2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from '' bellātor'', the Latin word for "warrior". Bellato ...

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

tournaments were held in multiple

weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports including Rowing (sport), rowing, Weightlifting#Weightlifting sports, weight lifting, and especi ...

, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight. There was also an inaugural Light Heavyweight Tournament taking place during this season, which crowned the first Light Heavyweight Champion in Bellator. This was the first season to air on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...

Bellator 35

''Bellator 35'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

event held by

. The event took place on March 5, 2011, at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

. The card kicked off Bellator Season Four and featured opening round fights in the Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

On December 14, 2010, Bellator and

announced a three-year deal to broadcast Bellator's tournaments and special events. This will be the first Bellator event to air on MTV2. Bellator's Women's Strawweight Champion Zoila Frausto fought in a non-title catchweight bout against Karina Hallinan. At this event

Steve Carl Steven Joseph "Steve" Carl (born December 20, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Carl previously competed for Bellator from 2010 to 2011 and last competed in the welterweight division for Absolute ...

was expected to fight

Jay Hieron Jay Hieron (born July 29, 1976) is an American actor, stuntman and former mixed martial artist. Hieron was the final IFL Welterweight Champion, competing for the Los Angeles Anacondas, and has also competed in the UFC, WEC, Affliction, ...

in the opening round of the welterweight tournament. However, Carl injured himself during training and was removed from the tournament. His replacement was Anthony Lapsley. Poppies Martinez was expected to fight at this event, but a bout never materialized. The event drew an average of around 200,000 viewers on

. Which helped MTV2 in several key advertising demographics including, an 83 percent increase among men aged 18 to 49, an 80 percent increase among men 18 to 34, and a 133 percent increase among men aged 25 to 34.

Results

Bellator 36

''Bellator 36'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on March 12, 2011, at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. The card featured opening-round fights in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Toby Imada Timoteo Tobias "Toby" Imada (born April 20, 1978) is a retired American mixed martial artist, grappler and kickboxer of Japanese and Mexican descent. A professional from 1998 until 2013, Imada competed for Bellator, King of the Cage, and the R ...

was originally scheduled to face French fighter

Ferrid Kheder Ferrid Kheder (born 3 March 1975) is a French retired Olympic judoka who placed seventh at the Sydney Olympic Games and a former professional mixed martial artist who fought from 2004 to 2013. He holds the sixth Dan in IJF Judo and a BJJ blac ...

; however, Kheder refused to weigh in and

Josh Shockley Josh Shockley (born November 15, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Shockley has also previously competed for the UFC and Bellator. Mixed martial arts ...

was moved up from the preliminary card to face Imada. Shockley's original opponent, Kelvin Hackney, still weighed in, but was pulled off the card and paid his show money and win bonus. Hackney was expected to fight at

Bellator 45 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

. The event drew an estimated 230,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 37

''Bellator 37'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on March 19, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in

Concho, Oklahoma Concho is an unincorporated area near El Reno in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is north of the Concho Indian Boarding School Concho Indian Boarding School (also known as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Boarding School at Concho or Conc ...

. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

. The event drew an estimated 173,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 38

''Bellator 38'' was

event held by

. The event took place on March 26, 2011, at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the U ...

. The card featured the opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event showcased the inaugural light heavyweight tournament. Originally,

Blagoy Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov (; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo practitioner who is currently signed to the PFL, but on suspension due to testing positive to anabolic steroids. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fighti ...

was set to fight John Brown on the undercard. However, Brown pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Johnathan Ivey. Ivey was then pulled off the card for a suspension by the Georgia Athletic Commission. Ivanov instead fought William Penn. The event drew an estimated 150,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 39

''Bellator 39'' was a

held by

. The event took place on April 2, 2011, at the

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville, Connecticut, Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurab ...

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

. The card featured one semi-final fight in both the Bellator Season Four Welterweight and Lightweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

The lightweight semifinal bout between

and

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally as Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Lightweight division. He most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Lightwe ...

was originally set to take place at

Bellator 40 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

. In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion,

Luiz Azeredo Luiz Azeredo (born 10 June 1976) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He fought in the PRIDE Fighting Championships and Cage Rage. Mixed martial arts career On 22 November 2008 he participated in Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2008, wh ...

stepped in to replace

Matt Veach Matt Alan Veach (born May 31, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, BAMMA, the MFC, and Cage Warriors. ...

in a preliminary card matchup. The event drew an estimated 174,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 40

''Bellator 40'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on April 9, 2011, at First Council Casino in

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city in and the county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly ...

