Bellator Fighting Championships returned to Atlantic City, NJ to end its historic fifth season LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX from Caesars Atlantic City. While two tournament finals were scheduled for Bellator 59, only one Tournament Championship was decided as Eduardo Dantas collected an impressive win over Alexis Vila in the Bantamweight Finals. The Heavyweight Finals was declared a no contest, as Thiago Santos delivered what was ruled an accidental illegal blow to the groin of Eric Prindle, which eventually halted the fight and was declared a no contest. The Bantamweight Finals pitted the promising Dantas against the undefeated Cuban Alexis Vila. The first round saw Vila control the pace with a pair of takedowns and continued pressure. Dantas came out strong in the second and put Vila on tilt, stuffing multiple takedown attempts and landing lots of knees while tying up Vila against the cage. In the third round, Dantas took over Vila's back on a failed takedown attempt and rode out the remainder of the round while attempting to finish his opponent with a rear naked choke. The judges felt it was enough to award Dantas the unanimous decision victory, and a title shot in Bellator's sixth season. Current Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky met with Dantas in the cage after the fight and said, "I think he'll be the toughest fight of my career. You couldn't ask for a greater challenge." In the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Finals, Santos took over right away by <b>...</b>

Eddie Alvarez battles Michael Chandler for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship in one of the best fights of 2011. Tune to MTV2 or Epix in HD for more Bellator action at the Season 5 Finale live at 9/8c!

Stepping in the cage was Florida resident and current Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard, who gave the fans just what they wanted by delivering an exciting TKO finish in the second round. Lombard displayed his raw power more than once in this fight with ferocious flurries aimed right at Prangley's head whenever he was able to cut off the cage. In the end it was a failed two punch combination from Prangley that left his chin vulnerable to a counter left from Lombard. The punch left Prangley stunned and staggering. Lombard swung away with vicious hooks until the referee stepped in due to unanswered strikes at 1:06 of Round Two.

Two World Champions will fight on Bellator's biggest card of the year, as Hector Lombard returns to action and Eddie Alvarez puts his belt on the line against Michael Chandler. Plus FANS choose the fourth TV fight by sending your pick to @BjornRebney on Twitter!

Douglas Lima and Alexander Shlemenko both were the big tournament winners at Bellator 57 in front of a sold out crowd at Casino Rama. It was just the second time Bellator Fighting Championships had visited Canada and everyone in attendance was treated to a show as they witnessed a pair of action packed tournament final fights, one of which ended by second round knockout. While Ben Saunders may have entered the fight as a slight favorite over the challenger Douglas Lima, "The Phenom" put this theory to rest in the second round when he ducked under a lead left from Saunders and knocked him out with solid right hand. "I knew it was there. We worked on that a lot last week; duck the left hook, come back with the right straight. It worked out great," Lima said. "'I'mm glad I got the win. It was hard but it paid off. Hats off to Ben. He's the greatest guy. He's a great fighter." Lima earns a title shot with the win, and will meet Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren in Bellator's sixth season.

CHICAGO, Ill. (October 29, 2011) — The action was fast and ferocious inside Memorial Hall as Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren successfully defended his belt against Tournament Champion Jay Hieron and Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos both advanced to the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament with first round finishes. Hieron began the title fight with an impressive opening round, defening against Askren's takedowns and controlling the pace. Askren got off to a slow start but warmed up as the fight went on, as his takedowns prevailed in the second, third, and fourth rounds. Hieron sensed he was down heading into the fifth and final round, and came out with heavy hands, including a crowd igniting spinning back kick to the chest of a stunned Askren. However, when it came time to raise the winner's hand, one judge saw the fight in favor of Hieron while the other two sided with Askren, 48-47. Askren now awaits the winner of the Season 5 Welterweight Tournament, which will be decided at Bellator 57 in a Finals fight between Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima. Neil Grove had a second shot at tournament glory after filling in for the injured Blagoi Ivanov, and was set to square off against "The Big Monster" Thiago Santos. "Big Monster" survived Grove's first attack and then dropped him with his first punch -- an overhand right. Santos then followed him to the ground and took over Grove's back to submit the former tournament finalist by way of rear naked choke 38 seconds <b>...</b>

Eric Prindle advances to the Finals following a heavy handed punch as he knocked Ron Sparks out cold while countering a leg kick. Sparks delivered an outside leg kick to Prindle early and let his right hand drop below his chin. It was at this point that the former five-time All Army Boxing Champion dropped him with a swift left hook and followed him to the mat for two more punches before a referee stoppage. The win was ruled a knockout for Prindle and took just 40 seconds.

