Lombard, Vitale On Weight for Bellator 44
Mike Whitman May 13, 2011
Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight king Hector
Lombard hit his contracted weight at Friday's
Bellator 44 weigh-ins, as did his opponent, Falaniko
Vitale.
Lombard, who meets Vitale in a non-title super-fight in Saturday's main event at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., tipped the scales at 185 pounds, while Vitale came in at 185.5 pounds. The event will air live on MTV2.
Known for his heavy hands, Lombard owns over half of his career
wins by knockout. The Cuba native is 21-0-1 dating back to 2006,
with a 2007 draw to Kyle Noke being
the only blemish on Lombard's record in that span. The
American Top Team representative holds a perfect 6-0 record
inside the circular cage of Bellator, including a three-fight run
during Season 1 which earned him the middleweight title sitting
around his waist.
Vitale is a UFC veteran and holds notable wins over Dave Menne, Matt Lindland and Yushin Okami. The Hawaiian began his pro career in 1999 and will make his Bellator debut against Lombard. A veteran of 39 pro bouts, Vitale owns 16 career victories by submission. The middleweight has won five of his last six bouts heading into his showdown with Lombard.
The elder of the “Pitbull” brothers, Freire has a chance to set the tone for younger brother Patricio, who will compete in the featherweight tournament finals the following week at Bellator 45. Freire has looked impressive in his run to the championship round thus far, knocking out both Rob McCullough and Toby Imada in spectacular fashion in previous weeks. The Brazilian will ride a five-fight winning streak when he steps into the cage on Saturday.
Chandler is known for his wrestling prowess and undefeated record. The former Mizzou Tiger burst onto the Bellator scene in the tournament quarterfinals at Bellator 36, escaping a tight kneebar attempt and choking Marcin Held unconscious shortly thereafter with an arm-triangle. Chandler followed that performance with a unanimous decision victory over Lloyd Woodard in the semis three weeks later, out-wrestling “Cupcake” to earn his spot in the final.
Bellator 44
Saturday, May 14
Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino
Atlantic City, N.J.
Middleweight Super-Fight
Hector Lombard (185) vs. Falaniko Vitale (185.5)
BFC Lightweight Tournament Final
Patricky Freire (155) vs. Michael Chandler (156)
Alexander Shlemenko (186) vs. Brett Cooper (185.5)
Anthony Morrison (*146.5) vs. Bryan Goldsby (135)
Giedrius Karavackas (169.5) vs. Sam Oropeza (170.5)
Anthony Leone (*146.5) vs. Jeff Lentz (146)
Randy Smith (255.5) vs. Jamall Johnson (213.5)
Jay Silva (185.5) vs. Gemiyale Adkins (186)
* Anthony Leone made weight on his second attempt. Anthony Morrison was 11.5 pounds over weight, and has been removed from the card. His opponent, Bryan Goldsby, will not receive a replacement opponent.
Lombard, who meets Vitale in a non-title super-fight in Saturday's main event at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., tipped the scales at 185 pounds, while Vitale came in at 185.5 pounds. The event will air live on MTV2.
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Vitale is a UFC veteran and holds notable wins over Dave Menne, Matt Lindland and Yushin Okami. The Hawaiian began his pro career in 1999 and will make his Bellator debut against Lombard. A veteran of 39 pro bouts, Vitale owns 16 career victories by submission. The middleweight has won five of his last six bouts heading into his showdown with Lombard.
Lightweight tournament finalists Patricky
Freire and Michael
Chandler were also on point, weighing in at 155 and 156 pounds,
respectively.
The elder of the “Pitbull” brothers, Freire has a chance to set the tone for younger brother Patricio, who will compete in the featherweight tournament finals the following week at Bellator 45. Freire has looked impressive in his run to the championship round thus far, knocking out both Rob McCullough and Toby Imada in spectacular fashion in previous weeks. The Brazilian will ride a five-fight winning streak when he steps into the cage on Saturday.
Chandler is known for his wrestling prowess and undefeated record. The former Mizzou Tiger burst onto the Bellator scene in the tournament quarterfinals at Bellator 36, escaping a tight kneebar attempt and choking Marcin Held unconscious shortly thereafter with an arm-triangle. Chandler followed that performance with a unanimous decision victory over Lloyd Woodard in the semis three weeks later, out-wrestling “Cupcake” to earn his spot in the final.
Bellator 44
Saturday, May 14
Caesars Atlantic City Hotel and Casino
Atlantic City, N.J.
Middleweight Super-Fight
Hector Lombard (185) vs. Falaniko Vitale (185.5)
BFC Lightweight Tournament Final
Patricky Freire (155) vs. Michael Chandler (156)
Alexander Shlemenko (186) vs. Brett Cooper (185.5)
Anthony Morrison (*146.5) vs. Bryan Goldsby (135)
Giedrius Karavackas (169.5) vs. Sam Oropeza (170.5)
Anthony Leone (*146.5) vs. Jeff Lentz (146)
Randy Smith (255.5) vs. Jamall Johnson (213.5)
Jay Silva (185.5) vs. Gemiyale Adkins (186)
* Anthony Leone made weight on his second attempt. Anthony Morrison was 11.5 pounds over weight, and has been removed from the card. His opponent, Bryan Goldsby, will not receive a replacement opponent.
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