. The card featured fights in the Welterweight and Lightweight Bellator Season Four Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Bellator Welterweight champion

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler. He was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade ...

competed in a non-title bout against Nick Thompson at this event. A lightweight semifinal bout between

and

was originally set to take place on this card. However, the fight was moved to Bellator 39 and replaced with the welterweight semifinal fight between

Brent Weedman Brent Weedman (born February 10, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist who has competed in Bellator's Welterweight division. He has competed in several Bellator Tournaments, including the: Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournamen ...

and

. The Hieron-Weedman fight was rescheduled because Weedman needed to receive clearance for a facial laceration suffered in his

Bellator 35 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

victory over

Dan Hornbuckle Dan Hornbuckle (born December 26, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist and a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. A professional since 2006, Hornbuckle has competed for Bellator, Legacy FC, World Victory Road, and DEEP. ...

. Former

Sengoku The was the period in Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as the period's start ...

fighter

Ronnie Mann Ronnie Mann (born 12 October 1986) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2017, Mann has mostly fought in England and Japan. Mann is a veteran of the fo ...

was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and his fight has been pushed back to the Bellator 42 card.Visa Issues Delay Ronnie Mann's Bellator Debut, Pushed Back to April 23
MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-05. The event drew an estimated 218,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 41

''Bellator 41'' was a

event held by

on April 16, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

. The card featured two semi-final fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Tony Johnson was expected to fight Carlos Flores at the event, but for unknown reasons was replaced by Rudy Aguilar. The event drew a season low of 132,000 average viewers on

Results

Bellator 42

''Bellator 42'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on April 23, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in

. The card featured the semi-finals in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Bellator Heavyweight champion

Cole Konrad Cole Konrad (born April 2, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships. He won the NCAA wrestling championships in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds and finished third at the ...

was scheduled to compete in a non-title "super fight" bout against

Paul Buentello Paul Anthony Buentello (born January 16, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2017, Buentello competed in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Affliction, King of the Cage, Shark Fights, ACB, Lega ...

at this event. However, it was revealed that Buentello had to pull out of the bout due to a back injury. Former

fighter

was expected to make his Bellator debut at

. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and the fight was moved to this card. Chris Guillen was originally set to fight Mark Holata, but Guillen suffered a last minute injury and was replaced by Tracy Willis. The event drew an estimated 199,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 43

''Bellator 43'' was a

held by

. The event took place on May 7, 2011, at the First Council Casino in

. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

A heavyweight bout between

Neil Grove Neil Grove (born 18 January 1971) is a South African-English Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Grove has competed for the UFC, Bellator Cage Rage, UCMMA, and the SFL. Background Originall ...

and

The Ultimate Fighter 10 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' is the tenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. In a press conference following ''UFC 98'', Dana White announced that filmin ...

alumnus,

Zak Jensen ''The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' is the tenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. In a press conference following ''UFC 98'', Dana White announced that filmin ...

was scheduled for this event; however, Grove pulled out of the bout on May 3 due to an injury. A local feature bout between George Burton and John Bryant was also scratched. The event drew an estimated 182,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 44

''Bellator 44'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on May 14, 2011, at Harrah's Resort. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

EliteXC and Ring of Combat veteran James Jones was expected to fight at this event, but a bout did not materialize.

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion, along with being ...

was scheduled to face

in a welterweight bout. However, on May 6, Good pulled out of the fight due to an injury. A scheduled bout between Anthony Morrison and

Bryan Goldsby Bryan Goldsby (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who formerly fought for Bellator Fighting Championships. He currently fights in various promotions across the world and is the current NAAFS Bantamwe ...

was canceled due to Morrison weighing-in 10 pounds over weight. The event drew a season high of 325,000 average viewers on

Results

Bellator 45

''Bellator 45'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on May 21, 2011, at the

L'Auberge du Lac Resort L'Auberge (French for "the inn") may refer to: Restaurants * L'Auberge (restaurant), former Dutch restaurant with two Michelin stars * L'Auberge de Cendrillon, restaurant in Disneyland Paris * L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges L'Auberge du Pont d ...

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

. The card featured final round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Kalvin Hackney, whose fight was canceled at

Bellator 36 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: W ...

, was moved to fight at this event. A bout between

Thiago Santos Thiago de Lima Santos (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Santos competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

and Derrick Lewis was scrapped after Santos suffered an injury. The event drew an estimated 264,000 viewers on

Results

Tournaments

Light Heavyweight tournament bracket

Welterweight tournament bracket

Lightweight tournament bracket

Featherweight tournament bracket

Bellator 46

''Bellator 46'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on June 25, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured opening round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man featherweight tournament to be held over the Summer Series. David Baggett missed the middleweight limit allowance of 186 for non-title fights, weighing in at 191.5 lb, and his bout with Moyses Gabin was scrapped from the card. The event drew an estimated 185,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 47

''Bellator 47'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on July 23, 2011, at

Casino Rama Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel, and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario, on the Indian reserve, reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ont ...

Rama, Ontario Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation (, also alternatively Rama Anishinaabek), is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Ojibway) First Nations in Canada, First Nation located in t ...

