Bellator Welterweight, Lightweight Finals Set for May 7, 14
Mike Whitman Apr 13, 2011
The finals of Bellator
Fighting Championships’ fourth-season welterweight and
lightweight tournaments will go down at
Bellator 43 and
Bellator 44, respectively.
Though not officially announced, Sherdog.com has confirmed with sources that 170-pound tourney finalists Jay Hieron and Rick Hawn will square off on May 7 at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla. The following week, Patricky Freire will meet Michael Chandler in the 155-pound final, expected to go down at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
MMAJunkie.com first reported news of both finals on Wednesday.
A veteran of Strikeforce and the International Fight League, Hieron (Pictured) rides a nine-fight winning streak into his showdown with Hawn. In his March Bellator debut, “The Thoroughbred” earned a technical submission over Anthony Lapsley. Hieron followed that victory with a hard-fought unanimous decision nod over Brent Weedman at Bellator 40 on April 9.
Hawn, 34, was a 2004 U.S. Olympian in judo and is undefeated through his two-year, 11-fight MMA career. The Massachusetts resident toppled fellow judoka Jim Wallhead and former Bellator welterweight champ Lyman Good to earn his spot at the tournament final.
One half of the “Pitbull” brothers, Patricky is the older sibling of current featherweight tournament semifinalist Patricio Freire. Only once beaten as a pro, the elder Freire made headlines after delivering back-to-back highlight-reel knockouts in the first two rounds of the tournament, flattening both Rob McCullough and Toby Imada.
A powerful wrestler, Chandler has yet to taste defeat as a professional. The Xtreme Couture representative bulldozed his way to the tournament finals, first submitting Polish prospect Marcin Held and then outpointing Lloyd Woodard in the semifinal.
Though not officially announced, Sherdog.com has confirmed with sources that 170-pound tourney finalists Jay Hieron and Rick Hawn will square off on May 7 at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla. The following week, Patricky Freire will meet Michael Chandler in the 155-pound final, expected to go down at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
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A veteran of Strikeforce and the International Fight League, Hieron (Pictured) rides a nine-fight winning streak into his showdown with Hawn. In his March Bellator debut, “The Thoroughbred” earned a technical submission over Anthony Lapsley. Hieron followed that victory with a hard-fought unanimous decision nod over Brent Weedman at Bellator 40 on April 9.
Hawn, 34, was a 2004 U.S. Olympian in judo and is undefeated through his two-year, 11-fight MMA career. The Massachusetts resident toppled fellow judoka Jim Wallhead and former Bellator welterweight champ Lyman Good to earn his spot at the tournament final.
One half of the “Pitbull” brothers, Patricky is the older sibling of current featherweight tournament semifinalist Patricio Freire. Only once beaten as a pro, the elder Freire made headlines after delivering back-to-back highlight-reel knockouts in the first two rounds of the tournament, flattening both Rob McCullough and Toby Imada.
A powerful wrestler, Chandler has yet to taste defeat as a professional. The Xtreme Couture representative bulldozed his way to the tournament finals, first submitting Polish prospect Marcin Held and then outpointing Lloyd Woodard in the semifinal.
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