· Eddie Alvarez Triumphs In Title Defense At Bellator 39
Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez was successful in his championship bout against the challenger, Pat Curran, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for Bellator 39. In a battle that traversed the length of all five rounds, Alvarez dominated the striking convincingly in his first title defense since gaining the belt at Bellator 12 in June of 2009.
Pat Curran, the 2010 lightweight tournament champion, proved he belonged in the cage with the best, as he provided a performance filled with grit and determination. Using tremendous takedown defense and an ability to get back to his feet, he was able to keep the fight standing and managed to put Alvarez on his back at the end of the final round.
Curran’s best strike was a knee he delivered to Alvarez on a takedown attempt from the latter fighter. Aside from that, however, Alvarez demonstrated a clear advantage on the feet as he repeatedly landed a variety of powerful strikes to the head and body of his opponent. Using his superior footwork and boxing, the champion retained his belt in a unanimous decision victory (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).
Two tournament bouts, in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, comprised the middle of the evening’s card. The first, a lightweight tilt pitting rising phenom Patricky Freire against the ever-impressive Toby Imada, provided all the entertainment expected—although the match may have been briefer than anticipated.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Freire once again displayed that his striking is just as dangerous as his submissions. Just minutes into the first round, the usually durable Imada caught a flying knee from Freire that left him out on his feet as he momentarily wobbled in disorientation before collapsing entirely. A few additional punches from Freire were a mere formality as the referee jumped in to stop the fight and aid the unconscious Imada. Freire moves on to the lightweight tournament finals and will vie for an opportunity to face Alvarez for the title.
“Eddie put on another dominant performance and Patricky’s knockout was one of the best knockouts I’ve seen in the last couple years,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated following the event.
In the welterweight semifinal match, former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good met undefeated judo Olympian Rick Hawn in an evenly-matched contest. Good appeared to have the edge in striking in both the first and third rounds, beating the advancing Hawn to the punch throughout. Hawn had his best showing in the second round where he used a trip to put Good on his back and deliver effective ground-and-pound for the duration. In the end, the judges saw it Hawn’s way giving him the split decision win and a spot in the welterweight tournament finals.
UFC veteran Ben Saunders made the most of his Bellator debut in the opening bout of the main card where he faced the wily veteran Matt Sung Lee. The length and Muay Thai skills of Saunders proved too much for Lee as a series of brutal elbows and knees left him a bloody mess throughout the first two rounds. The cage-side physician agreed, stopping the bout at 1:24 of the final round. An exuberant and blood-spattered Saunders picked up the technical knockout victory and his second consecutive win since being cut from the UFC.
Official Results:
- World Lightweight Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
- Welterweight Semifinal Fight: Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good by split decision (30-27 Hawn, 29-28 Hawn, 29-28 Good)
- Lightweight Semifinal Fight: Patricky Freire def. Toby Imada by TKO at 2:53 of Round 1
- Catchweight Fight (175 pounds): Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee by TKO (doctor stopppage - cut) at 1:24 of Round 3
- Dan Cramer def. Greg Rebello by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ryan Quinn def. Mike Winters by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dave Jansen def. Scott McAfee by submission (D'Arce choke) at 4:58 of Round 1
- Rene Nazare def. Luiz Azeredo by TKO (doctor stoppage - broken hand) at 5:00 of Round 1
- John McLaughlin def. Blair Tugman by unanimous decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)
