The lightweight tournament got started tonight at Bellator 87 with four exciting bouts. Missing from those bouts was two time tournament fighter Patricky Freire who was replaced by preliminary fighter Saad Awad just days before fight night due to an injury sustained by Freire. In a surprising turn of events, the late replacement stole the show.
With no title fights on the card, Thursday’s Bellator 87 main card will showcase the opening round of the promotions lightweight tournament. Bellator’s first two events if season eight featured three title fights that forcing portions of the light heavyweight and featherweight opening round tournament bouts to be televised on the preliminary card. Not this card though, all four lightweight bouts will be featured on the Bellator 87 main card on Spike from inside the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
Well yet another year has come and gone, 2012 was an odd year for MMA but the year will not easily be forgotten. This year saw the UFC all over network TV, Bellator stumble its way into next year and smaller promotions like RFA, LFC and XFC make a name for themselves. Unfortunately it also saw Strikeforce take a nosedive and the UFC cancel an event for the first time.
If you’re a follower of Bellator, then you know Lloyd Woodard has been very successful in the promotion, coming from the state of Montana. This fall, there will be another Montanan taking care of business in the cage for Bellator as Tim Welch will step up and test the chins at 170 pounds. We spoke to him after he got the good news from Bellator.
The I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio was the host for tonight’s Bellator 66 and its jam-packed 10 bout fight card. In front of a packed house and airing on MTV2 and Spkie.com Bellator 66 saw four tournament bouts and was headlined by a lightweight rematch between Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki.
All 20 fighters made weight today for Saturday’s Bellator 66 which takes place inside the I-X Center Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Thankfully the fighters made stepping onto the scale uneventful, but that didn’t mean their stare downs didn’t get a little interesting.
The long break between UFC events is nearly over and the lull of March will soon return to jam-packed MMA action. Even with the long break, the month was carried primarily by Bellator who delivered some great outcomes.
“An overnight sensation” is a saying often used in sports to describe an athlete that has come out of relatively nowhere to bust onto the scene literally overnight. Think Jon Jones after he submitted Jake O’Brien at UFC 100 or Ronda Rousey’s Strikeforce debut against Sarah D’alelio. After the quarterfinal round of the lightweight tournament at Bellator 62, you can add the name Lloyd Woodard to that list.
UFC on FOX 9 Weigh in Photo Gallery
Photo gallery from the UFC on FOX 9 weigh-ins featuring the UFC flyweight championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. Also on the card are local favorites Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo and Roger Bowling.
Bellator 100 Weigh-in Pictures
Last night the fighters for tonight’s Bellator 100 stepped onto the scales with all 24 fighters making weight. The historic 100th event for Bellator takes places tonight from the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona and features an all welterweight main card on Spike TV.
UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez Weigh-in Pictures
Due to a previously scheduled Arena Football game at the HP Pavilion, today’s UFC on FOX 7 weigh-ins were held less than a mile away at the California Theater. The small theater was completely filled with cheering fans and all the fighters they came to see made weight.
The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Weigh-in Pictures
Amidst everything else going on, the UFC has themselves a busy day today with the UFC on FX 6 taking place in Australia and The Ultimate Fighter 16 finale weigh-ins. All 24 fighters made weight today for tomorrow’s event that will crown The Ultimate Fighter 16 welterweight winner.
UFC on FUEL TV 4 Weigh-in Results and Photos
SAN JOSE, Cal. – Still recovering from Saturday’s UFC 148, MMAValor.com was inside the HP Pavilion for today’s UFC on FUEL TV 4 weigh-ins. A few of the fighters would need to step onto the scale behind a towel but all 22 fighters on the UFC on FUEL TV 4 fight card made weight.
