Middleweight Finalists On Point for Bellator 57
Bellator's middleweight tournament final will move forward as planned, as Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna both hit their contracted weights at Friday's Bellator 57weigh-ins. Shlemenko tipped the scales at 185.6 pounds for his showdown with Vianna, who came in at 184.
However, the promotion's welterweight tournament final hit a slight snag, as Douglas Lima came in slightly over the welterweight limit at 171.4 pounds. Lima successfully made weight on his second attempt at 171 even. Meanwhile, Ben Saunders registered 170.4 prior to the welterweight final.
Advertisement
Shlemenko has been on a tear in the last two years, winning Bellator's second middleweight tournament but coming up short against champion Hector Lombard. Since suffering his decision defeat to Bellator's reigning middleweight king, the Russian has won five straight, impressively dispatching Zelg Galesic and Brian Rogers to advance to the Season 5 finals.
Only once beaten as a pro, Vianna eked by Sam Alvey in
the tournament quarterfinals before blasting Bryan Baker
in the semis. The Wand Fight Team representative lived to up his
gym's namesake in his confrontation with Baker, dropping the
American with heavy right hand and finishing the job with a barrage
of hammer fists against the cage.
A former Maximum Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder, Lima hasn't lost since 2009. Only 23 years old, “The Phenom” earned a unanimous decision over Steve Carl to advance to the round of four, where he abruptly ended a back-and-forth contest with Chris Lozano by burying his opponent with a head-snapping straight right.
Saunders, 28, has won four straight fights since receiving his UFC release last year. “Killa B” has been dominant in his Bellator run thus far, earning three finishes in as many fights. After a bloody debut against Matt Lee, Saunders knocked out Chris Cisneros before submitting Luis Santos to advance to the tournament finals. .
Bellator 57
Saturday, Nov. 12
Casino Rama
Rama, Ontario, Canada
Douglas Lima (*171) vs. Ben Saunders (170.4)
Alexander Shlemenko (185.6) vs. Vitor Vianna (184)
Roger Hollett (204.8) vs. John Hawk (205)
Alexandre Bezerra (146.4) vs. Douglas Evans (146)
Shawn Levesque (203) vs. Matt Van Buren (204.6)
Chris Horodecki (155) vs. Mike Corey (154)
Ashkan Morvari (155.8) vs. Dave Jansen (155.8)
Chuck Mady (134) vs. Denis Puric (135.8)
Eric Moon (155.8) vs. Josh Shockley (156)
Mike Sledzion (155) vs. Taylor Solomon (156)
* Bezerra and Lima initially came in over the limit. Lima made 171 even on his second attempt.
Related Articles