Yuma, AZ. (October 22, 2011) — Alexis Vila and Eduardo Dantas both earned a place in the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Finals after defeating their opponents by split decision from the Cocopah Resort and Casino at Bellator 55. "I cannot wait to see this bantamweight final," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "Alexis Vila, an Olympic wrestler with dynamite in his hands, is a 40-year-old world-class athlete that is just now hitting his peak. Then you have a 22-year-old buzzsaw Eduardo Dantas, who is the top Bantamweight prospect in the world. It was a great night of fights at Cocopah and I expect a great final next month." Vila and Marcos Galvao traded shots for three rounds and though Galvao landed a flurry of leg kicks and stiff jabs, the judges liked Vila's aggression and the power behind the punches. The Olympic wrestler wasn't able to finish a lot of takedowns but dictated the pace of the fight and two judges scored it for Vila 29-28 while one judge saw it 30-27 completely in Galvao's favor, securing a finals spot for Vila. Ed West had to pick his jaw off the floor when he heard Dantas declared the winner instead of him but this was a very close fight where both fighters stayed extremely active for three full rounds. West may have landed more strikes, but Dantas was able to make him miss often and staggered West with solid punches of his own. Two of three judges declared Dantas the winner, and with the victory Dantas secured his spot in the Bantamweight <b>...</b>

Returning to Atlantic City for the second time this season, Bellator Fighting Championships brought the fans to their feet inside Boardwalk Hall as Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna advanced to the Finals of the Bellator Middleweight Tournament. Current Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky earned his 14th career victory with a submission win in his non-tile feature fight against Ryan Roberts while Jacob Kirwin took down the previously undefeated Nazare in surprising fashion LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX2. The finals will take place on Saturday, November 19 at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. "The middleweights have absolutely brought it this season," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "Vitor Vianna, who is known for his submission game, has proven tonight that he has dynamite in his hands, and Alexander Shlemenko is absolutely one of the most exciting and explosive middleweights in the world. These finals will be an absolute magic at The Seminole Hard Rock on November 19." Alexander Shlemenko entered the night as the perceived favorite with Brian Rogers. The dynamic Russian entered the fight with over 40 victories and was the winner of Bellator's last Middleweight Tournament. Rogers surprised many when he was able to knock Shlemenko to the mat with a punch and steal the first round, but Shlemenko stayed true to form nearly knocking Rogers senseless in the second round with a flurry of big knees to the head <b>...</b>

It was a heartbreaking night for middleweight Bryan Baker who was eliminated for the second time in a Bellator Tournament. Just one win away from a possible rematch with Alexander Shlemenko in the finals, Baker was stunned early on by Vitor Vianna. While both exchanged blows early, it was Vianna that caught Baker with a crisp overhand right to drop "The Beast" and secure a Bellator Finals spot and a shot at a $100000 payday.

There were eight at the start but after Bellator 53 in Miami, OK, just two men remain in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. Ben "Killa B" Saunders and Douglas Lima will advance to the welterweight finals after finishing each of their opponents in front of a sold out crowd inside the Buffalo Run Casino Resort. "Our Welterweights were simply electric tonight" said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Lima looked spectacular on his feet against a top, top tier striker in Chris Lozano and Ben Saunders on the ground was spectacular. Top to bottom this was an incredible show, and our Welterweight Finals should be something very special." Saunders scored an impressive victory with a dominating performance on the ground against veteran Luis Santos, a fighter with over 50 career wins. Santos succeeded in taking the fight to the mat but Saunders dictated the pace of the fight from his back with arm locks and a stiff underhook. In the third and final round, Saunders found himself in top position on the mat for the first time in the fight. He advanced to half guard and finished the fight by keylock to secure victory and his spot in the Welterweight Finals later this season. "The Assassin" Chris Lozano was dealt just the second loss of his young career at the hands "The Phenom" Douglas Lima. More than half of Lozano's wins inside the cage have come via knockout, and it was evident by Lozano's willingness to stand and trade with Lima. It backfired however in the second <b>...</b>

"The Assassin" Chris Lozano was dealt just the second loss of his young career at the hands "The Phenom" Douglas Lima. More than half of Lozano's wins inside the cage have come via knockout, and it was evident by Lozano's willingness to stand and trade with Lima. It backfired however in the second round as Lima caught Lozano coming in with a perfectly timed right cross following a failed left hook by Lozano. Lima knocked "The Assassin" out cold to advance to the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament.

LAKE CHARLES, La. (October 1, 2011) — It was an action-packed start to the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament as eight heavy hitters lined up inside the L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles for Bellator 52 to kickoff the quarterfinals of the Season 5 tournament. Ron "The Monster" Sparks will take on Eric Prindle and Mike "300" Hayes faces Blagoi Ivanov in the semifinals after big wins in Louisiana this weekend. "It was another great night in another full house at L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles," Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. "Our heavyweights put on some explosive performances tonight, and I can't wait for the semifinals later this month at Bellator 56 from Memorial Hall in Kansas City." In a stunning upset, Mike "300" Hayes eliminated Neil Grove from the tournament with a split-decision victory in the night's main event. Grove had a slight reach advantage and outweighed his opponent by more than 30 pounds, but Hayes executed an excellent game plan. He moved in and out of Grove's striking distance and racked up points on the judges' scorecards with lots of leg kicks and straight punches to the body. Ron Sparks remained undefeated and advanced to the semifinals with a knockout win over Mark Holata in the first fight of the evening. Holata didn't shy away from the fight, trading punches with Sparks right away, but "The Monster" was able to stun him with a right hook early and on a later exchange dropped him to the canvas with a pair of left hooks to <b>...</b>

Ron Sparks remained undefeated and advanced to the semifinals with a knockout win over Mark Holata in the first fight of the evening. Holata didn't shy away from the fight, trading punches with Sparks right away, but "The Monster" was able to stun him with a right hook early and on a later exchange dropped him to the canvas with a pair of left hooks to the jaw line. It was a big win for Sparks who is eager to show Bellator and the fans what he's capable of.

