Bellator Fighting Championships 40
April 9, 2011
First Council Casino,
Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Non Title Bout
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Ben Askren (8 – 0 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Nick Thompson (38 – 14 – 1). Askren remains ranked at [#21] with this victory. Askren showed true positional dominance on the ground, thoroughly flustering Thompson in all 3 rounds. Nick Thompson drops 1 spot from [#128] to [#129]. Thompson, who is on a 4 fight losing streak and has not won since February of 2009, announced his intention to retire following the bout.
Bellator Welterweight Tournament Semifinal
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Jay Hieron (21 – 4 – 0) defeated Brent Weedman (18 – 6 – 1) via unanimous decision. Weedman was the aggressor for much of the bout, but the judges felt Hieron’s boxing earned him the victory. Hieron breaks into the top ten, jumping 5 spots from [#15] to [#10]. He will face [#47] Rick Hawn in the finals of the season 4 welterweight tournament. Now Hieron is 11 spots higher than Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren. Brent Weedman drops 2 spots from [#28] to [#30]. Prior to this loss, Weedman was on a 3 year, 10 fight win streak.
Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
Lightweight (155 lbs)
Michael Chandler (7 – 0 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Lloyd Woodard (11 – 1 – 0) Chandler used superior wrestling to control the taller Woodard throughout the fight. Chandler, who bounds 109 spots forward from [#161] to [#52], advances to the finals to face [#51] Patricky Freire. Chandler had stopped all his opponents prior to this bout. Lloyd Woodard falls 20 spots from [#46] to [#66]. Woodard suffered defeat for the first time on Saturday night, but he has much to offer and should be back in the Bellator cage soon.
Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Eric Prindle (10 – 3 – 2) defeated Josh Burns (6 – 4 – 0) by TKO via doctors stoppage at 5:00 of the 2nd round. Prindle moves up 4 spots from [#100] to [#96]. These two behemoths traded heavy leather throughout the bout. Burns was on the receiving end of two unintentional low blows from Prindle, who lost 1 point for his miscalculations. A cut over Burn’s left eyebrow caused the doctor to call a stop to the contest between rounds 2 and 3. Prindle is on a 5 fight win streak, stopping 4 of 5 opponents. Josh Burns, who has lost 4 of his last 5 (all to stoppages), remains unranked.
Untelevised Preliminary Bouts
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Tyler Stinson (20 – 7 – 0) defeated Nathan James (11 – 7 – 1) by split decision. Stinson moves 1 spot up [#75] to [#74]. Stinson has won 4 of his last 5, 3 by stoppage. Nathan James, previously unranked, enters the welterweight “Top 500” at [#185]. James has lost 3 of his last 5.
Lightweight (155 lbs)
Michael Osborn (3 – 3 – 0) defeated Cody Carrillo (0 – 1 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 1:27 of the 1st round. Osborn is on a 2 fight win streak, stopping both opponents with punches. This was Carrillo’s first pro fight. Both fighters remain unranked.
Welterweight (170 lbs)
David Rickels (5– 0 – 0) defeated Dylan Smith (4 – 1 – 0) by triangle choke submission at 3:32 of the 1st round. Rickels has won all his bouts by stoppage, 4 in a row by submission, 3 in a row by triangle choke. Prior to this loss, Dylan Smith had won all his fights by stoppage. Both fighters remain unranked.