On Friday, April 11, Bellator MMA hosted its 116th event from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.

In the night’s main event, UFC and Strikeforce veteran Lavar Johnson took on unbeaten Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov. The pair battled for a spot in the season 10 tournament final. Johnson earned his first win with the promotion in March, stopping Ryan Martinez with strikes. Ivanov, meanwhile, had yet to taste defeat in his 11-fight career. Five of those wins have come inside the Bellator cage.

Also on the card, the other half of the heavyweight tournament ladder featured Samoan kickboxing specialist Siala-Mou “Mighty Mo” Siliga against former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov. Two other tournament semifinals took place on the card as Nathan Coy met Adam McDonough in the welterweight bracket, and Brandon Halsey squared off with Joe Pacheco in the middleweight division. Other notables on the card included UFC veterans Karo Parisyan, Rodney Wallace and Rob Emerson, as well as Strikeforce veteran Keith Berry.

The night’s preliminary card kicked off at 7 p.m. ET on Spike.com. The four-fight main card aired live on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

FULL RESULTS
Blagoi Ivanov def. Lavar Johnson by submission (americana). Round 1, 4:08 – heavyweight tournament semifinal
Alexander Volkov def. Siala-Mou “Mighty Mo” Siliga by knockout (head kick). Round 1, 2:44 – heavyweight tournament semifinal
Adam McDonough def. Nathan Coy by knockout (punch). Round 2, 0:30 – welterweight tournament semifinal
Joey Beltran def. Vladimir Matyushenko by submission (north-south choke). Round 3, 3:06
Brandon Halsey def. Joe Pacheco by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) – middleweight tournament semifinal
Rob Emerson def. Joe Taimanglo by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Karo Parisyan def. Ron Keslar by TKO (punches). Round 2, 4:05
Rodney Wallace def. Carlos Eduardo by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Philipe Lins def. Travis Clark by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 1, 0:40
Ricky Rainey def. Andy Murad by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 1:11
Dave Vitkay def. Keith Berry by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Poppies Martinez def. Josh Smith by submission (guillotine choke). Round 1, 3:50
Brandon Bender def. Mario Navarro by submission (rear-naked choke). Round 2, 4:15

About The Author

Dale De Souza
Staff Writer

Dale De Souza is a 22-year-old kid straight out of Texas, who grew up around Professional Wrestling but embraced the beauty of Mixed Martial Arts and Combat Sports at a young age. Dale is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report MMA, a writer at The MMA Corner.