Bellator FC Brackets Revealed [Updated 3/11]
Full brackets have been released for Bellator FC's Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight Tournaments:
Lots more in the full entry, including the line-ups for Bellator's first two cards and the full schedule for all 12 shows to be aired on ESPN Deportes.
Bellator Fighting Championships #1
April 3, 2009 (airs April 4 on ESPN Deportes)
Seminole Hard Rock & Casino
Hollywood, Florida, USA
Lightweight Tournament Bouts
Eddie Alvarez (15-2) vs. TBA
Daniel Morales (5-1) vs. TBA
Jorge Masvidal (16-3) vs. TBA
Israel Giron (7-1) vs. Toby Imada (20-11)Featherweight Tournament Bouts
Nick Gonzalez (14-6) vs. Yahir Reyes (12-5)
Joe Soto (4-0) vs. Ben Greer (11-4)
Estevan Payan (6-1) vs. Luis Palomino (9-4)Womens Bout
Rosi Sexton (9-1) vs. Jessica Aguilar (5-2)
Non-Tournament Featherweight Bout
Jonathan Brookins (8-3) vs. Stephen Ledbetter (6-2)
Bellator Fighting Championships #2
April 10, 2009 (airs April 11 on ESPN Deportes)
Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino
Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Featherweight Tournament Bout
Wilson Reis (6-0) vs. Henry Martinez (2-0)
Lightweight Tournament Bout
Thomas Schulte (18-6) vs. Ivan Iberico (7-1)
Diego Garijo (3-1) vs. TBAWelterweight Tournament Bouts
Lyman Good (7-0) vs. Hector Urbina (12-4)
Jorge Ortiz (15-4) vs. Aaron Romero (5-2)
Dave Menne (42-15-2) vs. Norman Paraisy (5-0)
Omar De La Cruz (3-1) vs. Victor Meza (9-0)
Bellator Fighting Championships #3
April 17, 2009 (airs April 18 on ESPN Deportes)
Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Middleweight Tournament Bout
Hector Lombard (18-2-1) vs. Virgil Lozano (6-1-1)
I believe the first card is complete with the addition of the ladies' fight (which hasn't been officially announced). The second looks as though 1-2 additional bouts may still be added. Bellator allegedly has a contingency plan worked out for resting fighters with injuries who advance in the tournaments, since they're contractually obligated to put on one show per week and conclude the tournaments by the end of their run on ESPN Deportes. I haven't heard any details beyond that, but I hope for scheduling's sake that the first round fighters can emerge relatively unscathed.
And for those keeping track, Bellator's 2nd show will air the same night Strikeforce debuts on Showtime.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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i hope they have good editing.. The contender really does it well by showing different angles and slowmos every now and then, instead of showing it at real time like a normal fight.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
I have no evidence of this, but I think the shows will be less like The Contender and more like ESPN’s Friday Night Fights boxing cards.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
so why wouldn’t they show it live if there weren’t gonna be editing ala tuf or contender?
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 7, 2009 1:26 AM EST up reply actions
Probably to make sure that the name fighters and the bouts that they want to push get the air time. I also wouldn’t be surprised if ESPND didn’t want to do live MMA right off the bat, you know in case somebody’s arms get torn off or their head is knocked clean off into the crowd.
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i agree.. good point.
..still dont agree with you picking this guy though.. 
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 7, 2009 1:46 AM EST up reply actions
Thats Crazy
They put all the favorites to meet in the Semi Finals instead of the finals.
What do you think about that Chris?
I think its great though that we have brackets and we can to a pickum tournament like March Madness!
We should have our printouts and see how gets more points at the end! :-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d throw in some picks for sure.
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by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know enough about a lot of the fighters to comment, but the one that sticks out is Alvarez and Masvidal not being on separate sides of the bracket. Plain silly. Not only are you guaranteed to eliminate one of your two best LWs, but there’s a greater chance one of them will be hurt and unable to fight (or at least be 100%) in the finals a few weeks later. Bleh. We’ll see how this goes.
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by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Second
Why would you want those guys to meet in the second round?
