Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will have a chance to avenge his first Bellator loss, and it will be for light heavyweight gold on pay-per-view.

Bellator officials announced on Thursday that Lawal will fight Newton on the Nov. 2 PPV card in Long Beach, Calif. Current light heavyweight champion Attila Vegh is injured, and the Lawal-Newton match-up will be for the interim title.

“Another amazing F’n reamatch,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney posted on Twitter when announcing the fight.

Lawal and Newton first fought during the Bellator Season 8 light heavyweight tournament semifinal, where Newton landed a spinning-back fist to knock out his opponent for the win. Newton went on to win the tournament for the right to face Vegh for the title, but an undisclosed injury is forcing the champ to sit on the sidelines.

“Vegh will face [the] winner when healthy,” Bellator publicist Anthony Muzzuca posted on Twitter, following the announcement.

The Bellator pay-per-view is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between longtime MMA veterans Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz, and also includes a co-main event between lightweight champ Michael Chandler and former title holder Eddie Alvarez.

Following his loss at Bellator 96, Renato “Babalu” Sobral retired from MMA. Photo by Esther Lin.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral made a brilliant career in MMA. Thirty-seven years old, 16 of those years being a career in MMA, the fighter participated in 48 fights, had 37 wins and earned 19 of them thanks to his Jiu-Jitsu. The black-belt has fought in the biggest MMA events and was successful in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He is a former Strikeforce champion, and fought for the title in the UFC.

Monday night, June 19, Babalu said goodbye to the cage after being knocked out by Jacob Noe at Bellator 96. The Brazilian started the fight well, but failed to take the opponent to the ground. In the third round, however, Noe landed some good shots, which left Babalu bewildered. The referee did not wait and declared the victory of the American. This led to protest by Babalu, who pushed the referee, but later accepted the result with resilience and declared retirement, placing his gloves on the ground.

Watch the fight here:

Babalu was signed by Bellator earlier this year, and had a fight before this, but on the occasion also suffered a knockout.

The victory of Jacob Noe places the American at the final of the summer tournament. He will face King Mo Lawal, professional wrestler and former Strikeforce champion, who won the other semifinal of the night against Seth Petruzelli by knockout.

Check out the full results of Bellator 96 by clicking here.

Renato Babalu encerra carreira de 16 anos no MMA, com derrota para Jacob Noe no Bellator 96. Foto: Esther Lin

O brasileiro Renato Babalu  fez uma carreira brilhante no MMA. Com 37 anos, 16 de carreira, o lutador participou de 48 combates, e teve 37 vitórias: 19 delas graças ao seu Jiu-Jitsu. O faixa-preta passou pelos maiores eventos mundias de artes marciais mistas, e fez sucesso nos pesos pesados e meio-pesados. Foi campeão do Strikeforce, e disputou o título no UFC.

Na noite de ontem, 19 de junho, Babalu deu adeus aos cages após ser nocauteado por Jacob Noe no Bellator 96. O carioca começou bem o combate, mas não conseguiu levar o adversário para o chão. No terceiro round, porém, Noe acertou bons golpes, que deixaram o brasileiro desnorteado. Kerry Hatley não esperou e declarou a vitória do americano. Isso gerou o protesto de Babalu, que empurrou o árbitro, mas depois aceitou o resultado com resiliência e declarou a aposentadoria depositando suas luvas no chão.

Reveja a luta:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWeOPXfcIJA

Babalu foi contratado pelo Bellator este ano, e chegou a fazer outro combate antes deste, mas na ocasião também sofreu um nocaute.

A vitória de Jacob Noe posiciona o americano na final do torneio de verão dos meio-pesados da franquia. Ele enfrentará King Mo Lawal, profissional de wrestling e ex-campeão da categoria no Strikeforce, que venceu a outra semifinal da noite contra Seth Petruzelli, por nocaute.

