Bellator 75 Heavyweight Tournament Discussion

Bellator 75 Heavyweight tournament
October 5th, 2012
Horseshoe Casino - Hammond, IN


Eric Prindle VS Thiago Santos
Brett Rogers VS Alexander Volkov
Mike Wessel VS Richard Hale
Vinicius Queiroz VS Mark Holata

Who has the Toughest Heavyweight Opening final?
Who is the dark hoarse of the Tournament?
Who is a unknown but Some one to look out for this Tournament?
What match ups do you want to see for the second Round?
How will Rich Hale adjust to the Weight change?
Who is likely to finish all their tournament matches?
Who will win the whole tournament?

Brett Rogers joins ATT ahead of Bellator tournament appearance

Three years ago Brett Rogers was seen as perhaps the hottest prospect in the heavyweight division. Today he’s simply trying to claw his way back into relevance after suffering a string of professional and personal stumbles including a serious domestic violence charge.

With his life seemingly turned around, Rogers has found a new home to help him get his career back on track as well – American Top Team. “Da Grim” has joined the widely respected gym to help prepare for his run in Bellator’s upcoming heavyweight tournament.

“I’ve found a new home here at American Top Team and owe a lot of thanks to them. Coming here has changed my outlook on my career and life, in general, and I’m going to show the world that,” explained Rogers in a press release. “When I get in the cage on October 5, people are going to see a different Brett Rogers – better skilled and more confident than ever.”

Rogers is scheduled to face 16-3 Alexander Volkov at Bellator 75. With heavyweight title-holder Cole Konrad recently retiring, the bout has even more significance than it did before as it’s likely the eventual tournament winner will be crowned champion. The 31-year old slugger understands what’s at hand and plans on delivering to honor the belief many maintained in his ability to succeed despite the troubles he’s dealt with.

“A few people stuck by me when the chips were down and helped me get through a terrible period in my life. It’s because of their support that I have a second chance to shine and become something great,” Rogers admitted.

The 12-4 Rogers has finished eleven of the opponents he’s taken out including ten by way of knockout. He holds past victories over the likes of James Thompson and Andrei Arlovski.

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/09/25/brett-rogers-joins-att-ahead-of-bellator-tournament-appearance/

It's tough to say who honestly has the toughest quarterfinal match-up. I believe its a toss-up between Rogers/Volkov and Prindle/Santos.

Brett Rogers looked like the old Grim in his last fight which was a pleasant surprise, but can he keep it up? Volkov is an extrememly difficult opponent for someone that has been so hot and cold as of late because Volkov doesn't even understand cold, he's been on absolute fire as of late. Tough match for both guys for entirely different reasons.
As for Prindle/Santos, the answer is much more simpler. While Santos easily has the advantages on paper, his lengty lay-off might pose problems for him early in the fight. I still see him winning but I wouldn't be surprised to see him take some damage in the match as Prindle looked incredible in his quartefinal and semi bouts.

As for the dark horse, Volkov hands down. He hasn't fought entirely tough opponents yet but I think he's more than ready. Excellent winning streak, good set of skills, and youth is on his side. Another surprise pick would be Queiroz, who looked awful in his only UFC appearance, but still has some serious upside due to his height, age, and brutality stemming from Chute Boxe.

I think Hale will look just as good at HW as he did at LHW as he has a frame perfect for HW. He's got a very favorable opponent in Wessel, so this bout will be very telling in how good he'll really be at HW.

The most likely finishers of the tournament: Santos and the winner of Rogers/Volkov.

This is Thiago Santos' tournament to lose. He matches up well with the whole field. He's arguably got the power and skill advantages over everyone. This is tailor-made for him to become champion.

Prospective matches i'd like to see:
Santos/Volkov, Queiroz/Rogers, Santos/Hale Queiroz/Volkov.

imo thiago is the favorite....im picking rogers, hale and queiroz

Bellator 75 heavyweight Richard Hale interview exclusive

If everything had gone perfectly for Richard Hale, he'd be on the banners as a Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion right now. But cutting down to 205 pounds simply became too taxing.

