# 2011 in Bellator MMA

2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight. There was also an inaugural Light Heavyweight Tournament taking place during this season, which crowned the first Light Heavyweight Champion in Bellator. This was the first season to air on MTV2.

## Bellator 35

Bellator 35 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 5, 2011, at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. The card kicked off Bellator Season Four and featured opening round fights in the Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

On December 14, 2010, Bellator and MTV2 announced a three-year deal to broadcast Bellator's tournaments and special events. This will be the first Bellator event to air on MTV2.
Bellator's Women's Strawweight Champion Zoila Frausto fought in a non-title catchweight bout against Karina Hallinan.
At this event Steve Carl was expected to fight Jay Hieron in the opening round of the welterweight tournament. However, Carl injured himself during training and was removed from the tournament. His replacement was Anthony Lapsley.
Poppies Martinez was expected to fight at this event, but a bout never materialized.
The event drew an average of around 200,000 viewers on MTV2. Which helped MTV2 in several key advertising demographics including, an 83 percent increase among men aged 18 to 49, an 80 percent increase among men 18 to 34, and a 133 percent increase among men aged 25 to 34.

### Results

* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ This bout aired the following week on Bellator 36.

## Bellator 36

Bellator 36 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 12, 2011, at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The card featured opening-round fights in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Toby Imada was originally scheduled to face French fighter Ferrid Kheder; however, Kheder refused to weigh in and Josh Shockley was moved up from the preliminary card to face Imada.
Shockley's original opponent, Kelvin Hackney, still weighed in, but was pulled off the card and paid his show money and win bonus. Hackney was expected to fight at Bellator 45.
The event drew an estimated 230,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Lightweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Lightweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Lightweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Lightweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following Imada vs. Shockley.

## Bellator 37

Bellator 37 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 19, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma. The card featured opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2. The event drew an estimated 173,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 38

Bellator 38 was mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on March 26, 2011, at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The card featured the opening round fights in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event showcased the inaugural light heavyweight tournament.
Originally, Blagoy Ivanov was set to fight John Brown on the undercard. However, Brown pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Johnathan Ivey. Ivey was then pulled off the card for a suspension by the Georgia Athletic Commission. Ivanov instead fought William Penn.
The event drew an estimated 150,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Light Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Light Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Light Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Light Heavyweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 39

Bellator 39 was a mixed martial arts held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 2, 2011, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card featured one semi-final fight in both the Bellator Season Four Welterweight and Lightweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

The lightweight semifinal bout between Toby Imada and Patricky Freire was originally set to take place at Bellator 40.
In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion, Luiz Azeredo stepped in to replace Matt Veach in a preliminary card matchup.
The event drew an estimated 174,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ For the Bellator Lightweight Championship.
* ↑ Welterweight semifinal.
* ↑ Lightweight semifinal.
* ↑ This was a "dark" fight, after the main event.

## Bellator 40

Bellator 40 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 9, 2011, at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The card featured fights in the Welterweight and Lightweight Bellator Season Four Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Bellator Welterweight champion Ben Askren competed in a non-title bout against Nick Thompson at this event.
A lightweight semifinal bout between Toby Imada and Patricky Freire was originally set to take place on this card. However, the fight was moved to Bellator 39 and replaced with the welterweight semifinal fight between Brent Weedman and Jay Hieron. The Hieron-Weedman fight was rescheduled because Weedman needed to receive clearance for a facial laceration suffered in his Bellator 35 victory over Dan Hornbuckle.
Former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and his fight has been pushed back to the Bellator 42 card.
The event drew an estimated 218,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Welterweight semifinal.
* ↑ Lightweight semifinal.
* ↑ To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. The bout aired on the main broadcast.

## Bellator 41

Bellator 41 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships on April 16, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Arizona. The card featured two semi-final fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Tony Johnson was expected to fight Carlos Flores at the event, but for unknown reasons was replaced by Rudy Aguilar.
The event drew a season low of 132,000 average viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Featherweight semifinal.
* ↑ Featherweight semifinal.
* ↑ This bout took place after the main event.

