Main Card

• Muhammed Lawal def. Seth Petruzelli via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:35
• Jacob Noe def. Renato Sobral via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:32
• Vitaly Minakov def. Ron Sparks via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:32
• War Machine def. Blas Avena via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:55

Prelims

• Chas Skelly def. Jarrod Card via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Keith Berry def. Cortez Coleman via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Mike Maldonado def. Chavous Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27
• Damon Jackson def. Keith Miner via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:00
• Raphael Butler def. Jeremiah O’Neal via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:57
• Ryan Martinez def. Rich Hale via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:19
• Brandon Halsey def. Joe Yager via split decision (30-28, 28-30, 30-28)
• Derek Campos def. Brandon Girtz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Justin McNally def. Steven Artoff via verbal submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:44

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

Pat Curran contra Joe Warren no Bellator 60. Foto: Bellator/Divulgação.

O Bellator 85 rolou nessa quinta-feira, em Irvine, nos Estados Unidos, e não faltou emoção no cercado cinza. Estreando no canal Spike TV, o evento contou com ótimos combates e não economizou no quesito emoção. Para o Brasil a noite não foi das melhores, com três lutadores no card, apenas Cleber “Tomadinha” Luciano venceu. Depois de três rounds os jurados decretaram o triunfo do brasileiro por decisão unânime sobre Mario Navarro.

Apostando apenas na trocação, Patrício Pitbull acabou superado por Pat Curran, que manteve o cinturão dos penas do Bellator. Sem tentar levar o combate para o chão, o potiguar usou os punhos para acertar o americano, que respondeu na mesma moeda e avariou mais o rosto do brasileiro. Após cinco rounds com muitos socos e chutes, Pat Curran levou por decisão dividida.

Já Renato Babalu vinha bem contra Mikhail Zayats até o minuto final do primeiro round, quando tomou um soco giratório e sentiu o golpe. O russo aproveitou o momento e despejou uma sequência de socos, até o brasileiro cair. No chão, algumas marretadas sacramentaram o resultado.

Ainda na jaula do Bellator, Michael Chandler usou o Jiu-Jitsu e finalizou Rick Hawn com um mata-leão, mantendo o cinturão dos leves.

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

Bellator 85: Chandler vs Hawn
Bren Center, Irvine, Califórnia
17 de janeiro de 2013

Michael Chandler finalizou Rick Hawn com um mata-leão aos 3min7s do R1
Jacob Noe venceu Seth Petruzelli por nocaute técnico aos 2min51s do R1
Mikhail Zayats venceu Renato Babalu por nocaute técnico aos 4min49s do R1
Pat Curran venceu Patrício Pitbull por decisão dividida dos jurados
Aaron Miller venceu Joe Camacho por decisão unânime dos jurados
Jason Lambert finalizou Hector Ramirez com uma chave de braço aos 3min59s do R1
J.J. Ambrose finalizou Brian Warren com uma guilhotina aos 50s do R2
Emanuel Newton finalizou Atanas Djambazov com um mata-leão aos 2min21s do R2
Savant Young nocauteou Mike Guymon aos 48s do R2
Joe Williams venceu Jamie Yager por nocaute técnico aos 4min2s do R1
Cleber Luciano derrotou Mario Navarro por decisão unânime dos jurados

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney (left) stands with lightweight champion Mike Chandler (right). Photo by Erik Fontanez

IRVINE, Calif. — Mike Chander and Pat Curran successfully defended their Bellator championship belts at the company’s debut on Spike TV in Irvine, Calif., at UC Irvine’s Bren Center on Thursday night.

Chandler finished Rick Hawn in the second round by locking on a rear-naked choke at 3:07 of the frame, while Curran went the distance with Patricio “Pit Bull” Freire for a split decision win.

“It was a big night for us,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said during the post-fight press conference. “Man, did [the fighters] deliver … All praise to you guys.”

Chandler looked dominant in his performance, establishing a takedown early in the fight and working actively in the guard to score points with strikes. The champ controlled Hawn for a majority of the opening frame and appeared to win the round.

The Alliance MMA lightweight continued his push in the second round, getting a slam of Hawn in the first 60 seconds on the way to sinking in the submission to finish the contest.

“It hasn’t really all sank in yet,” Chandler told GRACIEMAG.com of his win on Bellator’s first Spike TV broadcast. “I just want to keep getting better, [train] and see how good I can be.”

With the win, Chandler maintains his undefeated record at 11-0, while Hawn drops to 14-2.

Featherweight champion Pat Curran sits with his championship belt. Photo by Erik Fontanez

Curran, the featherweight title holder, and Pit Bull Freire opened the main card with the 145-pound title fight. Both fighters kept a conservative approach, measuring each other before deciding to engage with more offense in the latter stages of the contest.

The champion wasn’t really surprised, he said, that his opponent didn’t come out guns blazing. It’s a five-round fight and the fighters needed to pace themselves, he added.

“If he was going to come at me really hard, I was ready for it,” Curran said at the press conference. “I knew he had to pace himself because he has gotten tired in the past. I knew that was in the back of his head.”

The fighters went back and forth before the fight went to the final round, but it was Curran that landed enough strikes to bloody up Freire’s nose. The contest was scored 47-48, 48-27 and 48-47 in favor of the Curran.

With the win, Curran improves his overall record to 18-4, while Freire drops his tally to 17-2.