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Mar 10, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
You think Bellator has enough potential where they can focus on building lesser-known fighters rather than marketing the stars they’re paying the money to to sell the promotion?
I think they gotta get the best fights in the right places, especially if they’re using the tournament format. Set it up so the top two guys meet in the finals. Build the storyline, build viewer interest, build ratings.
Then, if one of them gets upset, you can pimp that lesser-known guy.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Mar 10, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably to make sure the guys fight withought too much risk of being injured down the line.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I know Toby Imada
Is one of the few guys to actually finish Gardner with a sub. He succeeded via RNC where Aoki was not succeeding until Hello Japan epic fail commenced. Should at least be solid
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 11, 2009 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Where will this be broadcast besides Deportes?
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Wondering the same
Don’t think I get Deportes at all.
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
Apparently no one in BE reads my posts.
ESPN Deportes is part of the Spanish Package from cable or satellite providers.
Its a package that gives you like 10-15 channels in Spanish. So, the only way to get this channel is to get the package. I have Time Warner and I have the channel, but you need to subscribe to the package to see it.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Au contraire, I think everyone here reads your posts, lol.
The question is where else we can catch it. Surely there will be some sort of broadcast available outside of the Spanish Language packages.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Not 100% sure about that, but hopefully through a ESPN360 stream, or something of that sort. I am not sure it will be on TV though.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Well I really
hope that package is just like $5-10 or else I’m not getting it. Luckily I’ll be able to understand it all. Trilingual FTW! Engligh, Spanish AND Spanglish in this mother! :)
Gancho, gancho, y al suelo se lo lleva!!! lol
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Mar 10, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah man..
If I got every little thing through my cable that I wanted, I’d be paying fuckin 300 bucks a month. I’ll just as soon watch morning after videos.
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
All I could find:
Bellator Fighting Championships is a first of its kind Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion that will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. starting April 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. Bellator will also be broadcast to countries around the world through a collection of broadcast agreements.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
It’s a Mexican Braveheart.
I will play my game beneath the spin light.
Absurd Meridian
by Eugene Schelfaut on Mar 10, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Jacked up. Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masdival are not Mexican.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Details, details.
I will play my game beneath the spin light.
Absurd Meridian
by Eugene Schelfaut on Mar 10, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
You had to know Eddie Alvarez was Puerto Rican right?
:-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Is Puerto Rican Braveheart as glib and insulting as Mexican Braveheart?
I think not.
I will play my game beneath the spin light.
Absurd Meridian
by Eugene Schelfaut on Mar 10, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Latino Braveheart or Spanish Conquistadores (which is the them they are going for) is much more appropriate :-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I will play my game beneath the spin light.
Absurd Meridian
by Eugene Schelfaut on Mar 10, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey Chris, You Need To Front Page This!!!
If making fun of Tim Sylvia makes your front page, I am sure you guys can make room for some actual relevant MMA news.
This certainly seems front page worthy.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Mar 10, 2009 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Who made fun of Tim Sylvia on the front page?
Theoretically, I suppose we could put everything on the front page. What fun would all-inclusiveness be? It wouldn’t be much fun for me.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 10, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, in fairness, Tim Sylvia was really making fun of himself in that post. Cannon was just passing along the quote.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
This post certainly deserves to be on the front page; I sure as hell wasn’t trying to say that. I was just a little miffed about someone skewing the facts.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 10, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll get you next time!
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 10, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
They are seeing how bad Hector Lombard will crush everyone. Lyman Good should be the other favorite.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I love Shango
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
Lombard to Headline April 17 Show
The long-awaited U.S. debut of former Cuban judoka Hector Lombard (18-2-1) has once again been scheduled.
Now training with American Top Team, the middleweight will fight in the third week of upstart Bellator Fighting Championships’ debut season.
Lombard’s agent, Malki Kawa of First Round Management today confirmed the headlining bout of the new promotion’s yet-to-be-announced April 17 event with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). It’ll be an opening-round matchup in the organization’s eight-man middleweight tournament.
“We’re extremely excited to have Hector fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships,” Kawa said. “Unfortunately, I can’t share any other details about his fight at this time, but I can say we have very high expectations for Hector in this middleweight tournament.”