Confira os resultados completos do Bellator 96:

Bellator 96
Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma (EUA)
19 de junho de 2013

King Mo Lawal venceu Seth Petruzelli por nocaute a 1m35s do R1
Jacob Noe venceu Renato Babalu por nocaute técnico aos 3m32s do R3
Vitaly Minakov venceu Ron Sparks por nocaute técnico aos 32s do R1
War Machine venceu Blas Avena por nocaute técnico aos 3m55s do R1

Card Preliminar

Damon Jackson venceu Keith Miner por nocaute técnico aos 2m00s do R1
Raphael Butlerv venceu Jeremiah O’Neal por nocaute técnico aos 2m57s do R1
Ryan Martinez venceu Richard Hale por nocaute aos 2m19s do R1
Brandon Halsey venceu Joe Yaeger por decisão dividida dos jurados
Derek Campos venceu Brandon Girtz por decisão unânime dos jurados
Justin McNally finalizou Steven Artoff com triângulo aos 2m44s do R1

O invicto Ben Askren, na pressão em cima de Karl Amoussou. Foto: Jeff Sherwood / Sherdog

Ben Askren, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal e Douglas Lima brilharam mais forte no card do Bellator 86, realizado em Thaclervile, no estado de Oklahoma, nessa quinta-feira, 24 de janeiro. As informações são do nosso repórter Erik Fontanez.

Na luta principal da noite, Ben Askren defendia o cinturão dos meio-médios contra Karl Amoussou. Askren foi superior durante os cinco minutos do primeiro round, chegando a abrir um corte no rosto de Karl. No segundo assalto, Amoussou tentou aplicar uma chave de pé em Ben, que escapou e já se colocou em posição de vantagem, dominando mais esta etapa. No terceiro, Askren montou e aplicou duros golpes em Amoussou, impedindo que o mesmo voltasse para o quarto round. Vitória por nocaute técnica de Askren, que manteve uma invencibilidade de 11 lutas.

Pelo coevento principal, o ex-Strikeforce “King Mo” Lawal fazia sua estreia no Bellator contra o impronunciável Przemyslaw Mysiala, da Polônia. Sem muito mistério, King Mo partiu para cima de Mysiala, que chegou a tentar responder com uma boa combinação, mas foi surpreendido com dois punhos rápidos de Lawal, que o levaram ao nocaute aos 3min52s de luta.

Destaque também para a luta entre o brasileiro Douglas Lima contra Michail Tsarev. Além de se manter em pé o tempo todo, defendendo as investidas de queda de Michail, Douglas soltou as caneladas para cima do adversário. Tsarev não resistiu ao castigo, e obrigou o árbitro a interromper a luta a 1min44s do segundo round.

Confira os resultados oficias do Bellator 86.

Bellator 86
WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma
24 de janeiro de 2013

Ben Askren venceu Karl Amoussou por nocaute técnico aos 5min do R3

“King Mo” Lawal nocauteou Przemyslaw Mysiala aos 3min52s do R1

Douglas Lima venceu Michail Tsarev por nocaute técnico aos 1min44s do R2

Ben Saunders venceu Koffi Adzitso na decisão unânime dos jurados.

Mike Maldonado vs Joseph Salas foi cancelado por restrição de tempo

Hunter Tucker finalizou Javier Obregon na guilhotina  aos 3min17s do R2

Jason Sampson finalizou Chris Pham no armlock aos 4min55s do R3

Brent Weedman venceu Marius Zaromskis na decisão unânime dos jurados

Raul Amaya venceu Jose Gomes por nocaute técnico aos 3min12 do R1

Damon Jackson finalizou Zach Church no mata-leão aos 2min43s do R2

Cortez Coleman venceu Matt Jones na decisão unânime dos jurados

Ben Askren crushed Karl Amoussou at Bellator 86 (Photo by Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com)

Ben Askren and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal shined brightest, winning their Bellator 86 outings at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. on Thursday night.

Askren put Karl Amoussou on his back for the greater part of their fight before doctors stopped the bout after the third round, while Lawal returned to competition by knocking out Przemyslaw Mysiala in their opening round.

Askren Grounds, Pounds and Busts Up Amoussou

Askren was relentlessly active in Amoussou’s guard, cutting him open in the first round of the welterweight title fight. Ammoussou attempted to land strikes from his back, but Askren’s top game proved to be superior in the opening five minutes.

Amoussou found himself in top position early in the second round and transitioned for a heel hook, but didn’t finish before Askren reversed position to get on top. From there, Askren, much like he did in the first round, actively worked in the guard to land strikes and cause more damage to Amoussou’s face.

After getting checked out by the cageside doctor for a cut over his left eye, Amoussou came out for the third round bloodied and battered. Askren again brought the fight to the ground and landed numerous strikes from half guard. The champ eventually worked his way to full mount and landed punches and hammer fists until the end of the round.