In addition to the title fights, Mikhail Zayats and Jacob Noe each scored first-round technical knockouts in their main card performances. Zayats topped MMA veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral at 4:49 of the opening round, and Noe beat Seth Petruzelli at 2:51 of their first frame.

The Bellator 85 prelim results are as follows:

• Aaron Miller def. Joe Camacho via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Jason Lambert def. Hector Ramirez via sub (inverted armbar) at 3:59, R1
• JJ Ambrose def. Brian Warren by sub (guillotine) at 0:50, R2
• Emanuel Newton def. Atanas Djambazov via sub (rear-naked choke) at 2:21, R2
• Savant Young def. Mike Guymon by KO (punch) 0:48, R2
• Joe Williams def. Jamie Yager via TKO (strikes on the ground) 4:02, R1 
• Cleber Luciano def. Mario Navarro by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

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.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Now Marlon Sandro had been putting on a good performane the featherweight GP final against Pat Curran, until a lapse of caution cost him his consciousness and the win. Jiu-Jitsu black belt Renê Nazaré put in a fine standup display, resulting in his opponent Juan Barrantes being unable to continue after the second-round break.

Check out the whole story in pictures sent in by our collaborator Gil Gomes, from the BTT.

[flickr set= 72157627497786148]

Já Marlon Sandro vinha bem na final do GP de penas contras Pat Curran, mas um descuido custou ao lutador o nocaute. Faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu, Renê Nazaré mandou bem na trocação. O resultado disso, o oponente Juan Barrantes não conseguiu continuar depois do intervalo do segundo assalto.

Confira toda essa história nas imagens enviadas pelo colaborador Gil Gomes, da BTT.

[flickr set= 72157627497786148]

Renê Nazaré in action / Photo: Phillip Hays

Marlon Sandro started out well in the Bellator featherweight GP final against Pat Curran. The aggressor for much of the fight, but met with a kick to the head that abruptly ended the action, dropping an unconscious Sandro to the canvas, where Curran followed up with three more strikes before te referee stepped in.

Now black belt Renê Nazaré showed his boxing is up to speed. The Brazilian had a good showing in the first round that continued in to second, cornering Juan Barrantes and tagging him with strikes. Landing a takedown, he worked the ground and pound and tried for a guillotine, but it was his merciless use of the elbow that had the greatest effect, as manifest in the battered state of the Costa Rican’s eye. Following a doctor’s check, Barrantes was barred from returning to action. The win is the tenth in the Brazilian’s undefeated career.

In the all ex-UFC figher matchup, Seth Petruzelli got the better of Ricco Rodrigues, landing a lethal uppercut and following up with hammer strikes on the ground for the win over the former UFC champion.

(Collaborator Junior Samurai)

Complete results:

Bellator 48
Connecticut, United States
August 20, 2011

Pat Curran defeated Marlon Sandro via TKO in R2;
Cole Konrad defeated Paul Buentello via unanimous decision;
Seth Petruzelli defeated Ricco Rodriguez via TKO in R1;
Renê Nazaré defeated Juan Barrantes via doctor’s intervention in R2;
Nik Fekete defeated Mark Griffin via TKO in R2;
Saul Almeida defeated Tateki Matsuda via unanimous decision;
Jeff Nader defeated Dan Cramer via TKO in R3;
Ryan Quinn submitted Brett Oteri via guillotine in R1;
Andrew Calandrelli submitted Matt Nice in R1.

Renê Nazaré em ação. Foto: Phillip Hays Divulgação.

O Bellator 48 rolou neste sábado, em Connecticut, Estados Unidos.

Marlon Sandro começou bem contra Pat Curran na final do GP dos penas, e dominou as ações na primeira parcial, tendo aplicado boas sequências de golpes. No segundo round, a luta continuava bem movimentada até que Curran soltou um chute alto no rosto de Marlon, que já caiu desacordado. No chão, o americano aplicou mais três socos antes de o juiz interromper.

Já o faixa-preta Renê Nazaré mostrou que está com o boxe em dia e bem afiado. O brasileiro mandou bem no primeiro round e continuou na mesma no segundo assalto, encurralando Juan Barrantes e batendo em pé. Quando derrubou, trabalhou no ground and pound e chegou a tentar uma guilhotina, mas os cotovelos estavam implacáveis e acertaram o costarriquenho, que ficou com o olho bem avariado. Inspecionado pelos médicos, Barrantes foi impedindo de continuar o duelo. Com o triunfo o, brasileiro mantém a invecibilidade em 10 lutas na carreira.

No combate entre os ex-lutadores do UFC Seth Petruzelli e Ricco Rodrigues, melhor para o primeiro, que acertou um upper letal e mais algumas marteladas já no solo para derrotar o ex-campeão dos pesos pesados do Ultimate.

(Colaborou Junior Samurai)

Confira os resultados:

Bellator 48
Connecticut, Estados Unidos
20 de agosto de 2011

Pat Curran venceu Marlon Sandro por TKO no R2
Cole Konrad venceu Paul Buentello por decisão unânime
Seth Petruzelli venceu Ricco Rodriguez por TKO no R1
Renê Nazaré venceu Juan Barrantes por interrupção médica no R2
Nik Fekete venceu Mark Griffin por TKO no R2
Saul Almeidavenceu Tateki Matsuda por decisão unânime
Jeff Nader venceu Dan Cramer por TKO no R3
Ryan Quinn finalizou Brett Oteri com uma guilhotina no R1
Andrew Calandrelli finalizou Matt Nice no R1