Bellator Fighting Championships brought its world-class MMA action outdoors for Bellator 41, LIVE on MTV2 from Cocopah Casino and Resort. The night saw two Bellator Champions earn Super Fight victories with Bellator Featherweight World Champion and self proclaimed "Baddest Man on the Planet" Joe Warren earning a unanimous decision win, Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Zach Makovsky capturing his first knockout victory, along with Patricio Pitbull and Daniel Straus punching their tickets to the Bellator Featherweight Finals with impressive victories.
Bellator Featherweight World Champion Joe Warren stepped back into the Bellator cage for the first time since his championship victory at Bellator 27 over Joe Soto as he met the imposing Marcos "Louro" Galvao, who was making his Bellator debut. Warren was the aggressor throughout the fight, but Galvao always seemed to have an answer, and delivered several strong counters to Warren's advances. As the third and final round began, sensing he was down, Warren left it all in the cage, and finally connected with solid strikes to the head and ribs of an exhausted Galvao. The fight went to the judges, and in a somewhat controversial decision, Joe Warren stayed undefeated in Bellator with a unanimous decision victory over a stunned Marcos Galvao.
"This season continues to produce outstanding fights, and tonight was no different," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Two of our Champions came away with victories, and Pitbull and Straus both earned well deserved trips to our featherweight final later this season on MTV 2 - which will make for an unbelievable championship fight."
Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky was back in action, taking on Chad Robichaux in a Bantamweight Super Fight. As expected, submission attempts were on display from both fighters early on, but the fight ultimately saw Zach Makovsky record the first knockout of his career, as the champ hammered Robichaux on the ground before referee Jason Herzog awarded Makovsky the knockout victory.
A featherweight rematch between long time Bellator veteran Wilson Reis and Brazilian striker Patricio Pitbull determined which fighter would make it to the finals, and it was evident early both fighters had plans to fight in the finals. With both fighters holding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelts, Reis and Pitbull spent the early portion of the fight feeling each other out. As the fight progressed, Patricio became more aggressive with his strikes, and as the third round was coming to a close, Pitbull delivered a vicious array of blows that ended the fight early, giving Pitbull another victory and a spot in the Bellator Featherweight Finals.
Watch the highlight here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK-etrNHDPo
In the additional featherweight semifinal fight, Daniel Straus punched his ticket to the finals by delivering a tight Guillotine choke to Kenny "The Tooth Fairy" Foster late in round three. Straus controlled the action throughout the fight, delivering a solid flying knee to Foster in the first, which seemed to shake up the New York native. As the fight moved on, Straus looked for the finish, and eventually found it in the third round, securing a spot in the finals against Patricio Pitbull later this season.
Official Main Card Results:
Joe Warren def. Marcos Galvao by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Zack Makovsky def. Chad Robichaux by TKO (Unanswered Strikes, Round 3)
Patricio Pitbull def. Wilson Reis by KO (3:29, Round 3)
Daniel Straus def. Kenny Foster by Submission (Guillotine, Round 3)
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
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Bellator 41 takes place at the Cocopah Resort and Casino in Somerton, AZ, where the official weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference have just been conducted.
Headlining the show will be two non-title Super Fights featuring Bellator Featherweight World Champion Joe Warren versus Ring of Combat featherweight titlist Marcos Galvao, and Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Zack Makovsky against undefeated, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt Chad Robichaux.
Also on the main card will be two Featherweight semifinal bouts featuring Brazilians Patricio "Pitbull" battling Wilson Reis, while Kenny Foster and Daniel Straus square off for a shot to be in the finals.
Bellator 41 will be broadcast LIVE on Saturday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on MTV2.
The official results of tonight's weigh-in are as follows:
MAIN CARD:
Featherweight Super Fight: Champ Joe Warren (136.8 lbs.) vs. Marcos Galvao (136.6 lbs.)
Bantamweight Super Fight: Champ Zack Makovsky (135.4 lbs.) vs. Chad Robichaux (134.2 lbs.)
Featherweight Semifinal Fight: Wilson Reis (145.6 lbs.) vs. Patricio "Pitbull" (145.8 lbs.)*
Featherweight Semifinal Fight: Kenny Foster (146 lbs.) vs. Daniel Straus (145.4 lbs.)
*Freire originally checked in at 146.2 pounds but made weight after being given additional time.
UNDERCARD:
Local Feature Fight: Rudy Aguilar (223 lbs.) vs. Carlos Flores (248.8 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: Anthony Birchak (135.6 lbs.) vs. Tyler Bialecki (134.8 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: Michael Parker (145.4 lbs.) vs. Nick Piedmont (145.8 lbs.)
Local Feature Fight: Brendan Tierney (185 lbs.) vs. Dano Moore (186 lbs.)
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