It affected him negatively in the inaugural Bellator light heavyweight tournament back in 2011 and it all came to a head earlier this summer when his body stopped cutting before the Summer Series tournament. His shot at avenging his last loss to champion Christian M'Pumbu may have gone down the drain, but when one door closes, another one opens.

With Cole Konrad's retirement and Bellator hosting another heavyweight tournament, Hale called up Bjorn Rebney and asked to participate.

His wish was granted.

Now, the incredibly athletic combatant will be testing himself against a plethora of gigantic heavyweights, but it's not likely they've faced anyone who's pulled off an inverted triangle before.

Hale will be competing this Friday night (Oct. 5, 2012) at Bellator 75 in the Bellator season seven heavyweight tournament quarterfinals against Mike Wessel and he spoke to MMAmania.com about the move upwards in divisions, how he feels his size and speed will give him natural advantages and potentially becoming the next heavyweight champion in this exclusive interview.

Check it out:

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You were in the original light heavyweight tournament and you were supposed to be in the last Summer Series light heavyweight tournament but had to back out due to the medical issue. How does it feel not having to cut weight and to just go in there and do your thing in the heavyweight tournament this time around?

Richard Hale: With the tournament style for Bellator, it's definitely a more difficult task for the bigger guys like myself cutting down to make the light heavyweight division. Coming in not having to cut weight, I naturally walk around at heavyweight and get to display my skills there means it'll be a great opportunity to not only show my skills there but prove how well I can hang with the heavyweights as well.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I don't know if it's a really bad experience to talk about or not but with the last Summer Series as I mentioned, you were scheduled to fight but on the day of the weigh-ins, you were notably absent due to the weight-cutting issues. How bad was it for you?

Richard Hale: It's not a sore subject. It was just the first time I'd ever not made weight for a fight in my entire career. I believe in being a professional and it's part of your job not only to agree to a fight and show up to a fight but to make that weight. To be perfectly honest, with that tournament style, I felt like just because I'd done it in the previous tournament I could come back around again and fight. I'd fought twice before the tournament and while it was a great opportunity to showcase my skill, it was also detrimental. This weight-missing could have happened in the first round of the tournament and could have happened in the second. I could have advanced and then lost to someone that I shouldn't have because of the weight-cut issues. As a professional, you don't like to see that.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You definitely are one of the bigger guys out there that was cutting down to light heavyweight, so do you feel that having to potentially make weight three times in three months like you did in the first tournament was negatively affecting your performance by the time you got to the end?

Ricahrd Hale: Absolutely 110 percent. If you look at my performances in Bellator, I've had five fights with them so far. I went into the first fight with an inverted triangle, had a hellacious time cutting weight for the second fight, having to sweat out 19 pounds on the day of the weigh-ins and I put on a performance that was enough to win the fight but it went to a decision which is not something I like to do. Coming into the finals against Christian M'Pumbu, somebody I think I should not have lost to personally, but you live and you learn with the weight cuts. I made the step up to heavyweights as soon as I was not able to do it and I had a talk with Bjorn [Rebney] and told him I'd love to be in the heavyweight tournament.

If you look at it realistically, I fought two heavyweights in Bellator since losing to M'Pumbu in the finals. I came back and fought Carlos Flores who missed weight and I fought him at a catchweight of 211 which is technically at heavyweight. I came back around and fought Josh Barnes who was a two-time competitor in the heavyweight division for Bellator and had fought a couple qualifiers for their tournament and I knocked him out in 38 seconds. He had fought Eric Prindle for two rounds and it had been stopped due to a cut. After my fight with him, he turned around and tells me that he'd never been hit that hard in his entire life. I think that's a testament to my abilities. I have the striking and I think I stack up against the heavyweights. A lot of those guys are coming in and thinking it's all about size having to cut down to 265. I'm gonna show them that athleticism means more than anything else.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you feel like you'll have a significant speed advantage over these guys who are probably gonna be lumbering around a bit in there?

Richard Hale: I do. I think that's one of the things that's gonna be my biggest advantages. These guys aren't gonna be used to seeing a quicker heavyweight. I used to fight at heavyweight too. Every heavyweight I've ever went against, it's the same thing. They never expect the athleticism I possess. The footspeed, the handspeed and everything else too. There's a lot of questions about movement but what I just tell people is, "Stay tuned. Watch Bellator and see what's gonna happen. I'm not guy who lays down for anybody and I'm gonna go out there and put on some very entertaining fights and I expect high things of myself in this tournament, getting that championship belt around my waist.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've mentioned that you are usually up to about 225 after hydrating yourself for your light heavyweight fights. How much are you expecting to weight when you enter the cage now that you aren't expected to have the burden of weight-cutting?

Richard Hale: To be perfectly honest with you, I'm probably not gonna come in super heavy. I kept my weight low for the light heavyweight which started back in July so I wasn't gonna stack on a bunch of muscle. I see no reason to just put on sloppy weight or stuff myself with food. I want to be light and be able to move around. For this fight fight in the tournament, I'm probably gonna weigh-in about 230.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): With Josh Burns telling you he'd never been hit as hard as when you hit him, do you feel that despite being smaller in there against the bigger heavyweights, that you could potentially be the hardest hitter in this tournament?

Richard Hale: Yes, being smaller could be to some a disadvantage but I think it's definitely an advantage. You're going to see a lot of knockouts at the heavier weights and some of these guys probably think they're invincible but I'm gonna go out there and show them that ability means more than bulk. I feel I match up very well against everybody in this tournament and I'm gonna focus on my upcoming fight against Mike Wessel, take him out, make a statement and let these guys know that I'm a whole different kind of monster and I'm coming for them.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): One of the biggest storylines heading into this tournament is the undefeated Bellator Heavyweight champion Cole Konrad announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts, stunning the MMA world. What do you think about that and the opening it leaves for you to potentially become the champion from winning the tournament alone?

Richard Hale: It's got the potential to set up what I feel like I missed out on with the light heavyweight tournament, the inaugural one. I think it's sort of sad to see Konrad go to be perfectly honest with you but he did the decision that was best for himself and his family. At the end of the day, a lot of people think it's just about fighting but it's your livelihood and it's a business and that's how it goes. I take my hat off to him but the thing I don't like about potentially becoming champion is the questions people will ask like, "Could he have taken Konrad?" Things like that. The doubt. The only problem I see is those questions. I wish him the best of luck.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's talk about your upcoming opponent Mike Wessel. He's a UFC veteran but a lot of people thought he wasn't gonna beat Ryan Martinez in his last fight. Instead he hung in there, was scrappy and gutted out a decision. What did you think of his last performance?

Richard Hale: I think, hats off to anyone who steps into the cage. It takes balls to get in there. I think both men were very short for heavyweights. I saw him trading a lot. I don't think it's great to trade punches because you take too much damage. That was the first opponent he's beat since losing to Dan Christison that had an actual winning record so that's definitely a step up for him.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): How confident are you heading into this bout? Do sound like you feel you can beat Wessel pretty handily.

Richard Hale: Yes, sir. I feel very confident going into this fight. I've done a lot of my fight homework and I believe very much in my abilities. I've been fighting now for six years. I train very hard and I believe I'm a very well-rounded fighter. By no means am I looking past Mike Wessel but I think it's a very good match-up in the first round of this tournament for myself.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Even if you have really good success in this tournament, do you ever see yourself going back and competing in another light heavyweight tournament or is that in the past now?

Richard Hale: Anything is possible. I'll tell you right now. In the tournament style, it's very difficult for me to cut weight especially with myself getting older. I'm by no means an old man but at 27, you feel the weight coming on more naturally. You're walking around heavier and heavier. The last tournament I tried to keep my weight down at 230 and we'll see what happens. I think I'll always be able to cut down to light heavyweight for one single fight and put on a great performance and everything else but with the respect I have for Bellator and the light heavyweight tournament, we'll see.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): If everything goes perfect for you on Friday night, how would you like to see the fight play out?

Richard Hale: I'm hoping to see it play out just like my last two [which were both first minute knockouts]. I believe in going in there, win, lose or draw, and wanting to make it pretty. I want to do it in a fashion that definitely makes a statement to all the other competitors in the tournament. Not necessarily to make them afraid of me, but definitely to make them respect me. I want to win over some fans, put on a great performance, be entertaining and have people talking about me on Friday.

http://www.mmamania.com/2012/10/2/3442612/medium-rare-bellator-75-heavyweight-richard-hale-interview-exclusive

MR.WILLIE wrote:imo thiago is the favorite....im picking rogers, hale and queiroz

I have the same picks for these quarterfinals. Rogers definitely has the toughest bout in going against Volkov though.

I added the full fight card. Volkov vs Santos in the final would be awesome.

one fight is not added by that site that appears in the bellator site

ryan martinez 7-2 vs manny lara 4-1

MR.WILLIE wrote:one fight is not added by that site that appears in the bellator site

ryan martinez 7-2 vs manny lara 4-1

Probably a reserve bout if Santos misses weight or someone gets injured (even Manny Lara not being on the roster for now)

USA TODAY: After arrest, Brett Rogers gets rare second chance at Bellator 75

The police report paints an ugly picture. To read it is to put yourself there, in suburban Minneapolis, at 12:35 a.m. on June 29, 2011, by which point Brett Rogers has already done the things that will cost him his job, his self-respect, and, at least for a little while, his freedom.


You read it and you see Rogers – all 6-foot-4, 260 pounds of him – drunk and slurring his words as he talks to police officers in his driveway. You keep reading, and you see Tiuana, his wife of seven years, dazed and disoriented as she stumbles down the street in the dark, only to be picked up by officers who will later describe the "golfball-sized" bump above her left eye, the blood smeared on her face, the missing tooth. You see the couple's children, who will later tell a neighbor that they're scared to go home.

"That was a bad, bad day," Rogers told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) in a recent phone interview. What he didn't know back then was how bad, and how much damage he had done. What he still doesn't know is whether he can come all the way back from it, whether that's even possible, whether fans and fight promoters will let him.

If you ask him now, Rogers will tell you that it wasn't any one thing that led to it. It was one thing on top of another, stresses he wasn't dealing with well, problems he wasn't talking to anyone about. He and his wife had their issues, like anybody. They had recently moved from East St. Paul to the Apple Valley suburbs, where, according to Rogers, "people notice us."

What made it tougher was wondering how long he could maintain this new standard of living. His career had started to go downhill. He'd started fighting as a hobby, something to do, then discovered he was pretty good at it. The next thing he knew he was undefeated and knocking out people on TV. His employers put him in a fight against former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski – a fight few expected him to win – and Rogers knocked him out as well.

"That's when I really lost focus on who I was fighting," Rogers said. "My head was just so heavy, feeling like the world. I thought, it doesn't matter who I fight. Give me anybody."

And so they did. Think you can beat anybody? Fine, how about Fedor Emelianenko, the MMA icon who hasn't lost a fight in nearly a decade, who hasn't even been out of the first round in three years? Sure, Rogers took that fight. And, right up until he got knocked out in the second round, he even surprised some people with how well he did. Apparently he did well enough for Strikeforce to justify giving him a shot at the heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem. Why not, Rogers figured. Let's take our chances.

By the time Strikeforce slotted him into its heavyweight grand prix, he'd lost two of his previous three and was beginning to wonder if he might be out of his depth. He tried to pull it together in training, but it was as if nothing came together the way he wanted it to. By the time he showed up in Dallas to face Josh Barnett, he felt "horrible," he said, like he was about to embarrass himself on live TV. Which, of course, is exactly what happened when he got submitted 1 minute and 17 seconds into the second round.

"It was a depressing period in my life, and the depression led to me not caring," Rogers said. "The not caring led to the bottle."

Rogers still describes himself as "not a big drinker." Until, that is, he gets going. That's what happened in the weeks following the Barnett fight, he said.

"I definitely was trying to wash some of those feelings away because that fight, to me, was probably my most embarrassing fight," Rogers said. "I guess I was trying to recover, you could say, in my own way."

That ill-advised attempt at recovery resulted in a bad day that led to a worse night. It led to Rogers assaulting his wife in full view of their children, their neighbors, whoever. It led to the police showing up just after midnight, to his wife wandering bloody and dazed down the street, to her pleading with officers not to arrest her husband because, according to the report, she feared it would "cause him trouble with his job."

It did. The reaction from his employers was swift. As soon as reports surfaced that Rogers had been arrested for third-degree assault on his wife, he was immediately released from his Strikeforce contract. He'd later pleaded guilty and received a 60-day sentence, along with court-mandated counseling sessions after his release. Both helped him, he said, in their own ways.

"I learned that, first and foremost, you have to want to change," Rogers said. "And I had a lot of time to think about it. I had to sit in the jail and think about what happened, and I made promises to myself."

In order to pay his bills, Rogers took a job delivering the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which only recently had covered the story of his arrest. He liked the early morning he work, he said, in part because he didn't have to see too many people face to face. He didn't have to risk somebody recognizing him, the former heavyweight contender who beat his wife and terrorized his kids. He didn't have to find out what it would look like as that realization swept across a fight fan's face, and he was grateful for it.

His MMA career, that chugged along too, mostly to pay the bills. There was talk of signing a deal to fight in Japan, but his manager kept pushing hard for a deal with Bellator. Each time Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney was approached about the idea, his reaction was the same as most other promoters who could afford to pick and choose. Why did he need a guy with so much baggage? Why take that chance?

"Based on some of the things that had happened, we were hesitant," Rebney said. "A lot of people were."

Still, Rogers' manager kept telling Rebney how much Rogers had changed, how deeply sorry he was for what he'd done, and how determined he was to get his life and career back on track. Rebney didn't doubt that the manager was telling the truth, or at least thought he was, but he'd have to hear it for himself before he could even think about believing it, he said.

"I got on the phone with him and listened to his story, listened to him express regret for what had happened, and it all came off as very legitimate," Rebney said. "He was working delivering papers, getting up at like 3:30 in the morning. He could have made more working as a bouncer in a club, but he told me he didn't want to do that because it would put him in the wrong environment. It sounded honest to me."

So Bellator gave him a fight against Kevin Asplund in June. Rogers won and, according to Rebney, "looked OK," though not great in the process. When it decided to give him one of the open slots in the heavyweight tournament that begins at Bellator 75 this Friday night in Hammond, Ind., Rogers knew he had to step up his training, which is why he headed to Coconut Creek, Fla., to work with American Top Team. There, he said, he found a heavyweight's delight. All dedicated fighters, all under one roof, "and when you go back the next day, you see the same faces," he said. "I never had that before."

The time away from his family hasn't been easy, he said, but much like the counseling sessions, he sees it as something he can do to show his wife and kids how serious he is about being the husband and father and provider they need.

"The kids, they understand what I'm doing and how important it is for me to be away," Rogers said. "My wife, she understands that this is what pays the bills. I think we all learned so much from this. We communicate so much better now because we learned that if something is hurting one of us, it's hurting us all."

But if Rogers (12-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC) is serious about climbing the heavyweight ranks again, he has his work cut out for him. Not only does he face a tough first-round opponent in Russian Alexander Volkov (16-3 MMA, 0-0 BFC) on MTV2, he'll have to battle public perception after so many saw his name in the headlines following what may have been the biggest mistake of his life. Many fight fans may still remember him for that incident more than any of his exploits inside the cage, and he knows it.

"I want that fan to pay more attention to me now than ever," Rogers said. "I'm human, and most likely that person is human too. I know we make mistakes and we get over things. You have to move forward in life. I'm not going to be stuck in that period for the rest of my life. That's not me. I want that fan to see and recognize the changes in me."

Rebney, who might end up crowning Rogers as the new Bellator heavyweight champion by the time the tournament is over, also has every reason to worry about fan reaction to Rogers. But, Rebney said, he's always been "a believer in second chances," and he's hoping that Rogers won't make him regret it.

"I don't know where it will go from here," Rebney said. "I don't have a crystal ball, and I don't know if this will turn out to be a positive story in the end, but based on what he told me, I felt like he was at least deserving of an opportunity. We decided to give it to him."

What Rogers will do with that opportunity remains to be seen, but he knows he still has a hard road ahead of him, he said. His hope is that maybe his willingness to walk it will help someone else who thinks they've fallen far past the point of redemption – a feeling he knows all too well.

"I know that I fell down pretty hard," Rogers said. "But I want to prove to people that you can bounce back. You can, if your heart is in it and you know your mistakes."

After Rogers' mistakes, just winning a couple MMA fights won't do it. It's going to take more. How much more, and whether he has it in him, is something he's still trying to find out.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30931/usa-today-after-arrest-brett-rogers-gets-rare-second-chance-at-bellator-75.mma

Bellator 75's Thiago Santos plans quick end to rivalry with Eric Prindle

In the past year, Thiago Santos (10-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) hasn't registered a single win as a long, drawn-out feud with fellow heavyweight Eric Prindle (7-2 MMA, 3-1 BFC) has played out.

First their was the no-contest in their initial meeting and then a scrapped bout after Santos failed to make weight for the rematch following a motorcycle accident.

But Friday at Bellator 75 in the opening round of the Season 7 heavyweight tournament, he's hoping the third time is a charm.

"I only have on thing to say to Prindle: This time around he's leaving the tournament at the start," Santos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Santos has a narrow focus on Friday's fight, which takes place at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. The four opening-round matchups from the eight-man heavyweight tournament air on MTV2 following prelims on Spike.com.

The tournament also features former Strikeforce title challenger Brett Rogers, recent UFC competitors Vinicius Queiroz and Mike Wessel, as well as Bellator vet Richard Hale.

Not that Santos has noticed.

"Regarding the others, truthfully, I haven't seen their fights," he said. "If anything, they should be very careful with me. If they want to win this grand prix, they'll have to face me, and with me it's always a real fight."

Prindle, of course, is his sole focus for now. Their Season 5 tournament bout ended in a no-contest this past year when Prindle was hit with an accidental low kick and couldn't continue. The rematch earlier this year first was delayed when Prindle developed "flu-like symptoms," and the following week, Santos missed weight by 12 pounds, and the fight was scrapped. Prindle won the tournament by default.

"When I fought him, I kicked him in the butt, but he said it was on the testicles, and we had all those problems," Santos said. "When I came back to face him again, it was after I had a motorcycle accident. I had to sit idle for a long time, without training. I didn't make the weight, so he won the tournament by default."

Prindle then got the guaranteed title shot but suffered a 60-second loss to since-retired champ Cole Konrad.

"It was no surprise," Santos said. "I knew that's how it was going to turn out. I didn't enjoy it. Not for one moment did Prindle appear to be fighting for the belt. He didn't appear to be trying too hard."

Santos recently relocated his camp to American Top Team. He said his skills on the ground, where he sees obvious weakness in Prindle's game, are strong. He feels stronger, his weight is under control, and he feels no ill effects from the December motorcycle accident.

This time around, he's determined to put the rivalry behind him and advance to the tourney's semifinal round. And he doesn't expect it to take long.

"Yeah, I think it will be a quick fight," he said.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30952/bellator-75s-thiago-santos-plans-quick-end-to-rivalry-with-eric-prindle.mma

Richard Hale Sees Mike Wessel as First Step in Path to Bellator Heavyweight Title

Sporting back-to-back wins heading into Friday’s Bellator 75 in Hammond, Ind., it’s likely people would say Richard Hale got back on track with the first of those wins, but in truth he feels it started with the loss proceeding them.

“It actually created momentum,” said Hale. “People look at the 18-second knockout against Carlos (Flores) as the start of the momentum, but if you really look at it, the momentum started with the loss to Christian (M’Pumbu).

“It stoked a fire inside me and made me make changes to make sure that never happens again.”

In his two recent wins, Hale has spent less than a minute total time in the cage, knocking out both of his opponents. While a lot of fighters gauge where their game is at during fights, for Hale, the fight is the payoff to the real test that comes before it.

“The fight is the opportunity to display your skills. So for me, I learned a lot (in these two wins), because if you’re able to work that hard and push that hard in training, you’re able to put on those kinds of opponents,” he said. “Everything comes from the training and not so much the fight.”

Hale feels confident that he can keep the knockouts coming when he faces Mike Wessel as part of Bellator’s latest heavyweight tournament on Friday night.

“I feel very advantageous in every aspect against Wessel, to be honest,” said Hale. “I feel I have a great reach advantage, there’s a skillset advantage, on the ground, striking, and I just don’t see where he’s going to take me that I’ve not been before or not have learned to be better at.

“This is not going to the judges, I can guarantee that.”

After failing to make weight against Josh Burns and not be a part of Bellator’s light heavyweight tournament, Hale feels grateful to get an opportunity to salvage his year as a heavyweight.

“I wanted to fight and stay more active and (what happened against Burns) was not what I wanted when signing with a bigger organization – which is not their fault – and thankfully I was able to get another opportunity from Bellator by getting into the heavyweight tournament and keep things rolling and get my four fights in this year,” said Hale. “It definitely just picks everything back up and allows me to build momentum.

“(Wessel) says he’s going to knock me out, and he can shoot for that because it’s going to give me a better opportunity to put him to sleep. It’s an awesome opportunity to help me possibly become the heavyweight champion in Bellator in 2012.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/richard-hale-sees-mike-wessel-as-first-step-in-path-to-bellator-heavyweight-title

Bellator 75 Live Weigh-in Results

Complete Bellator 75 weigh-in results are posted below:

Main Card

265 lbs.: Eric Prindle (264) vs. Thiago Santos (265.6)
265 lbs.: Brett Rogers (265.8) vs. Alexander Volkov (225.2)
265 lbs.: Richard Hale (233) vs. Mike Wessel (262.2)
265 lbs.: Vinicius Queiroz (247) vs. Mark Holata (249.2)

Preliminary Card

135 lbs.: Chase Beebe (136.2*) vs. Bo Harris (135.2)
170 lbs.: Brandon Delprado () vs. Joe Williams ()
178 lbs.: Jason Graves (171) vs. Rafał Skibiński (177.4)
210 lbs.: Jose Medina (209.8) vs. Anthony Gomez (209.6)
145 lbs.: Cliff Wright Jr. () vs. Bobby Reardanz ()
265 lbs.: Manny Lara (248,8) vs. Ryan Martinez (263.6)

*Beebe has two hours to cut 0.2 pounds.

http://www.mmamania.com/2012/10/4/3453598/bellator-75-weigh-in-results-live-from-hammond-for-prindle-vs-santos-2

Hopefully Beebe made the weight, I think it's cool he's back with Bellator and I hope he can get in an upcoming a tourney. I first saw him win the WEC BW championship from Wineland years ago, a grueling 5 rounder that saw Eddie's ear DESTROYED, it was nasty. James Thompson vs. Kimbo level if not worst.

Prindle/Santos IV is on

bolsheet wrote:Prindle/Santos IV is on

Santos weight was 265.6 so he made weight.

I hope Santos, Volkov, or Rogers take this.

I wish Rogers vs Kimbo happened in Elite XC, Kimbo was scurred. Wobble wobble..

Go ahead, keep counting out Bellator 75's Mike Wessel

Mike Wessel laughs at your doubts.

The fighter, perhaps best known for a stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 10," is quietly on a 4-1 run that included a recent Bellator-debut victory heading into the promotion's Season 7 heavyweight tournament tonight.

