Bellator MMA Results From Tampa, FL

Tampa, FL (March 28, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA live from the USF Sundome in Tampa, Florida. The night showcased the Lightweight Tournament Final with David Rickels finishing Saad Awad via TKO in the second round. The event also featured the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final as Emanuel Newton defeated Mikhail Zayats in a unanimous decision. Both winners earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot. 

Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Emanuel Newton defeats Mikhail Zayats via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Emanuel Newton:

Thank you Bjorn, Spike and all of the Bellator staff for being behind me. He is a tough opponent and I went out there and put on my best performance. I know I can get better and I have to get better and I am looking forward to my next fight.

Mikhail Zayats:

I want to thank everyone who came out today. I want to thank Bjorn and all of my fans in Russia and all over the world. I was a little upset because I had an injury two days ago and I tried to postpone my fight. Newton is a great fighter and I congratulate him on a good fight.

Lightweight Tournament Final: David Rickels defeats Saad Awad via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 5:00

David Rickels

My hat is off to Awad, he is a great fighter. I am very happy and really excited. I think I’ve showcased a lot of my skills and I believe I have a lot of the facets of the game. I am really looking forward to seeing who I will fight in the championship and I want that belt around my waist.

Saad Awad

Thank you to everyone for supporting me. It didn’t go my way tonight. I broke my hand in the first round and sorry I had to wrestle for two rounds. I really didn’t want to do that. He caught me in the second round and there is nothing I can do about it, congrats.

Welterweight Qualifier Fight: Luis Melo defeats Trey Houston via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R3, 1:09

Luis Melo

I would like to thank god for the opportunity and Bellator and Bjorn for believing in my potential and bringing me here. I have been fighting for over 10 years and I am happy to have the opportunity to fight here and represent in my big my debut. I will always come to fight and I will always come to entertain you guys.  

Trey Houston

Thank you for the opportunity. It didn’t go my way tonight. He was a very good opponent and has been doing this longer than I knew what the sport was. I hope I can come back because I am still learning a lot and I am improving quickly.

Bantamweight Qualifier Fight:  Rodrigo Lima defeats Ronnie Mann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Rodrigo Lima

First of all thank you for the opportunity to fight with Bellator. I took the fight in 22 days and I was really focused on that and I put my heart in it. Congrats to Ronnie and the chance to fight against him.

Ronnie Mann

Thank you to Bellator and Bjorn for having me. All I can say is that I have more to offer if I get the opportunity again.

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams defeats Kenny Moss via submission (guillotine-choke) – Round 1, 3:19

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Augusto Sakai defeats Rob Horton via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:01

Women’s Feature Fight: Jessica Aguilar defeats Patricia Vidonic via decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Taimanglo defeats Ronnie Rogers via submission (north-south choke) – Round 2, 0:33

Lightweight Feature Fight: Edson Berto defeats Bruno Carvalho via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:27

Catchweight Feature Fight (157 lbs): Tony Fryklund vs. Patrick Cenoble ended in a draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)

Women’s Feature Fight: Felice Herrig defeats Heather Clark via decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/BellatorMMA   

Two $100,000 Tournament Finals Headline Bellator MMA’s Return to Tampa March 28th from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome

Giant Slayers Emanuel Newton vs. Mikhail Zayats Battle for Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship; Awad vs. Rickels Fight For Lightweight Tournament Crown

Newport Beach, CA. (March 13^th, 2013) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues as The Finals of the $100,000 Lightweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments will be decided as Bellator MMA returns the Sunshine State March 28^th from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome live on Spike TV, as well in Spanish language on mun2. The night will also feature the Florida return on fan favorite and World’s #1 ranked 115 pounder Jessica “Jag” Aguilar.

Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the Sun Dome Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Wal-Mart. Ticket prices range from $30 - $120.

Only 24, “The Caveman” David Rickels enters the Lightweight Tournament Finals with his sights set on that $100,000 Tournament prize. Known for his tenacious, grinding style, Rickels is fully aware of what his challenger brings to the table.

“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Saad,” Rickels said. “The guy has two huge knockouts in this tournament, but not too many men have been able to stand with the Caveman, and that’s not going to change March 28^th.”

Calling Awad’s two knockouts “huge” may be an understatement, as the California native has spent just 74 seconds inside the Bellator cage this season with first round finishes over Guillaume DeLorenzi and Will Brooks. With both challengers bringing a frenetic pace to the cage, fireworks should be in order March 28^th.

The Light Heavyweight Finals are set as a pair of giant slayers enter the cage as Mikhail Zayats, the proud owner of a TKO victory over MMA legend Babalu Sobral battles “The Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton, who punched his ticket to the finals with a spinning back fist victory over tournament favorite King Mo.

“I shocked the world once, and I’ll do it again March 28^th,” Newton said. “After this tournament, everyone is going to know who Emanuel Newton is, and I’m going to be coming for that belt.”

For Aguilar, the 14-4 submission ace brings an impressive resume into the Sun Dome with victories over Megumi Fujii, Carla Esparza and Lisa Ellis. With a five-fight win streak in place, the veteran Aguilar is looking to keep the momentum going with a victory over Patricia Vidonic March 28^th.

“Bellator is my home and I can’t wait to get back into the cage in front of all my friends, family and fans and continue to show the world I’m the best female fighter on the planet,” Aguilar said.

The full card for Bellator MMA’s March 28^th event is below:

MAIN CARD:

Lightweight Tournament Finals: David Rickels vs. Saad Awad

Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals: Emanuel Newton vs. Mikhail Zayats

Welterweight Feature Fight: Luis Melo vs. Trey Houston   

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Taimanglo vs. Shah Bobonis

Female Feature Fight: Felice Herrig vs. Heather Clark

Female Feature Fight: Jessica Aguilar vs. Patricia Vidonic

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Rob Horton vs. Augusto Sakai

Lightweight Feature Fight: Bruno Carvalho vs. Edson Berto

Welterweight Feature Fight: Ivan Devalle vs. Rory Shallcross

Lightweight Feature Fight: Patrick Cenoble vs. Tony Fryklund

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams vs. Kenny Moss

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/BellatorMMA