. The card featured semi-final fights in the Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event was to feature Joe Warren's first defense of his featherweight title against season four tournament winner

Patricio Freire Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal ru ...

. Freire, however, pulled out of the fight in early July due to a broken hand. This was Bellator's first event in Canada. Bellator 4 was set to take place in Canada, but was moved due to the promotion unable to come to terms with the Quebec Boxing Commission. Ben Saunders was expected to fight at this event, but had to pull out due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training. Bantamweights Bo Harris and

were originally announced to be facing each other, but the bout did not materialize in the days leading up to the event as Harris failed to complete his medical requirements in a timely fashion. The event drew an estimated 277,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 48

''Bellator 48'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on August 20, 2011, at the

. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured the final round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the final round of an eight-man featherweight tournament that was held over the Summer Series. John Clarke was expected to face

Dan Cramer Daniel John Cramer (born October 31, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2009 until 2014, Cramer made his professional debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and was a competitor on SpikeTV's '' T ...

, but an injury forced Clarke out of the bout. Jeff "The Wolfman" Nader stepped in as Clarke's replacement. The event drew an estimated 226,000 viewers on

Results

Featherweight tournament bracket

Bellator 49

''Bellator 49'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 10, 2011, at

Caesars Atlantic City Caesars Atlantic City is a luxury hotel, casino, and destination spa, spa resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, it has an ancient Roman and Classical Greece, ancient Greek theme. Atlantic City' ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. The card was the debut of the promotion's fifth season and distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man welterweight tournament to be held over the duration of Bellator's fifth season.

Rick Hawn Richard Hawn (born September 15, 1976), known as Rick Hawn, is a former Olympic judoka and professional mixed martial artist. A professional MMA fighter from 2009 to 2015, Hawn most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he won the Bellator S ...

was expected to face Ben Saunders at this event but Hawn was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury. Hawn was replaced by Bellator newcomer Chris Cisneros. The Ultimate Fighter 12 competitor, Andy Main, was set to fight

Kenny Foster Kenny Foster (born June 16, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2009, Foster has competed for Bellator Fighting Championship, Bellator, holding a record of 3–6 with the promotion. Mixed martial ...

on the undercard of this event. However, after an undisclosed injury, Main was pulled from the bout. On September 6, 2011, it was announced Bellator's Season 5 "Local Feature Fights" would be streamed live on Spike.com, starting with this event. The event drew an estimated 235,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 50

''Bellator 50'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 17, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

The event hosted the opening round of the middleweight tournament in Bellator's fifth season. Veteran welterweight fighter Ailton Barbosa won Bellator's open tryouts in

in June 2011 to earn his spot on the card. R.J. Goodridge was scheduled to fight J. P. Reese, but after suffering an undisclosed injury Goodridge pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Martin Brown. Also, Ryan Hodge was scheduled to fight Valdir Araujo, but was pulled from the bout with an injury, and replaced with Brett Cooper. On September 15, 2011,

Luis Palomino Luis Palomino (born October 9, 1980) is a Peruvian and American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter and is the current lightweight champion of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He became the BKFC's first "double champ" after win ...

suffered an injury in training and was pulled from his scheduled bout with James Edson Berto. Berto was later pulled from the card as well, and the fight was scratched altogether; The two then met at W-1: Reloaded in which Palomino defeated Berto. A scheduled lightweight bout between Dietter Navarro and Marcelo Goncalves was changed into a 156 lb catchweight bout after both fighters missed weight. The event drew an estimated 114,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 51

''Bellator 51'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on September 24, 2011, at the

Canton Memorial Civic Center The Canton Memorial Civic Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Canton, Ohio, United States. Built in 1951, previous sports teams that have played at the center include the Canton Legends indoor football team, Canton Invaders indoor socc ...

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man bantamweight tournament to be held over the course of Bellator's fifth season.

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also for ...

was originally scheduled to face Eduardo Dantas in the opening round of the bantamweight-tournament. However, he was pulled from the bout after losing to Eddie Yagin at

Tachi Palace Fights 10 Tachi Palace Fights 10 was a mixed martial arts event held by Tachi Palace Fights (TPF), on August 5, 2011 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. Background Former TPF Featherweight Champion Isaac De Jesus was scheduled to ...

and replaced by

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis (born January 6, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC and Cage Warriors. Reis also appeared ...

. The Jessica Eye-Casey Noland bout was changed from 125 lb to a 127 lb catchweight after Noland failed to make weight./ The event drew an estimated 158,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 52

''Bellator 52'' was a

event held by

. It took place on October 1, 2011, at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the opening round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament.

was originally scheduled to face

. Santos, however, was unable to travel from Brazil for the event and was replaced by

. The event drew an estimated 269,000 viewers on

MTV 2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, onc ...

