Bellator Fighting Championships returns TONIGHT (Nov. 26, 2011) to Caesar's Atlantic City in Atlantic City, NJ, with a pair of tournament finales.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Bellator 59 below, beginning with the MTV2 telecast at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, we'll deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the undercard action much earlier in the evening.
In heavyweight tournament action, Brazilian Thiago "Big Monster" Santos takes on "The American Soldier" Eric Prindle for the right to challenge current champion Cole Konrad, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, bantamweight prospects Eduardo Dantas and Alexis Vila square off with the winner earning a shot at 135 pound champion, Zach Makovsky.
Opening up the main card will be a pair of lightweight bouts as two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veterans Kurt Pellegrino and Phillipe Nover do battle with two Bellator season four lightweight tournament fighters Patricky Freire and Marcin Held, respectively.
Complete Bellator 59 results and play-by-play are after the jump:
Main Card (MTV2)
Thiago Santos vs. Eric Prindle is ruled a no contest after accidental groin strike in round 1
Patricky Freire def. Kurt Pellegrino via TKO at 0:50 round 1
Eduardo Dantas def. Alexis Vila via unanimous decision
Marcin Held def. Phillipe Nover via split decision
Undercard (Spike.com)Karl Amoussou def. Jesus Martinez via TKO at 2:20 round 1
LeVon Maynard def. Chris Wing via unanimous decision
Lucas Pimenta def. Doug Gordon via knockout at 0:40 round 1
Scott Heckman def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:38 round 1
Gregory Milliard def. Brandon Saling via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Thiago Santos vs. Eric Prindle
Round one: Prindle steps forward with a big left hook that Santos ducks. Santos clinches and takes Prindle to the ground. Prindle throws his legs up and Santos drops some punches. Prindle pushes Santos off and quickly gets to his feet but Santos presses forward and takes him down again into half guard. Santos postures up and drops some strikes. Santos stands up and kicks Prindle between the legs. The ref puts a halt to the action and Prindle will have five minutes to recover. Huge bonehead move by Santos as that'll allow Prindle to get back to his feet, if he's capable of getting back to his feet. Five minutes have elapsed and the bell just rang because Prindle can't continue. Ughh, that's a huge disappointment.
Final Result: The bout is ruled a no contest after an "accidental" kick to the groin in round one
-end-
155 lbs.: Patricky Pitbull vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Round one: Freire takes the center immediately and is looking to cut Pellegrino off with his footwork early. Freire lands a huge left hook and then a right hand that drops Pellegrino and Pellegrino drops down for a takedown. Pellegrino pushes forward and eats some huge hammer fists. The ref nearly jumps in early and then he stops the fight anyways. I think that was an early stoppage but nothing they can do about it now. The Atlantic City crowd isn't very happy, chanting "bullshit."
Final Result: Patricky Pitbull defeats Kurt Pellegrino via TKO at 0:50 of round one
-end-
135 lbs.: Alexis Vila vs. Eduardo Dantas
Round one: Vila presses forward throwing hooks and drops down for a takedown, immediately getting it. Dantas scrambles on the ground and forces Vila to back off. Vila stands above Dantas and throws a couple kicks but Dantas pops back to his feet. Dantas throws a jumping knee that connects to the body and Vila presses foward, pushing him into the fence. Dantas is stuck with his back on the cage and he can't do much. Vila throws a couple short knees and looks for a takedown but can't get it. Dantas is getting stifled here right now with Vila grinding him against the fence in the clinch. He's been playing defense the whole round. Vila finally turns the corner and gets a takedown with 30 seconds left but Dantas throws his legs up and rolls back to his feet. Vila holds a back body lock until the final bell. 10-9 Vila