The physician stepped in to put a stop to the fight before the fourth round, giving Askren the technical knockout.

“I told you guys it was just a matter of time before my hands got some power in them,” Askren said following the win. “If you’re a welterweight anywhere in the world, you better watch out. I’m coming.”

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, impressed by Askren’s performance, congratulated the defending champ and praised him for what he just witnessed.

“That’s as dominant a performance as I have ever seen,” Rebney said, handing the welterweight belt to Askren.

With the win, Askren maintains his undefeated record at 11-0 and awaits the winner of the 170-pound tournament.

“King Mo” Lawal Photo by Esther Lin/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images

King Mo Returns with a First-Round Knockout

Lawal peppered Mysiala with jabs throughout the fight, making the Polish fighter’s nose bleed halfway through the contest. Mysiala moved well early on in the bout, but Lawal kept finding his mark as time passed.

In an effort to make up some ground, Mysiala attempted a kick-to-punch combination, but Lawal countered with looping left and right hands that put an end to the fight at the 3:52 mark of the first round.

“I [didn’t have a] strategy,” King Mo said following the win. “My goal was to come in and knock him out.”

When asked what he thinks of the rest of the 205-pound fighters in the tournament, Lawal said his plan for them is no different than the one he had for Mysiala.

“I’m going to knock them out,” Lawal replied. “That’s all I’m going to do.”

King Mo will now face Emanuel Newton in the semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament.

Lima Stops Tsarev

Douglas Lima stopped Michail Tsarev by technical knockout in the second round of their fight, and moved on in the company’s welterweight tournament bracket.

Lima controlled a majority of the first round by applying stiff takedown defense, but it was a leg kick at the end of the frame that was the beginning of the end. Tsarev, in obvious pain couldn’t apply any weight on his lead leg, and Lima continued landing low kicks until the referee put a stop the fight at  1:44 of the second period.

Ben Saunders Decisions Koffi Adzitso

Ben Saunders defeated Koffi Adzitso by unanimous decision in first fight of the main card to advance in the 170-pound tournament.

The former UFC welterweight proved to be more successful in the standup department, and all three judges saw the fight in his favor with 30-27 scores across the board.

Undercard Results:

• Mike Maldonado vs. Jospeh Salas canceled due to time constraint
• Hunter Tucker def. Javier Obregon via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:17, Round 2
• Jason Sampson def. Chris Pham via submission (armbar) at 4:55, Round 3
• Brent Weedman def. Marius Zaromskis via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
• Raul Amaya def. Jose Gomes via TKO (punches) at 3:12, Round 1
• Damon Jackson def. Zach Church via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:43, Round 2
• Cortez Coleman def. Matt Jones via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney (Photo by Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images)

Bellator Fighting Championships will make their 2013 debut on Spike TV on Thursday, Jan. 17, and the broadcast will feature two title fights, the company announced on Tuesday.

Lightweight champion Mike Chandler will defend his title against Season 6 tournament winner Rick Hawn, and Pat Curran will defend his featherweight belt against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire on the Spike TV debut. The event will take place at The University of California, Irvine’s Bren Center in Irvine, Calif.

The company also announced that their second broadcast will be Jan. 24, which will feature welterweight champion Ben Askren defending his title against Karl Amoussou. Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal will also be on the second event, but an opponent is yet to be determined. Lawal will have specials dedicated to him airing between the first and second Bellator broadcasts on the network.

Bellator will air events every Thursday for 12 straight weeks, officials said, and broadcasts will start at 10 p.m. ET. Viewers on the West Coast with a dish can watch the fights live at 7 p.m. PT, but cable subscribers will have to wait for a tape delay at 10 p.m. PT.

Five tournaments will take place during the upcoming season, including those in the 145-, 155-, 170-, 185- and 205-pound weight classes. Fighters such as Lawal, UFC veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli will be in the 205-pound tournament, while Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima will be in the 170-pound bracket. Others will be added in the near future.

Bellator’s biggest competitor, the UFC, has long presented itself as a Pay-Per-View company. Bellator, however, has made their reputation through cable networks, most recently with MTV2 and next year with Spike — a network that used to host UFC Fight Night cards. When asked, company CEO Bjorn Rebney said there are no immediate plans for a Bellator Pay-Per-View.

Officials said the company is currently casting for its first fight-based reality show, but plans for its debut are still being worked out.

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