Results

Bellator 53

''Bellator 53'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on October 8, 2011, at the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capit ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. The event drew an estimated 103,000 viewers on

Results

Bellator 54

''Bellator 54'' was a

event held by

. The event took place on October 15, 2011, at the

Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Built during 1926–1929, it was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Bellator bantamweight champion,

Zach Makovsky Zachary Paul "Zach" Makovsky (born April 19, 1982) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the flyweight division. He has competed in EliteXC, ShoXC, Bellator, Brave Combat Federation, and Ultimate Fighting Championship. He i ...

, competed in a non-title bout at this event. He faced one-time UFC competitor Ryan Roberts. This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament.

Eddie Alvarez Edward Alvarez (born January 11, 1984) is an American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle boxer who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championsh ...

was scheduled to make his second title defense of his lightweight championship against

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler Jr. (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 ...

on this card; however, on September 20, it was announced that Alvarez suffered an injury and the match has been pushed back to

Bellator 58 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feat ...

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

was expected to make his welterweight debut at this event against Joey Kirwan. However, for unknown reasons, Amoussou was pulled from the bout and replaced by Lewis Rumsy.

Results

Bellator 55

''Bellator 55'' was a

event held by

on October 22, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in

Somerton, Arizona Somerton is a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 14,287. It is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area. Somerton was established in 1898 and incorporated in 1918. Somerton's economy ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament. Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu fought

Travis Wiuff Travis Wiuff (born March 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001 and List of mixed martial artists with the most sanctioned fights, veteran of o ...

in a non-title bout. M'Pumbu become the first Bellator champion to lose in a non-title bout. Despite a close split decision loss, main eventer Marcos Galvão was awarded a "win" bonus. The event earned an average of 168,000 viewers on MTV2.

Results

Bellator 56

''Bellator 56'' was a

event held by

. It took place on October 29, 2011, at Memorial Hall in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament. Mike Hayes was expected to face

Blagoi Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov (; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo practitioner who is currently signed to the PFL, but on suspension due to testing positive to anabolic steroids. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fightin ...

at this event, However Hayes was issued a 60-day medical suspension by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission due to a fractured orbital bone sustained during his fight with

Bellator 52 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

. Thiago Santos stepped in for the injured Hayes. Ivanov subsequently had to pull out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by

Results

Bellator 57

''Bellator 57'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 12, 2011, at

. The event was distributed live in primetime by

Background

This was the second time that Bellator has come to Canada. Previously, Bellator 47 was also held in

. This event hosted the final rounds of Bellator's Season Five Welterweight Tournament and Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament. Bellator's Women's champion,

Zoila Gurgel Zoila Frausto (born December 10, 1983) is an American kickboxer and former professional mixed martial artist. She was the first Bellator Women's Champion. Background Zoila is of Mexican descent and heritage. Zoila's father is a third-degree bl ...

, was scheduled to compete in a non-title bout against Carina Damm. However, an injury forced her off the card.

Results

Bellator 58

''Bellator 58'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 19, 2011, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

Shooto's 183-pound South American champion, Carlos Alexandre Pereira, was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event. Bellator Middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, was expected to compete in non-title, light heavyweight fight against UFC and Strikeforce veteran,

Renato Sobral Renato Sobral da Cunha (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the U ...

, at this event. However, for unknown reasons, Sobral was replaced by

Trevor Prangley Trevor Prangley (born 24 August 1972) is a South African mixed martial artist. He has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream, King of the Cage, MFC, the SFL, Shark Fights, and Bodog Fight. He competed in the Middleweight and Li ...

. The event drew a season high 269,000 viewers with the immediate repeat also drawing 160,000 viewers.

Results

Bellator 59

''Bellator 59'' was a

event held by

. It took place on November 26, 2011, at

. The event was distributed live in prime time by

Background

This event hosted the final round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament as well as the Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. Michael Costa pulled out of his fight with

due to an injury, which led the organization to scrap Good from the event all together. The lightweight bout between

Phillipe Nover Phillipe J. Nover (born February 3, 1984), is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion. Early ...

and

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #5 in the Konfrontacj ...

was promoted to the main card. The final of the Heavyweight tournament was ruled a No Contest after an accidental groin kick by

rendered

Eric Prindle Eric Prindle (born August 30, 1976) is an American Heavyweight mixed martial artist who last competed in 2018. A professional competitor since 2008 he has fought in Bellator MMA and Pancrase, and was the Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tourname ...

unable to continue. Following the event Santos failed to make weight for a scheduled rematch causing the bout to be cancelled, and Prindle to be awarded the tournament win by default.

Results

Tournaments

Heavyweight tournament bracket

Middleweight tournament bracket

Welterweight tournament bracket

Bantamweight tournament bracket

References

External links

Bellator
{{Bellator Tournament Events 2011 American television seasons 2011 in mixed martial arts Bellator MMA by year