Bellator Fighting Championships returns TONIGHT (March 30, 2012) to the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., with a new tournament.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Bellator 63 below, beginning with the MTV2 telecast at 8 p.m. ET. In addition, we'll deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the undercard action much earlier in the evening.
Bellator 63 features the season six welterweight tournament. The main event will be headlined by a welterweight quarterfinal bout between "Psycho" Karl Amoussou and Chris Lozano. Amoussou is a French judo specialist while Lozano is trying to comeback from a tough knockout loss to last year's tournament champion, Douglas Lima.
Also filling out the card, undefeated prospect David Rickels takes on Jordan Smith, who stepped in on late notice for UFC veteran Brian Foster, who failed his medical scans before the event. Muay Thai specialist and fan favorite Ben Saunders will be fighting another undefeated prospect Raul Amaya as well.
Lastly, former middleweight tournament finalist Bryan Baker drops down to 170 for the first time to battle veteran Brazilian Carlos Alexandre Pereira in what expects to be a violent way to open the main card.
Complete Bellator 63 results and play-by-play are after the jump:
Main Card
170 lbs.: Karl Amoussou def. Chris Lozano via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:05 of round 1
170 lbs.: Bryan Baker def. Carlos Alexandre Pereira via split decision
170 lbs.: David Rickels def. Jordan Smith via knockout at 0:22 of round 1
170 lbs.: Raul Amaya vs. Ben Saunders def. Raul Amaya via unanimous decisionLocal Feature Fights (Spike.com)
145 lbs.: Matt Bessette def. Saul Almeida via unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Parker Porter vs. Randy Smith
165 lbs.: Ryan Quinn def. Marc Stevens via unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Dan Cramer def. Jeff Nader via split decision
170 lbs.: Andrey Koreshkov def. Tiawan Howard via knockout at 1:26 of round 1
125 lbs.: Munah Holland def. Marianna Kheyfets via knockout at 4:45 of round 2
145 lbs.: Brandon Fleming def. Pete Rogers via submission (Peruvian necktie) at 3:39 of round 1
170 lbs.: Karl Amoussou vs. Chris Lozano
Round one: Very intense staredown before the fight starts. Amoussou takes the cage center and Lozano is dancing around on the outside. No action in the first minute and Amoussou misses with a pair of kicks. The crowd starts to get restless as both men continue to size each other up. Amoussou connects with a head kick which cuts Lozano but Lozano scores a big takedown. Amoussou sweeps Lozano and lands in full mount. Amoussou takes Lozano's back, puts in both hooks and then locks on a rear naked choke. Amoussou forces the tap. DAMN that was a nice performance by Amoussou!
Final Result: Karl Amoussou defeats Chris Lozano via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:05 of round one
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170 lbs.: Bryan Baker vs. Carlos Alexandre Pereira
Round one: Pereira takes control of the cage center while Baker is on the outside. Baker throws an awkward side kick and Baker is moving around a bit. Baker attempts another side kick but Pereira counters with a nice right hand which backs him off. Baker shoots in for a takedown and scores it but Pereira pops to his feet. Baker lifts Pereira up again and slams him to the canvas. Baker is in half guard on top but Pereira sweeps him and has him pinned against the fence. Baker attempts to wall-walk and Pereira throws a knee to the body. They trade punches and Baker escapes to his feet. Baker's side kick here does not look good at all. It's very telegraphed and moving in slow motion. Pereira fires back with a head kick and a leg kick. Baker is really focusing on his movement but his offense is ineffective and Pereira lands a big kick to the thigh. Baker lunges in and eats a left hand but he clinches and takes inside position along the fence. Baker throws a shoulder strike but Pereira scores a nice clinch takedown but Baker pops right back to his feet. They trade knees until the bell. 10-9 Pereira
Round two: Pereira opens with some nice kicks and Baker fires back with a sloppy flurry. Pereira again connects with a big body kick. Baker is getting outclassed on his feet and should really be looking to get takedowns. Baker closes the distance and attempts a takedown but Pereira uses the whizzer to stand. Baker throws a big knee in the clinch and then a nice leg kick as Pereira whiffs with a counter. The pace is slowing here as both men are tentative and the crowd is getting restless. Baker lands a leg kick and then a side kick and Pereira responds with a deep thigh kick. Baker shoots in for a takedown and eats an uppercut, falling to his back. Baker throws his legs up and is threatening a submission. Pereira stays tight with both arms and Baker throws some short punches from bottom. Baker has wrist control and he's looking for an armbar with 25 seconds left and Pereira escapes danger. Baker sweeps Pereira with an omaplata and finishes the round with two spinning kicks to the thigh. 10-9 Baker
