UPSET VICTORIES STEAL THE SHOW AT BELLATOR II
Apr 11, 2009
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Bellator Fighting Championships held Bellator II
(the second event of the highly anticipated 3 month tournament
series) at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on April 10,
2009. The second nationally and internationally-televised event
featured five tournament bouts including Featherweight, Lightweight
and Welterweight first-round contests, with the resulting winners
moving one step closer to being named the Bellator Champion.
“One of the magical aspects of a tournament format is the upsets and tonight a raucous crowd at Mohegan Sun was treated to some great fights, a big victory for a local favorite - Lyman Good - and some upsets at Bellator II,” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Henry
Martinez vs. Wilson
Reis
One of the most anticipated bouts of the evening paired top ten world ranked Featherweight Wilson Reis against polished Jackson’s Fighting Academy standout Henry Martinez. When standing, Martinez and Reis were equally matched, but when the fight went to the ground, the multiple time World BJJ Champion dominated. While Wilson pushed early and often for an early ground submission, Martinez’s resiliency and strength forced the fight into the second and third rounds. During the third round, Reis continued to search for a submission, but that opportunity never came and at the end of the third round the heavily favored Wilson Reis emerged the winner by unanimous decision and will now advance into the Featherweight division semi-finals.
Hector Urbina vs. Lyman Good
Fan-favorite and New York-native Lyman Good started the match to the sound of huge cheers as a large pro-Good fan base made it clear they were there to support him. Good, the heavy-handed striker, stalked Urbina delivering solid and accurate blows throughout the first round. Urbina countered and attempted to take Good to the ground where he hoped to take control through his wrestling background, which would ultimately be his undoing. However, Good continued to dominate this match-up. Good led the charge to begin the second round of action with a burst of energy and quickly put Urbina on the run. Urbina was able to take the fight to the ground to change the pace, but this was to his detriment; Good finished the bout via a rear naked choke that set the crowd into a huge response. Good now moves on to Bellator’s Welterweight division semi-finals and with another win, will be awarded a $50,000 purse.
Aaron Romero vs. Jorge Ortiz
The third tournament bout of the evening featured two pros looking to strike. The fighters made very good use of the entire cage as they moved around. As the fight progressed, each Romero and Ortiz continued their technical fight. The evenly matched pair ended round three with an exchange of strikes, and the winner by way of unanimous decision was Jorge Oritz; the packed house in attendance at Mohegan Sun might argue that this fight was too close to call.
Eric Reynolds vs. Thomas Schulte
Far and away the biggest upset of the night was the first round technical knockout by Eric Reynolds over heavily favored Thomas Schulte. Reynolds was able to set the pace early and contain Schulte. Reynolds was able to assume full control of the match after slamming Schulte on his head, rendering him helpless to the array of strikes that followed. Referee Kevin Mulhall stopped the fight at 4:18 during the first round awarding Reynolds his tenth win via technical knockout.
Omar de la Cruz vs. Victor Meza
As the first tournament bout of the night, this match-up featured two Welterweights competing for a chance to advance on to the semi-final round of the tournament. Omar de la Cruz and Victor Meza didn’t waste time taking the fight to floor as the fighters struggled for positioning in what quickly became a technical display of grappling. The duo was unable to settle the bout in the first or second rounds and the two demonstrated their power as the battle moved into the third. At the start of the round, Meza immediately missed a roundhouse kick, as De La Cruz scrambled for the takedown and gained side mount position again. Meza struggled to get off his back and with five seconds left, gained position and landed the final blows as the bell rung. These final blows though were not enough to gain the win, as ultimately De La Cruz scored a unanimous upset victory over the formerly undefeated Meza.
The non-tournament bouts featured a calculated victory by Jimmie Rivera, whose patience was rewarded late in the third round as his aggressive pursuit of Willie Gates ended with a submission via a triangle choke. The second of the non-tournament match-ups featured an aggressive battle between skilled Lightweights, Matt Makowski and Aaron Tregear; Makowski danced around Tregear unleashing full extension kicks to the head. Tregear proved quickly that his striking ability is his key asset, but ultimately Makowski, who out-maneuvered his opponent, was able to capture the win via unanimous decision. The final non-tournament precursor featured a quick win for the heavy-handed striker, Jesse Juarez, who made short work of Mikey Gomez by way of a first round technical knockout.
Bellator II results as of Friday April 10, 2009:
Tournament Bouts:
145 lbs. – Wilson Reis (6-0) vs. Henry Martinez (5-1) Reis Unanimous Decision
170 lbs. – Lyman Good (7-0) vs. Hector Urbina (12-4) Good 3:22 2nd Round Rear Naked Chokehold
170 lbs. – Jorge Ortiz (15-4) vs. Aaron Romero (5-2) Ortiz Unannimous Descion
155 lbs. – Thomas Schulte (18-6) vs. Eric Reynolds (10-1) Reynolds 4:18 1st Round TKO (Strikes)
170 lbs. – Omar de la Cruz (3-1) vs. Victor Meza (9-0) De La Cruz Unanimous Decision
Non-Tournament Bouts:
170 lbs. – Mikey Gomez (9-5) vs. Jesse Juarez (7-5) Juarez 4:23 1st Round TKO (Strikes)
155 lbs. Matt Makowski (5-1) vs. Aaron Tregear (6-4) Makowski Unanimous Decision
135 lbs. Jimmie Rivera (2-1) vs. Willie Gates (0-2) Rivera 3:17 3rd Round Triangle Chokehold
Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights on ESPN Deportes. The English-language broadcast is available on Wednesdays on www.Bellator.com. The nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There are four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.