"In this last fight with Ryan Martinez, I wasn't even supposed to last a round according to a whole lot of people," Wessel told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I was supposed to get the s--- kicked out of me, you know, but I didn't.

"I always believe in myself because if I don't, who's going to?"

Wessel (12-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC) meets former light-heavyweight-tourney fighter Richard Hale (19-4 MMA, 4-1 BFC) at tonight's Bellator 75 event, which takes place at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. The tourney fights are part of the MTV2-televised main card (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) and follow prelims on Spike.com (6:30 p.m. ET).

The tourney features some notable names, but Wessel is focused on his opening-round matchup.

"I know who Brett Rogers and Eric Prindle are, but my focus isn't on them," he said. "There are eight guys in this tournament, so I'm not going to start thinking about who the other three semifinalists are going to be until after I win this first fight. I love the tournament format because it puts everyone on an even play

http://mmajunkie.com/news/30981/go-ahead-keep-counting-out-bellator-75s-mike-wessel.mma

4 really good fighters. this tournament is actually stacked with decent HW's

I think my pick is Rich Hale vs Thiago Santos in the finals

but that Russian dude is a dark horse


.@BjornRebney announces the heavyweight semifinals: Hale/Santos and Queiroz/Volkov set for Nov. 2 at @CasinoRamaLive.

MAIN CARD (MTV2)
Thiago Santos def. Eric Prindle via disqualification (groin kick) - Round 1, 4:54 - heavyweight-tourney opening round
Alexander Volkov def. Brett Rogers via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) - heavyweight-tourney opening round
Richard Hale def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:19 - heavyweight-tourney opening round
Vinicius Queiroz def. Mark Holata via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 3:26 - heavyweight-tourney opening round
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com)
Jason Graves def. Rafal Skibinski via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:50
Cliff Wright def. Bobby Reardanz via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:39
Ryan Martinez def. Manny Lara via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Chase Beebe def. Bo Harris via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Joe Williams def. Rod Montoya via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:17
Anthony Gomez vs. Jose Medina via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:32


volkov looked great...he can win the tourney

it cant be hale vs santos in the finals...they are fighting each other is the semis.....

santos vs volkov in the finals...

i made my post before i knew and edited the semi finals brackets my bad

ignore what i said

stu3ufc wrote:i made my post before i knew and edited the semi finals brackets my bad

ignore what i said

ok....who are picking in the finals then????

i have thiago vs volkov......volkov vs queiroz both 6'7'' interesting semis

Bellator: Rogers breaks arm, Santos injured?, more

Last night's Bellator 75 was definitely an odd show. After a pair of quick, exciting finishes in the Heavyweight tournament to open the main card, the next two fights left many fans frustrated. First, Brett Rogers showed very little en route to a lopsided decision loss at the hands of Alexander Volkov. Then, the Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos rematch ended uncannily like their last bout, only this time it was Santos on the receiving end of a groin shot, and the end result was a disqualification instead of a No Contest.


At the post-fight press conference, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney revealed that Rogers broke his arm in two places in the opening minutes of the fight. The break came as a result of a blocked Volkov kick. Still a disappointing showing from Rogers, but this helps explain why he threw so little as the fight progressed.
Some fans are accusing Santos of over-exaggerating the injury, but I don't see it. I'm not sure exactly when the MTV2 broadcast ended, but in the arena Santos was down for a long time and was ultimately stretchered out of the cage, having never regained his feet. Rebney didn't have any information on his injury, though rumors were swirling that he suffered a broken pelvis from that Prindle axe kick.

Finally, the semi-final fights for the Heavyweight tournament were announced:

Thiago Santos vs. Richard Hale

Vinicius Queiroz vs. Alexander Volkov

One important note on these fights: obviously if Santos is seriously injured, he won't be able to continue in the tournament. If that's the case, his spot will be taken by Ryan Martinez, who won an alternate fight on the prelims via unanimous decision. If Martinez steps in, the semi-final fights may be reshuffled.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/10/6/3463740/bellator-75-brett-rogers-thiago-santos-injury-groin-shot-heavyweight-tournament