Bellator Fighting Championships 41
April 16, 2011
Cocopah Resort and Casino,
Yuma, Arizona, United States
Non Title Bout
Catchweight (137 lbs)
Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren (7 – 1 – 0) won a contentious unanimous decision over Marcos Galvao (9 – 4 – 1). Warren, who is the Bellator featherweight (145 lb) champion, moves from [#6FW] to [#4BW]. Warren is now on a 5 fight win streak. Consensus was that Galvao won rounds 1 and 2, while Warren won round 3. Many people are calling the decision for Warren a “robbery.” Galvao, who was on a 3 fight win streak prior to this loss, moves from [#108FW] to [#51BW]. Both men intend to fight in the upcoming bantamweight tournament coming up in September.
Bellator Featherweight Tournament Semifinal
Featherweight (145 lbs)
Patricio Freire (16 – 1 – 0) defeated Wilson Reis (12 – 3 – 0) by brutal KO due to punches at 3:29 of round 3. The bout was relatively even up to the end, with Freire using his reach and counter striking game to edge out a slight advantage. Freire found the chinks in Reis’s armor, and finally capitalized on them in the third round, overwhelming his opponent of shorter stature. Freire jumps 10 spots up from [#21] to [#11]. His one loss comes to current featherweight champ [#4BW] Joe Warren. He will face [#15] Daniel Straus in the finals of the season 4 featherweight tournament. Reis drops 9 spots from [#22] to [#31]. 2 out of 3 of Reis’s losses, who had never been stopped prior to this loss, come at the hands of Freire.
Non Title Bout
Bantamweight (135 lbs)
Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky (13 – 2 – 0) defeated Chad Robichaux (11 – 1 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 2:02 of round 3. Makovsky used his superior wrestling to stifle the unorthodox offense of Robichaux. A thrilling affair with many scrambles, Robichaux put forth a valiant attempt in his loss to the 135 lb champ. Makovsky, who is on a 7 fight win streak, falls 1 spot from [#8] to [#9]. Robichaux, who was ranked at [#37Fly], fell off the rankings. Robichaux, an 11 year veteran of the sport, has won 10 of his 11 victories by submission.
Bellator Featherweight Tournament Semifinal
Featherweight (145 lbs)
Daniel Straus (16 – 3 – 0) defeated Kenny Foster (9 – 3 – 0) by submission due to guillotine choke at 3:48 of the 3rd round. Straus, who is on a 12 fight win streak, moves up 2 spots from [#17] to [#15]. Straus used throws and superior clinchwork to vex Foster. Straus will meet [#11] Patricio Freire in the finals of the season 4 featherweight tournament. Foster, who dropped 3 spots from [#109] to [#112], is 8-2 in his last 10.
Untelevised Preliminary Bouts
Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Carlos Flores (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Rudy Aguilar (0 – 2 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 1:19 of the 1st round. Flores who has finished 3 of his 5 victories, moves 2 spots down from [#128] to [#130] due to his opponent being quite outclassed on paper. Aguilar remains unranked.
Bantamweight (135 lbs)
Anthony Birchak (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Tyler Bialecki (7 – 4 – 0) by submission due to brabo choke at 4:06 of the 1st round. Both fighters went sub attempt for sub attempt throughout the first round, but it was Birchak who was able to stop Bialecki in the end. Birchak, who was previously unranked, enters the bantamweight “Top 150” at [#140]. Birchak has won all 5 of his fights via submission. Bialecki, who is 2-3 in his last 5, remains unranked.
Featherweight (145 lbs)
Nick Piedmont (5– 1 – 0) defeated Michael Parker (6 – 4 – 0) by contentious split decision. Piedmont, who many feel should have lost the fight, leaps 59 spots forward from [#205] to [#146]. Piedmont is on a 3 fight win streak. Parker, who was ranked at [#419LW] enters the featherweight “Top 250” at [#239]. Parker has lost 3 of his last 5.
Middleweight (185 lbs)
Brendan Tierney (7– 2 – 0) defeated Dano Moore (5 – 5 – 0) by submission due to armbar at just 0:49 of round 1. Previously unranked Tierney, who has won 6 out of 7 fights by submission, moves into the middleweight “Top 350” at [#337]. Moore, who is 1-4 in his last 5, remains unranked.