For more information about Bellator Fighting
Championships, visit www.Bellator.com. For the Spanish language version of the website, visit Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founders, Bjorn Rebney and Brad Epstein, are experienced fighting sports and entertainment professionals with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production (including Rob Beiner, winner of 12 Emmy awards for sports programming), fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting www.mohegansun.com.
“One of the magical aspects of a tournament format is the upsets and tonight a raucous crowd at Mohegan Sun was treated to some great fights, a big victory for a local favorite - Lyman Good - and some upsets at Bellator II,” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney.
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One of the most anticipated bouts of the evening paired top ten world ranked Featherweight Wilson Reis against polished Jackson’s Fighting Academy standout Henry Martinez. When standing, Martinez and Reis were equally matched, but when the fight went to the ground, the multiple time World BJJ Champion dominated. While Wilson pushed early and often for an early ground submission, Martinez’s resiliency and strength forced the fight into the second and third rounds. During the third round, Reis continued to search for a submission, but that opportunity never came and at the end of the third round the heavily favored Wilson Reis emerged the winner by unanimous decision and will now advance into the Featherweight division semi-finals.
“Wilson is a world-class top ten Featherweight and he will be a
tough fight for anyone in our Featherweight division,” Rebney
said.
Hector Urbina vs. Lyman Good
Fan-favorite and New York-native Lyman Good started the match to the sound of huge cheers as a large pro-Good fan base made it clear they were there to support him. Good, the heavy-handed striker, stalked Urbina delivering solid and accurate blows throughout the first round. Urbina countered and attempted to take Good to the ground where he hoped to take control through his wrestling background, which would ultimately be his undoing. However, Good continued to dominate this match-up. Good led the charge to begin the second round of action with a burst of energy and quickly put Urbina on the run. Urbina was able to take the fight to the ground to change the pace, but this was to his detriment; Good finished the bout via a rear naked choke that set the crowd into a huge response. Good now moves on to Bellator’s Welterweight division semi-finals and with another win, will be awarded a $50,000 purse.
Aaron Romero vs. Jorge Ortiz
The third tournament bout of the evening featured two pros looking to strike. The fighters made very good use of the entire cage as they moved around. As the fight progressed, each Romero and Ortiz continued their technical fight. The evenly matched pair ended round three with an exchange of strikes, and the winner by way of unanimous decision was Jorge Oritz; the packed house in attendance at Mohegan Sun might argue that this fight was too close to call.
Eric Reynolds vs. Thomas Schulte
Far and away the biggest upset of the night was the first round technical knockout by Eric Reynolds over heavily favored Thomas Schulte. Reynolds was able to set the pace early and contain Schulte. Reynolds was able to assume full control of the match after slamming Schulte on his head, rendering him helpless to the array of strikes that followed. Referee Kevin Mulhall stopped the fight at 4:18 during the first round awarding Reynolds his tenth win via technical knockout.
Omar de la Cruz vs. Victor Meza
As the first tournament bout of the night, this match-up featured two Welterweights competing for a chance to advance on to the semi-final round of the tournament. Omar de la Cruz and Victor Meza didn’t waste time taking the fight to floor as the fighters struggled for positioning in what quickly became a technical display of grappling. The duo was unable to settle the bout in the first or second rounds and the two demonstrated their power as the battle moved into the third. At the start of the round, Meza immediately missed a roundhouse kick, as De La Cruz scrambled for the takedown and gained side mount position again. Meza struggled to get off his back and with five seconds left, gained position and landed the final blows as the bell rung. These final blows though were not enough to gain the win, as ultimately De La Cruz scored a unanimous upset victory over the formerly undefeated Meza.
The non-tournament bouts featured a calculated victory by Jimmie Rivera, whose patience was rewarded late in the third round as his aggressive pursuit of Willie Gates ended with a submission via a triangle choke. The second of the non-tournament match-ups featured an aggressive battle between skilled Lightweights, Matt Makowski and Aaron Tregear; Makowski danced around Tregear unleashing full extension kicks to the head. Tregear proved quickly that his striking ability is his key asset, but ultimately Makowski, who out-maneuvered his opponent, was able to capture the win via unanimous decision. The final non-tournament precursor featured a quick win for the heavy-handed striker, Jesse Juarez, who made short work of Mikey Gomez by way of a first round technical knockout.
Bellator II results as of Friday April 10, 2009:
Tournament Bouts:
145 lbs. – Wilson Reis (6-0) vs. Henry Martinez (5-1) Reis Unanimous Decision
170 lbs. – Lyman Good (7-0) vs. Hector Urbina (12-4) Good 3:22 2nd Round Rear Naked Chokehold
170 lbs. – Jorge Ortiz (15-4) vs. Aaron Romero (5-2) Ortiz Unannimous Descion
155 lbs. – Thomas Schulte (18-6) vs. Eric Reynolds (10-1) Reynolds 4:18 1st Round TKO (Strikes)
170 lbs. – Omar de la Cruz (3-1) vs. Victor Meza (9-0) De La Cruz Unanimous Decision
Non-Tournament Bouts:
170 lbs. – Mikey Gomez (9-5) vs. Jesse Juarez (7-5) Juarez 4:23 1st Round TKO (Strikes)
155 lbs. Matt Makowski (5-1) vs. Aaron Tregear (6-4) Makowski Unanimous Decision
135 lbs. Jimmie Rivera (2-1) vs. Willie Gates (0-2) Rivera 3:17 3rd Round Triangle Chokehold
Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights on ESPN Deportes. The English-language broadcast is available on Wednesdays on www.Bellator.com. The nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There are four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.
For more information about Bellator Fighting
Championships, visit www.Bellator.com. For the Spanish language version of the website, visit Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founders, Bjorn Rebney and Brad Epstein, are experienced fighting sports and entertainment professionals with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production (including Rob Beiner, winner of 12 Emmy awards for sports programming), fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting www.mohegansun.com.
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