Round three: Baker is circling on the outside and Pereira throws a nice leg kick. Baker wades in and eats a strong counter from Pereira. Pereira connects with a nice leg kick and backs Baker off but Baker fires back with a leg kick of his own. Baker connects with a leg kick and two body kicks are checked. Somebody has to make something happen here. Pereira connects with a spinning back kick and Baker shoots in looking for a takedown. Baker clinches and attempts a toss but Pereira denies him with a whizzer again. Baker is continuing to hunt for the takedown in the clinch and he grabs a back body lock on Pereira. He lifts Pereira up but can't slam him. He tries the same move again but can't do it and instead connects with a series of heavy knees to the back of the thigh. Baker thinks about taking Pereira's back standing but gives up on it. Pereira is also thinking about using a Kimura to reverse the position. The ref steps in and separates them. It could come down to this final 40 seconds. Baker throws a front kick and paws with a jab. Bakcer connects with a body kick and a leg kick. Baker scores a takedown with 15 seconds left and puts Pereira in the crucifix position, dropping some nice punches at the bell. I think that sealed it for Baker there right at the end. 10-9 Baker
Final Result: Bryan Baker defeats Carlos Alexandre Pereira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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170 lbs.: Jordan Smith vs. David Rickels
Round one: Rickels opens aggressively with leg and head kick and Smith fires back with a leg lick of his own. Rickels presses forward and he's all over Smith! Rickels is blasting Smith with a huge flurry of strikes and Smith goes down along the fence and it's all over. Wow!
Final Result: David Rickels defeats Jordan Smith via knockout at 0:22 of round one
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170 lbs.: Raul Amaya vs. Ben Saunders
Round one: Amaya dances around for a bit and immediately dives in with a body lock looking to take the fight ot the ground. Amaya is working for a single leg takedown while Saunders is hunting for a Kimura. Amaya has Saunders presses against the fence and Saunders reverses him, taking inside position against the fence where he blasts Amaya with a pair of knees. Saunders keeps the knees coming to the legs and body and then he goes high. Saunders almost catches a standing Kimura but is content to take top position on the ground when Amaya falls down. Amaya tries to roll free but Saunders is on top of him dropping punches. Saunders drops some big knees from side control and Amaya pops back to his feet. Saunders again takes inside position against the fence and he throws some heavy knees. Amaya keeps working for the takedown but Saunders nails another knee. Saunders steps over and he's hunting for an inverted triangle. Saunders transitions to an armbar but Amaya slips free. Saunders now attacks with a Kimura but Amaya rolls free and Saunders finishes the round looking for a triangle and an armbar. 10-9 Saunders
Round two: Amaya comes in wild swinging freely and hunting for a takedown but Saunders lands another knee. They clinch along the fence at a strange angle and Saunders fishes for a standing Kimura. Amaya drops and Saunders lands big punches and then takes Amaya's back with a body triangle. Saunders attempts an armbar transition but slips off and Amaya takes top position. Saunders pops back to his feet and Amaya attempts a slam and then scores a takedown but Saunders is attacking with an omaplata and now he transitions to a triangle choke. Saunders has the triangle but Amaya slips free. Now Amaya attacks with a front head lock and he's back in top position. Saunders continues to attack from bottom but Amaya postures up and drops a couple nice punches. Saunders boxes Amaya's ears from bottom and again brings his legs up hunting for a submission. Saunders transitions to an armbar and Amaya spins free once more and he's back in Saunders' full guard. Amaya postures up and drops punches and Saunders dodges most of them. Amaya drops a pair of punches at the end of the round. That was very close but I'm still going 10-9 Saunders
Round three: Saunders opens witha body kick and Amaya swarms him with a big flurry of punches. Amaya throws a knee and slips, falling to his back. Saunders takes top position and passes to side control. He passes to mount and tries to transition to a triangle choke but loses his position. Saunders is still hunting for an arm here but Amaya now is on top and now he takes Saunders' back. Amaya is in full mount but he's very high up and Saunders rolls over and takes top position with a sweep. Amaya's eye is nearly swollen shut and he turtles. Saunders puts a hook in and now he's got the body triangle again. Saunders rolls him over and he's putting a ton of pressure on Amaya with his hips. Under 90 seconds left and Saunders flattens Amaya out and drops some big punches. Amaya is not defending and he gives up the full mount. Saunders grabs wrist control and thinks about a keylock and Amaya bridges attempting to squirm free but Saunders takes his back instead. They finish the round with Saunders glued to Amaya's back dropping punches. 10-8 Saunders
Final Result: Ben Saunders defeats Raul Amaya via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
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