CANTON, Ohio (September 24, 2011) -- For the first time in his Bellator career, Joe Warren not only lost a fight but was finished as former Cuban Olympian Alexis Vila put an exclamation mark on the evening with a 64-second knockout victory over the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on the Planet" in the main event at Bellator 51 LIVE from the Canton Civic Center on MTV2 and in commercial free HD on EPIX. "Just spectacular performances by our 135ers," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "These four semi-finalists are some of the best in the world. Vila and Dantas' knockouts are two of the greatest knockouts I've seen all year. This division is stacked and I cannot wait for October 22nd in Arizona. These semi's will be magic." Vila had his raised high inside the Canton Civic Center after putting Warren to sleep with a fierce left hook after he rocked the featherweight champion with a powerful right hand on the previous exchange. The win sent a statement to the remaining competitors vying for Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zack Makovsky's title, that Vila isn't just some Olympic wrestler -- he's a 135-pound knockout artist. "There's nobody that can stop me from becoming the next Bellator Bantamweight World Champion," Vila said. "I feel like the belt is already mine. I just have to beat up a few guys before I get to take it home." Those guys he's referring too are Marcos Galvao, Eduardo Dantas and tournament veteran Ed West, who all walked away with wins at Bellator 51 in <b>...</b>

Vila had his raised high inside the Canton Civic Center after putting Warren to sleep with a fierce left hook after he rocked the featherweight champion with a powerful right hand on the previous exchange. The win sent a statement to the remaining competitors vying for Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zack Makovsky's title, that Vila isn't just some Olympic wrestler -- he's a 135-pound knockout artist.

Wilson Reis was eliminated from the tournament once again in his first attempt at 135 pounds, but big things were expected from his opponent, Eduardo Dantas, when he showed up with world champion Jose Aldo and Marlon Sandro in his corner. Dantas earned a knockout as exciting as Vila's when he capitalized on a kick caught by Reis in the opening round. Reis wouldn't let go of the leg at first and looked to set up a takedown, but when Dantas took his leg back and Reis began to retreat to get outside his striking distance, Dantas sprinted toward him and laid him out flat with a knockout by flying knee.

Bryan Baker put an exclamation point on a sensational night of fights and turned in a stellar performance against Season 1 Middleweight Tournament Finalist Jared Hess. Both men were committed to takedowns but Baker was able to outwork Hess on the mat. Baker secured two anaconda chokes and attempted a rear naked choke more than once, but in the end it was an exciting ground and pound finish by Baker who sunk in his hooks from rear mount and flattened out Hess until there was no escape from his ground assault. Alexander Shlemenko showed that he is a complete mixed martial artist and used a standing guillotine choke to submit Zelg Galesic at 1:55 of the first round and as a result will advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Bryan Rogers defeated Victor O'Donnell by ground and pound as well, but it was a questionable stoppage after Rogers dropped his opponent with a head kick and a barrage of punches. The straight right was the shot that put O'Donnell down and after a number of unanswered punches the referee ran right in to waive a stop to the contest. In the closest fight of the night, Vitor Vianna edged Sam Alvey by split decision. Alvey opened a cut on Vianna and landed a number of jabs and leg kicks, but Vianna controlled the pace and the judges eventually awarded the Brazilian the victory. The competition will only get tougher as Baker, Shlemenko, Rogers and Vianna advance to the semifinals. All of these men are working for a shot at reigning Bellator Middleweight <b>...</b>

Returning to the boardwalk to open Bellator's highly-anticipated fifth season, the promotion hosted an explosive night of fights as the Season 5 Welterweight Tournament kicked off inside a packed house at Caesars. The first leg of the eight-man tournament aired LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX as Chris Lozano, Ben Saunders, Luis Santos and Douglas Lima all punched their tickets to the Welterweight Semifinals. The next round will feature Lima vs. Lozano and Saunders vs. Santos.

View the upcoming fighters in Bellator's Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. This seasons Welterweight Tournament fighters are Steve Carl, Chris Cisneros, Dan "The Handler" Hornbuckle, Douglas "The Phenom"Lima, Chris "The Assasin" Lozano, Luis "Sapo" Santos, Ben "Killa B" Saunders and Brent Weedman. Don't miss the action LIVE on MTV2 this Saturday, September 10th 9e/8c.