Round two: Dantas throws a knee early and Vila drops for a takedown again but Dantas spins free. Vila throws a body kick but Dantas counters with a nice pair of punches. Dantas now gets into his range and starts working his striking. He's throws a solid outside leg kick and then ducks a looping hook from Vila. Vila lunges forward with a flurry of punches and pushes Dantas into the fence but Dantas reverses him and throws a big knee to the body on the exit. Dantas throws a big body kick and then a knee to the body that forces Vila to back off. Dantas throws a huge leg kick and then another but Vila counters with a right hand. Vila shoots in for a takedown and Dantas spins out but Vila grabs a back body lock and throws a pair of knees to the back of his thigh. Vila drops down for a leg but Dantas wraps up his head with a guillotine choke. Dantas looks like he might have Vila in danger but Vila slips free and eats a knee again. Dantas landsa huge knee and Vila just keeps pressing forward. Vila goes for a single leg and Dantas again puts him in a guillotine choke but Vila slips free. Vila drops down for a takedown but Dantas is very slippery here and stays on his feet. Dantas again throws a knee and backs off, creating distance in the final 10 seconds. 10-9 Dantas
Round three: Dantas probes with some punches and then lands a pair of leg kicks. Dantas lands a nice left hand that drops Vila off balance and then attempts a huge knee as Vila pops to his feet but it doesn't connect. Dantas is opening up with his striking again, throwing a big knee to the body. Vila shoots in and Dantas takes his back in the scramble. Dantas puts both hooks in and he has one of Vila's arms trapped as well. Dantas is looking for the rear naked choke but can't get it quite yet. Dantas latches on a body triangle and Vila could be in some big trouble now. Vila has a very short neck so this could be tricky for Dantas to get the choke. Dantas rolls Vila over but Vila turtles and spins back to the sitting position. Dantas releases the body triangle and Vila frees himself from one of the hooks using both hands but Dantas again retains both hooks. Vila tries to turn into Dantas but can't escape his back control as the final bell sounds. 10-9 Dantas
Final Result: Eduardo Dantas defeats Alexis Vila via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
-end-
155 lbs.: Marcin Held vs. Phillipe Nover
Round one: Held comes in with a left hand but Nover crushes him with a right hook and drops him. Held immediately gets back to his feet and he seems to be okay. Held rolls in and grabs Nover's knee looking for a leg lock, oh damn that was slick. Held has Nover's back standing in a body lock and he drops down for another heel hook but Nover looks calm and goes for a foot lock of his own. Held is really cranking on the knee but Nover is defending, spinning free and Nover escapes back to his feet. This is off to a terrific start already. Held jumps in with a flying punch but eats a counter from Nover. Nover lands a pair of kicks and Held's striking still looks like it needs some work. Held clinches along the fence and Nover blasts him with a knee. Held pulls guard and throws his legs up but Nover drops some punches from above. Nover backs off and kicks at his legs, then backs off and allows Held to stand. Held dives forward, sliding into a leg lock and he takes top position on the ground. Nover searches for an armbar but can't get it as both men battle on the ground until the final bell. What a fun round! 10-9 Nover
Round two: Held closes the distance and drops to his back in the center of the cage. Nover is on top in half guard, dropping some short punches. Held rolls backwards trying to break free but can't and Nover smashes him with a huge right hand on the ground. Nover postures up and drops an elbow but then settles for staying tight on top. Held again rolls looking for an armbar but Nover pops out and gets back to his feet. Nover backs off and they both stand but Held dives in and scores a takedown. Nover sweeps him slightly with a Kimura lock and is trying hard to transition to mount but Held defends and forces him to back off again. Nover drops down with a big left hand and throws some more punches from above as time expires. 10-9 Nover
Round three: Held explodes forward at the beginning of the round and scores a takedown once they both plow into the fence. Nover is really working for a sweep from bottom but Held remains on top for now. Nover turtles and Held takes a front face lock but Nover drives forward and now Held is on bottom along the fence. Nover traps an arm and drops some short punches. Held again grabs a leg and rolls for a kneebar but can't get it as Nover backs away. Held comes in crazily and Nover picks a horrible time to throw a jumping kick and gets put on his bakc. Nover goes for a leg lock of his own but then backs off. Held drives forward throwing punches and putting pressure on Nover but Nover changes levels and scores a double leg takedown to land on top in half guard. Nover drops a nice right hand from above but nwo appears content to ride this one out on top and remain up close. Held goes for one last leg lock at the end of the round but Nover spins free. 10-9 Nover
Final Result: Marcin Held defeats Phillipe Nover via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
-end-
Get the latest gear