## Bellator 42

Bellator 42 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on April 23, 2011, at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Oklahoma. The card featured the semi-finals in the Bellator Season Four Light Heavyweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Bellator Heavyweight champion Cole Konrad was scheduled to compete in a non-title "super fight" bout against Paul Buentello at this event. However, it was revealed that Buentello had to pull out of the bout due to a back injury.
Former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann was expected to make his Bellator debut at Bellator 40. However, visa issues kept Mann from entering the United States and the fight was moved to this card.
Chris Guillen was originally set to fight Mark Holata, but Guillen suffered a last minute injury and was replaced by Tracy Willis.
The event drew an estimated 199,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Light Heavyweight semifinal.
* ↑ Light Heavyweight semifinal.
* ↑ This bout was fought after the main broadcast was finished due to time constraints.
* ↑ The bout aired on the main broadcast.

## Bellator 43

Bellator 43 was a mixed martial arts held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 7, 2011, at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

A heavyweight bout between Neil Grove and The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumnus, Zak Jensen was scheduled for this event; however, Grove pulled out of the bout on May 3 due to an injury.
A local feature bout between George Burton and John Bryant was also scratched.
The event drew an estimated 182,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ To win Bellator's Season Four Welterweight Tournament.
* ↑ To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament
* ↑ To earn a spot in Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament
* ↑ This bout aired on the broadcast.

## Bellator 44

Bellator 44 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 14, 2011, at Harrah's Resort. The card featured the final fight in the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

EliteXC and Ring of Combat veteran James Jones was expected to fight at this event, but a bout did not materialize.
Lyman Good was scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle in a welterweight bout. However, on May 6, Good pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
A scheduled bout between Anthony Morrison and Bryan Goldsby was canceled due to Morrison weighing-in 10 pounds over weight.
The event drew a season high of 325,000 average viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Lightweight tournament final. Chandler was docked one point in round 3 due to kicks to the groin.

## Bellator 45

Bellator 45 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on May 21, 2011, at the L'Auberge du Lac Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The card featured final round fights in the Bellator Season Four Featherweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Kalvin Hackney, whose fight was canceled at Bellator 36, was moved to fight at this event.
A bout between Thiago Santos and Derrick Lewis was scrapped after Santos suffered an injury.
The event drew an estimated 264,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ For the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship.
* ↑ Featherweight Tournament Championship.
* ↑ This bout was fought after the main event due to time constraints.

## Tournaments
### Light Heavyweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Christian M'Pumbu | TKO | | | | |
| Chris Davis | 3 | | | | |
| Chris Davis | 3 | Christian M'Pumbu | TKO | | |
| | | Tim Carpenter | 1 | | |
| Tim Carpenter | SD | Tim Carpenter | 1 | | |
| Daniel Gracie | 3 | | | | |
| Daniel Gracie | 3 | | | Christian M'Pumbu | TKO |
| | | | | Rich Hale | 3 |
| Rich Hale | SUB | | | | | Rich Hale | 3 |
| Nik Fekete | 1 | | | | |
| Nik Fekete | 1 | Rich Hale | SD | | |
| | | D.J. Linderman | 3 | | |
| D.J. Linderman | TKO | D.J. Linderman | 3 | | |
| Raphael Davis | 3 | | | | |

### Welterweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Jay Hieron | SUB | | | | |
| Anthony Lapsley | 1 | | | | |
| Anthony Lapsley | 1 | Jay Hieron | UD | | |
| | | Brent Weedman | 3 | | |
| Brent Weedman | UD | Brent Weedman | 3 | | |
| Dan Hornbuckle | 3 | | | | |
| Dan Hornbuckle | 3 | | | Jay Hieron | SD |
| | | | | Rick Hawn | 3 |
| Rick Hawn | SD | | | | | Rick Hawn | 3 |
| Jim Wallhead | 3 | | | | |
| