1st – Jeffery Walther – Spokane BJJ
2nd – Jeremiah Clemons – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Drew Ledwich – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt ABSOLUTE
1st – James Hansen – Alliance
2nd – Russell Duke – Alliance
3rd – Jeremiah Clemons – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens BJJ Advanced 140-180lbs
1st – Richard Casena – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens BJJ Advanced over 180lbs
1st – Ricky Robinson – Team Beast BJJ
2nd – Miles Vigil – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Ryan Andrews – Alliance

Mens BJJ Advanced ABSOLUTE
1st – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Matt Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Richard Casena – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Teen Nogi Beginner under 100lbs
1st – Josiah Priddy

Teen Nogi Beginner 100-120lbs
1st – John Hensley – Team Apocalypse
2nd – Nik Pendleton – Crow’s MMA
3rd – Keegan Orvis

Teen Nogi Beginner 121-140lbs
1st – Anthony Bosquez – Boise Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Dakota Kivett – Grappler’s Guild

Teen Nogi Beginner 141-160lbs
1st – Rowdy Robling
2nd – Brandon Cook – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Eric Wakeman – 10th Planet

Teen Nogi Beginner over 160lbs
1st – Alex Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Teen Nogi Advanced 121-140lbs
1st – John Wick – Boise Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Joshua Bjerkader – Team Beast BJJ

Teen Nogi Advanced over 160lbs
1st – Tom DiNoia – Freestyle Training Academy
2nd – Todd Hastie

Teen Gi 100-120lbs
!st – Kenneth Pollard – Keith Owen
2nd – Khalani Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
3rd – Maxamillein Hefley – Integrative Athlete

Teen Gi 121-140
NEED

Teen Gi 141-160lbs
1st – Brandon Cook – Keith Owen BJJ

Teen Gi over 160lbs
1st – Todd Hastie
2nd – Alex Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Tom DiNoia – Freestyle Training Academy

Kids Nogi Beginner 50-60lbs
1st – Cole Watterson – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Kids Nogi Beginner 60-70lbs
1st – AJ Enderle – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Garret Davila – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Beginner 70-80lbs
1st – Cole Thompson – Integrative Athlete
2nd – Benjamin Hutchins – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jared Perkins – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Beginner 80-90lbs
1st – Jeremy Helsley – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Jake Jeffries – Unified BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced 60-70lbs
1st – Lana Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho

Kids Nogi Advanced 70-80lbs
1st – Trinitee Hulse – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Lana Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
3rd – Jillian Dietrich – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced 80-90lbs
1st – Lane Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
2nd – Grayson Garey – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced over 90lbs
1st – Michael Furman – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Jesus Playas

***********TEAM AWARDS*************
Youth Team Winners (all kids and teen divisions)
1st – Keith Owen BJJ – 81 points
2nd – Gracie Barra Idaho – 25 points
3rd – West Side Jiu Jitsu – 20 points
4th – Intergrative Athlete – 14 points

Adult Team Winners (all adult divisions)
1st – West Side Jiu Jitsu – 62 points
2nd – Alliance – 60 points
3rd – Keith Owen BJJ – 50 points
4th – Combat Fitness – 20 points

Tonight’s World Extreme Cagefighting event, ‘Aldo vs. Faber’ takes place at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Preliminary bouts for the event begin at approx. 7 p.m. EST (4 p.m. PST) with the first ever WEC PPV beginning at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST) for the main card.

Two of tonight’s preliminary bouts will be shown live during a one hour special on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PST).

Two WEC title fights headline the show with fan favorite Urijah Faber fighting in his own back yard against featherweight champ Jose Aldo in the main event. The co-main event has lightweight champ Ben Henderson defending his title in a rematch with Donald Cerrone.

As always The MMA News will keep the spoilers off-of the main page. To view the full Quick Results for “UFC 112: Invincible” just click

The full ‘Aldo vs. Faber’ matchups and results are as follows:

Main Card (Pay-per-view)

- Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber vis unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-45)
- Benson Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via submission (guillotine) – R1 1:57
- Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Brown via knockout (punches) – R1, 2:22
- Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via submission (rear naked choke) – R1, 3:07
- Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

- Leonard Garcia def. Chan Sung Jung via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 28-29)
- Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalzexis via submission (triangle choke) R2, 1:35

Preliminary Card (un-aired)

- Brad Pickett def. Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Chad Mendes def. Anthony Morrison via submission (guillotine choke) – R1, 2:13
- Takeya Mizugaki def. Rani Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO (elbows) – R1, 2:36

This evening WEC 48 will see two title fights take place during the WEC’s stacked PPV debut as Jose Aldo looks to defend his featherweight crown against former title holder Urijah Faber, and WEC lightweight champ Benson Henderson hopes to go 2-0 against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the pair’s highly anticipated rematch.

FiveOuncesofPain.com will be here all evening to insure you are kept up to date on all of the latest live results from the event, along with post-fight analysis.

The card is all set to take place from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, with the first fight to kick off at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT).

A one hour preliminary card will begin on Spike TV at 9 pm ET, while the main card will begin at 10 pm ET on pay-per-view.

Live results are below. Enjoy the fights!!

Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO – Round 1

Takeya Mizugaki def. Rani Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Chad Mendes def.  Anthony Morrison via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Brad Pickett def. Demitrious Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalexis via submission (triangle choke) 1:35 – Round 2

Leonard Garcia def. Chan Sung Jung via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Brown via knockout – Round 1

Benson Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1

Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 50-45)

All 22 competitors for Saturday “Aldo vs. Faber” have made weight for their respective bouts. Today’s weigh-ins took place at the same venue for Saturday’s PPV event, the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. headlined by a titleweight tilt between featherweight champ Jose Aldo and fan favorite Urijah Faber.

Aldo weighed in at 145 pounds while challenger Faber weighed in at 144.5 pounds. While co-headliners lightweight champ Ben Henderson (155) and challenger Donald Cerrone (154.5) both hit their respective weights.

Don’t forget that two preliminary matches will air live on a Spike TV one hour special before the live PPV telecast, the first ever for a World Extreme Cagefighting event.

Spike TV will show matches featuring Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung and Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(HT: Heavy.com)

Full weigh-in results included:

Main Card (Pay-per-view)

- Jose Aldo (145) vs. Urijah Faber (144.5)
- Benson Henderson (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (154.5)
- Mike Brown (146) vs. Manny Gamburyan (146)
- Anthony Njokuani (156) vs. Shane Roller (155.5)
- Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Scott Jorgensen (136)

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

- Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (145.5)
- Alex Karalexis (156) vs. Anthony Pettis (155.5)

Preliminary Card (un-aired)

- Demetrious Johnson (135) vs. Brad Pickett (135.5)
- Chad Mendes (145.5) vs. Anthony Morrison (145)
- Takeya Mizugaki (134.5) vs. Rani Yahya (136)
- Tyler Toner (145.5) vs. Brandon Visher (144.5)

Photo courtesy of WEC.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 22, 2010 – Three dominant first-round wins by Dan Hornbuckle, Ryan Thomas and Patricio Pitbull – as well as a hard-fought split-decision victory for U.S Army Sgt. Steve Carl – made for another exciting Bellator Fighting Championships event Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino.

The action, which was broadcast live nationwide on FOX Sports Net, completed the quarterfinal rounds in Bellator’s welterweight and featherweight tournaments and added to the already impressive resumes of all four winners.

The most exhilarating 15 minutes of the night came during an all-out battle between Carl and California striker Brett Cooper (11-6) that ultimately ended with Carl winning via split decision, much to the capacity crowd’s displeasure.

The fight tested the stand-up and ground games of each fighter, but seemed to shift toward Cooper’s favor late in Round 3 when he took Carl down and nearly knocked him out with brutal ground-and-pound as the clock expired.

Afterward, even Carl himself seemed unsure of the judge’s decision.

“I wasn’t too sure about that fight,” said Carl, who improved his pro record to 13-1. “I wasn’t the happiest with my performance tonight.  The fans saw the last minute-and-a-half of Round 3 and it was all Brett. It definitely could have gone either way.”

Cooper, meanwhile, maintained that the decision should have been his.

“I don’t know what to say besides I thought I won,” he said simply.

Earlier, in the night’s Main Event, Hornbuckle improved his impressive pro record to 20-2, making quick work of Midwest regional circuit star Tyler Stinson (16-6), finishing him just 2:03 into round 1 via triangle choke.

The commanding performance (which took place on the first anniversary of Hornbuckle’s marriage to his wife Melody) advanced him to the semifinal round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament and reaffirmed his status as one of the tournament’s favorites.

“Lyman Good was in my place last year, so hopefully he knows that I’m on the path to get him,” Hornbuckle said as Good, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, looked on from cage-side seats. “I want that title … I’m comin’ to get him.”

Before that, the second fight of the night featured another dominant performance, this one by Thomas, who was selected earlier this week as a last-minute replacement for Jim Wallhead.

Last week, at Bellator 14 in Chicago, Thomas lost via a controversial referee stoppage to U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and begged Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney for a second chance. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night.

After the previously undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (5-1) took his back early on in the fight, Thomas slipped out of a rear-naked choke attempt, took the dominant position on the ground and eventually finished McClintock with impressive ground-and-pound.

The win sets up a rematch between Thomas and Askren in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinals on May 20^th at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas.

“I have a loss of my record that I don’t deserve,” Thomas declared afterwards. “Ben, you’ve been running your mouth … Let’s do it!”

In the first fight of the night, in a quarterfinal match-up in Bellator’s lightweight tournament, Pitbull, the Brizilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his impressive BJJ skills to submit Canadian up-and-comer and former paratrooper William Romero (5-1) in a dominant performance.

“I was looking for the knockout,” Pitbull said through a translator in a post-fight interview with Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith. “But I saw the leg and I saw the foot and it went good … it was perfect.”

The win improves Pitbull’s pro record to 13-0 (with 10 of those wins coming via KO or submission) and sets him up for a semifinal matchup with fellow Brazil native and jiu-jitsu specialist Wilson Reis (10-1).

“It’s going to be an awesome fight – jiu-jitsu versus jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “But I’m going for the knockout … I want to knock him out.”

Fans who missed the action can watch all the action this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Bellator’s second season continues next Thursday night, April 29^th, from the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 22, 2010 – Three dominant first-round wins by Dan Hornbuckle, Ryan Thomas and Patricio Pitbull – as well as a hard-fought split-decision victory for U.S Army Sgt. Steve Carl – made for another exciting Bellator Fighting Championships event Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino.

The action, which was broadcast live nationwide on FOX Sports Net, completed the quarterfinal rounds in Bellator’s welterweight and featherweight tournaments and added to the already impressive resumes of all four winners.

The most exhilarating 15 minutes of the night came during an all-out battle between Carl and California striker Brett Cooper (11-6) that ultimately ended with Carl winning via split decision, much to the capacity crowd’s displeasure.

The fight tested the stand-up and ground games of each fighter, but seemed to shift toward Cooper’s favor late in Round 3 when he took Carl down and nearly knocked him out with brutal ground-and-pound as the clock expired.

Afterward, even Carl himself seemed unsure of the judge’s decision.

“I wasn’t too sure about that fight,” said Carl, who improved his pro record to 13-1. “I wasn’t the happiest with my performance tonight.  The fans saw the last minute-and-a-half of Round 3 and it was all Brett. It definitely could have gone either way.”

Cooper, meanwhile, maintained that the decision should have been his.

“I don’t know what to say besides I thought I won,” he said simply.

Earlier, in the night’s Main Event, Hornbuckle improved his impressive pro record to 20-2, making quick work of Midwest regional circuit star Tyler Stinson (16-6), finishing him just 2:03 into round 1 via triangle choke.

The commanding performance (which took place on the first anniversary of Hornbuckle’s marriage to his wife Melody) advanced him to the semifinal round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament and reaffirmed his status as one of the tournament’s favorites.

“Lyman Good was in my place last year, so hopefully he knows that I’m on the path to get him,” Hornbuckle said as Good, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, looked on from cage-side seats. “I want that title … I’m comin’ to get him.”

Before that, the second fight of the night featured another dominant performance, this one by Thomas, who was selected earlier this week as a last-minute replacement for Jim Wallhead.

Last week, at Bellator 14 in Chicago, Thomas lost via a controversial referee stoppage to U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and begged Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney for a second chance. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night.

After the previously undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (5-1) took his back early on in the fight, Thomas slipped out of a rear-naked choke attempt, took the dominant position on the ground and eventually finished McClintock with impressive ground-and-pound.

The win sets up a rematch between Thomas and Askren in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinals on April 20^th at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas.

“I have a loss of my record that I don’t deserve,” Thomas declared afterwards. “Ben, you’ve been running your mouth … Let’s do it!”

In the first fight of the night, in a quarterfinal match-up in Bellator’s lightweight tournament, Pitbull, the Brizilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his impressive BJJ skills to submit Canadian up-and-comer and former paratrooper William Romero (5-1) in a dominant performance.

“I was looking for the knockout,” Pitbull said through a translator in a post-fight interview with Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith. “But I saw the leg and I saw the foot and it went good … it was perfect.”

The win improves Pitbull’s pro record to 13-0 (with 10 of those wins coming via KO or submission) and sets him up for a semifinal matchup with fellow Brazil native and jiu-jitsu specialist Wilson Reis (10-1).

“It’s going to be an awesome fight – jiu-jitsu versus jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “But I’m going for the knockout … I want to knock him out.”

Fans who missed the action can watch all the action this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

Bellator’s second season continues next Thursday night, April 29^th, from the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

Tonight’s Bellator Fighting Championship 15 will go down at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. featuring four more tournament bouts which include three first round welterweight fights and one first round featherweight tilt.

The preliminary bouts began at 7pm EST (4pm PST) with the main card airing live on FOX Sports Net (which may be delayed in certain areas by local sports programming) with highlights airing on Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

One of the main bouts of the event sees tournament welterweights Dan Hornbuckle (19-3) and Tyler Stinson (16-5) square off the quarterfinals of Bellator’s welterweight tournament. The winner will move onto the semifinals and join Ben Askren who moved on after his victory at last weeks Bellator 14 event.

The full live quick results and matchups for Bellator 15 after the jump.

Main Card

- Steve Carl def. Brett Cooper via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 28-29) (moves on to welterweight semi-finals)
- Dan Hornbuckle def. Tyler Stinson via submission (triangle choke)- R1, 2:03 (moves on to welterweight semi-finals)
- Ryan Thomas def. Jacob McClintock via TKO – R1, 4:11 (moves on to welterweight semi-finals)
- Patricio “Pitbull” Freire def. William Romero via submission (heel hook) – R1, 2:01 (moves on to featherweight semi-finals)

Preliminary Card

- Dave Branch defeated Derrick Mehman via submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 0:26 (190 pound catchweight bout)

- Ryan Quinn defeated Matt Lee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-27)
- Dan Cramer def. Dennis Olson by unanimous decision (30,27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rich de los Reyes def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via submission (rear-naked-choke) – R2, 2:03

Hornbuckle sinks in the triangle choke on Stinson in the welterweight quarter-finals. (photo courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championship)

CHICAGO, Ill. (April 22, 2010) — For the second consecutive week, Bellator Fighting Championships will provide a LIVE video stream of its post-fight press conference at Bellator.com.

Tonight’s stream, broadcast from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., will begin at approximately 11 p.m. ET, one hour after the conclusion of Bellator’s LIVE Fox Sports Net broadcast.

Fans can participate in the press conference as well by e-mailing questions to info@bellator.com or through Twitter @BellatorMMA during the duration of the broadcast.
The press conference will feature Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney as well as all eight fighters from tonight’s four televised tournament bouts: Dan Hornbuckle, Tyler Stinson, Patricio Pitbull, William Romero, Jacob McClintock, Ryan Thomas, Brett Cooper and Steve Carl.

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