Bellator Fighting Championships

Alexander Shlemenko KOs Maiquel Falcao to claim Bellator middleweight belt

Alexander Shlemenko used a mix of punishing shots to the head and body to finish off Maiquel Falcao and claim the Bellator middleweight title in the featured attraction at Bellator 88 on Thursday night.

The event, which emanated from The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, also saw the completion of the quarterfinals of Bellator's season eight featherweight tournament. Marlon Sandro, Mike Richman, Alexandre Bezerra and Magomedrasul Khasbulaev all moved on to the semifinals with victories.

Complete results from the event are after the jump.

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Watch the Bellator 88 preliminary bouts at 8:00 PM ET on MMA on Tap

Be sure to check back here at 8 PM ET to watch the live preliminary bouts for tonight's Bellator 88 event. The undercard is headlined by a featherweight tournament quarterfinal bout between Alexandre Bezerra and Genair da Silva. The show's main card will air on Spike starting at 10 PM ET.

Predictions are here. Three things to watch for here.

Bellator 88 predictions

Bellator will crown a new middleweight champion and kick off the start of its season eight featherweight tournament during Bellator 88 this evening from Duluth, Georgia.

Alexander Shlemenko and Maiquel Falcao meet for the vacant Bellator 185 pound title and Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds. The show's main card will air live on Spike starting at 10 PM. You can also catch the preliminary bouts right here on MMA on Tap starting at 8 PM ET.

My predictions are after the jump.

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Shlemenko, Falcao on weight for Bellator middleweight title fight

All 18 fighters made weight for tomorrow night's Bellator 88 event, which takes place at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.

Maiquel Falcao and Alexander Shlemenko, the last two fighters to win a middleweight tournament, will clash for the vacant Bellator middleweight title, left behind by Hector Lombard after signing with the UFC. In addition, Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds.

Complete weigh-in results are after the jump.

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Pat Curran vs. Daniel Straus title fight headlines Bellator 95 on April 4

Newport Beach, CA. – After nearly five years in the making, Bellator MMA made its long awaited debut on Spike TV in January as  Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran opened the night with a dominant win over star Brazilian striker Patricio Pitbull, reaching over 1.2 million viewers in the process. On April 4th, Bellator will close out its eighth season from Ovation Hall at Revel in Atlantic City, NJ as Curran once again puts his Bellator Featherweight Title on the line against relentless Daniel Straus live on Spike TV. The night will also feature the return of Tiger Schulmann products Lyman Good and Munah Holland, as well as the Bellator debut of New Jersey fan favorite Tom DeBlass.

Widely regarded as one of the top two  featherweights in the world, Curran brings a dominating 18-4 record into his latest title defense, including victories over Marlon Sandro, Roger Huerta, Mike Ricci, and Straus himself, as Curran collected a knock out win over Straus early in both of their careers. Even with the victory over Straus in his back pocket, Curran is well aware both fighters have grown tremendously over the last four years.

“This may end up being the most challenging fight I’ve faced up this point,” Curran said. “Daniel is going to make for a very tough challenge, but I know what I’m capable of. I feel like I’m always growing as a fighter, and the sky is really the limit for me. I’ve got the belt, and I’m not letting anyone take it away from me.”

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Three things to watch for: Bellator 88

Another week gone by and another offering from Bellator is on the docket for this Thursday night as the promotion will feature a middleweight championship bout as well as the start of the season eight featherweight tournament.

Maiquel Falcao and Alexander Shlemenko, the last two fighters to win a middleweight tournament, will clash for the vacant Bellator middleweight title, left behind by Hector Lombard after signing with the UFC. In addition, Marlon Sandro and Mike Richman will headline an eight-man field vying for a shot at the belt at 145 pounds.

After the jump, check out three things that you should watch for during tomorrow night's telecast.

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Bryan Baker to replace injured Brent Weedman at Bellator 90

Former welterweight tournament runner-up Bryan Baker has been tapped to replace an injured Brent Weedman in Bellator's season eight welterweight tournament.

Bellator officials announced the change on Tuesday. Baker will now step in and face Douglas Lima at Bellator 90 on February 21 at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“When I got the call, I was ready to rock & roll,” Baker said in a press release. “I look at this opportunity as an absolute blessing. With our new child in the picture, this is an opportunity to make my family proud, show everyone what I’ve been working on, and let 'The Beast' go at it like he always does. Douglas is a strong, powerful guy but I’m going to use my reach advantage and show my strength. This is my destiny.”

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Bellator announces “Fight Master” reality show for summer debut on Spike

Bellator's anticipated trek into the world of reality television will air on Spike this summer and will be led by some legendary company.

UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former multiple-promotion champion Frank Shamrock, renowned coach Greg Jackson and former Bellator featherweight title holder Joe Warren will serve as coaches on the inaugural season of "Fight Master: Bellator MMA".

Bellator and Spike officials held a press conference on Tuesday to formally announce the project. The show will feature 32 up-and-coming welterweight prospects vying for a spot in a Bellator welterweight tournament this fall.

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Bellator 93 hits Maine with native son Marcus Davis, welterweight tournament finals

Bellator will make their promotional debut in the state of Maine on March 21 with the finals of the season eight welterweight tournament as well as the Bellator debut of former longtime UFC veteran Marcus Davis for Bellator 93.

The event will emanate from the Androscoggin Colisee in Bangor. Davis will face an opponent yet to be named as will undefeated English prospect and former kickboxer Michael Page, who also be making his Bellator debut.

The final round of the latest Bellator welterweight tournament will take place as well, pitting the winners of upcoming semifinal bouts featuring Douglas Lima vs. Brent Weedman and Ben Saunders vs. Raul Amaya.

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Rickels grinds out decision win over Woodard, Brooks impressive again at Bellator 87

In a meeting between two of Bellator's more exciting fighters, it was David Rickels that got the better of Lloyd Woodard to the tune of an unanimous decision win in the main event of Bellator 87 on Thursday night.

The bout was one of four lightweight quarterfinal matches that crowd at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan witnessed.

Woodard did not go down without a fight, however. The Montana native took control early on with an early slam and a mix of ground and pound and submission attempts from top position. Woodard also hurt Rickels late in the final round and landed a pair of timely takedowns that ended up not being enough to sway the scorecards.

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