Additional sources have shared that Lombard will likely be facing Virgil Lozano (6-1-1) at the event. While an exact location for the event has not yet been announced, those same sources cite Norman, Okla., as the likely destination.
Thanks man, added it to the post. There is officially an assload of Bellator information up in here.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Additional sources have shared that Lombard will likely be facing Virgil Lozano (6-1-1) at the event
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 10, 2009 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Looking forward to it. Would of thought they’d have Alvarez and Masivdal at opposite ends? Guess not.
by Stefan Manojlovic on Mar 10, 2009 5:12 PM EDT reply actions
Some possibly very scary stuff about Bellator contracts…
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I have seen a contract in recent weeks that asked the fighter to sign away the rights to his name, likeness, nickname, etc. The promotion will file a USPTO (Trademark) against the name. They also want your URL, and merchandising rights without compensation.
Sounds eerily like this other promotion I watch from time to time.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh no, I get that he’s talking about Bellator contracts, just pointing out the similarities.
(And actually, I don’t even think Zuffa demands fighters’ URLs. That’s seriously trife.)
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Does the UFC copyright fighter’s names? There is some seriously scary stuff beyond even the UFC crap people complain about.
This is also some interesting reading here:
http://www.total-mma.com/2008/12/14/bellator-things-better-left-unsaid/
No idea, but isn’t that essentially the same thing as owning someone’s likeness in perpetuity?
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 11, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
What happened to Hector Lombard?
i thought he signed with Bellator
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
We gotta get you some new bifocals, old timer. :P
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I see Hector Urbina
but no Hector Lombard
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
I thought he was gonna fight on the middleweight tournament.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 10, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Bottom of the post, right above the event schedule. He’s headlining the third show.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 10, 2009 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions
ah
i was looking for him in the welterweight tournament. Wasn’t he going to fight Karo in the UFC at 170?
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Yep, at UFC 78 before the Chonan fight was made.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 10, 2009 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Nate
Is that a fuckin apple tarte tatin?
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
by Blackout612 on Mar 10, 2009 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Apple tarte tatin preceded by the commonly used descriptor – “fuckin” – deserves to be recommended due humor.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 10, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions
that it is
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
UPDATE
- Jonathan Brookins vs. Stephen Ledbetter added to April 3 show (non-tournament bout)
- Eddie Alvarez and Daniel Morales will now face different opponents on April 3
- Jorge Masvidal will have a new opponent for April 3
- Masvidal’s original opponent, Diego Garijo, will now fight on April 10
- Bellator has signed unbeaten Swedish FW prospect Sami Aziz (4-0-1)
source: MMAJunkie
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

Updated LW bracket – they saw the light and put Alvarez and Masvidal on opposite sides of the bracket! Win.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
Thank god.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 11, 2009 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Morons
Somebody probably read these comments sections (or some other website) and was like….wtf are we doing?
Could someone throw another rec on this, so’s I can keep it updated with all things Bellator?
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
Si Señor!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Mar 11, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Ford Signs Exclusive Marketing Program with Bellator Fighting Championships and ESPN Deportes
LOS ANGELES, Mar 11, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Bellator Fighting Championships and ESPN Deportes announced today a sponsorship agreement with Ford Motor Company. The agreement names Ford as the exclusive sponsor in the automotive category for Bellator Fighting Championships, a 12-episode mixed martial arts (MMA) series set to premiere on ESPN Deportes April 4th. Bellator is the first nationally televised mixed martial arts league focusing on the United States’ prolific Latino market.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
Wow!
Thats pretty huge from a starter promotion.
Ford must be targetting the 18-34 latino group that needs a truck.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 11, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
ATT Daniel Sarafian signs with the Bellator
Another Brazilian talent is scheduled to debut at the Bellator Fighting Championship. After Wilson Reis, Johnny Eduardo and Luis Palomino, who will be in action in the first edition of the event, on April 3th, in the United States, Daniel Sarafian, athlete of the American Top Team, has signed contract with the organization.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com

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