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Ryan "The Tank Engine" Thomas, whose controversial loss to former U.S. Olympian Ben Askren generated substantial comment in the MMA world following Bellator 14 in Chicago last week, has been announced as a last-minute replacement for "Judo" Jim Wallhead at Bellator 15 in Connecticut this Thursday.

Wallhead (18-5), who was anticipating making his U.S. debut with Bellator, is unable to travel from his native England due to the volcanic ash cloud that has halted air travel across Europe over the last several days.

Instead, Thomas (12-4) will get the call versus Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob "Tick Tock" McClintock (6-0), who has won each of his first six pro fights via first round stoppage. The fight is one of four Bellator fights from this Thursday night’s event at The Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., that will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports Net and in special highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

"While I am very disappointed that Jim won’t be able to make it to the U.S. this week, at least some good comes out of this situation as Ryan will get the opportunity to step back into our welterweight tournament," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

"After the fight last Thursday, I promised Ryan that he would be our first alternate for the tournament and, based on a natural disaster, his opportunity came much sooner than anyone would have guessed. Ryan and Ben Askren were locked in a tough fight last week that was ended, somewhat controversially, by the referee. While I respect that decision, I am pleased that this opportunity has presented itself for Ryan."

Thomas, a veteran of the UFC, fell to Askren via technical submission just 2:40 into Round 1 at last Thursday’s event. Controversy erupted almost immediately after the stoppage, though, as Thomas, his corner and a vocal fan contingent in the theatre’s balcony protested that he gave no indication that he wanted the fight to be stopped.

"It’s a bad call by the referee," Thomas said afterwards. "It’s just a shame that the fans got cheated and Ben got cheated out of some more cage time. I was fine – it wasn’t like the world was closing in on me. I was totally fine."

Bellator FC 15 Weigh-Ins

On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships’ show at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., all 16 fighters competing in Thursday’s event participated in an official weigh-in early Wednesday evening.

Bellator 15 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The card’s main event is a match-up in Bellator’s ongoing eight-man welterweight tournament featuring rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle (19-3) and Tyler Stinson (16-5), the winner of Bellator’s recent open tryout in Kansas City.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:


Main Card:

-Dan Hornbuckle (170) vs. Tyler Stinson (170)
-Brett Cooper (169) vs. Steve Carl (169.5)
-William Romero (145) vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (144.75)
-Jacob McClintock (170) vs. Ryan Thomas (167.5)


Local Feature Fight Card:

-Derrick Mehman (191.75) vs. Dave Branch (189.5)*
-Matt Lee (170.25) vs. Ryan Quinn (169.75)
-Dennis Olson (184.75) vs. Dan Cramer (184.25)
-Brylan Van Artsdalen (143.75) vs. Rich de los Reyes (145)

*190-pound catchweight bout

Bellator FC 15 Results:


Three dominant first-round wins by Dan Hornbuckle, Ryan Thomas and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire – as well as a hard-fought split-decision victory for U.S Army Sgt. Steve Carl – made for another exciting Bellator Fighting Championships event Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino.

The action completed the quarterfinal rounds in Bellator’s welterweight and featherweight tournaments and added to the already impressive resumes of all four winners.

The most exhilarating 15 minutes of the night came during an all-out battle between Carl and California striker Brett Cooper (11-6) that ultimately ended with Carl winning via split decision, much to the capacity crowd’s displeasure.

The fight tested the stand-up and ground games of each fighter, but seemed to shift toward Cooper’s favor late in Round 3 when he took Carl down and nearly knocked him out with brutal ground-and-pound as the clock expired.

Afterward, even Carl himself seemed unsure of the judge’s decision.

“I wasn’t too sure about that fight,” said Carl, who improved his pro record to 13-1. “I wasn’t the happiest with my performance tonight. The fans saw the last minute-and-a-half of Round 3 and it was all Brett. It definitely could have gone either way.”

Cooper, meanwhile, maintained that the decision should have been his.

“I don’t know what to say besides I thought I won,” he said simply.

Earlier, in the night’s main event, Hornbuckle improved his pro record to 20-2, making quick work of Midwest regional circuit star Tyler Stinson (16-6), finishing him just 2:03 into round 1 via triangle choke.

The commanding performance (which took place on the first anniversary of Hornbuckle’s marriage to his wife Melody) advanced him to the semifinal round of Bellator’s welterweight tournament and reaffirmed his status as one of the tournament’s favorites.

“Lyman Good was in my place last year, so hopefully he knows that I’m on the path to get him,” Hornbuckle said as Good, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion, looked on from cage-side seats. “I want that title … I’m comin’ to get him.”

Before that, the second fight of the night featured another dominant performance, this one by Thomas, who was selected earlier this week as a last-minute replacement for Jim Wallhead.

Last week, at Bellator 14 in Chicago, Thomas lost via a controversial referee stoppage to U.S. Olympian Ben Askren and begged Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney for a second chance. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night.

After the previously undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product Jacob “Tick-Tock” McClintock (5-1) took his back early on in the fight, Thomas slipped out of a rear naked choke attempt, took the dominant position on the ground and eventually finished McClintock with impressive ground-and-pound.

The win sets up a rematch between Thomas and Askren in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinals on April 20 at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas.

“I have a loss on my record that I don’t deserve,” Thomas declared afterwards. “Ben, you’ve been running your mouth … Let’s do it!”

In the first fight of the night, in a quarterfinal match-up in Bellator’s lightweight tournament, Pitbull, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt used his impressive BJJ skills to submit Canadian up-and-comer and former paratrooper William Romero (5-1) in a dominant performance.

“I was looking for the knockout,” Pitbull said through a translator in a post-fight interview with Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith. “But I saw the leg and I saw the foot and it went good … it was perfect.”

The win improves Pitbull’s pro record to 13-0 (with 10 of those wins coming via KO or submission) and sets him up for a semifinal matchup with fellow Brazil native and jiu-jitsu specialist Wilson Reis (10-1).

“It’s going to be an awesome fight – jiu-jitsu versus jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “But I’m going for the knockout … I want to knock him out.”


Main Card:

Dan Hornbuckle vs. Tyler Stinson - Submission (Triangle Choke) RD. 1 (2:03)

Jacob McClintock vs. Ryan Thomas - TKO (Strikes) Round 1 (4:11)

Brett Cooper vs. Steve Carl - Split Decision

William Romero vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire - Submission (Heel Hook) RD. 1 (2:01)



Local Feature Fight Card:

Derrick Mehman vs. Dave Branch
Matt Lee vs. Ryan Quinn
Dennis Olson vs. Dan Cramer
Brylan Van Artsdalen vs. Rich de los Reyes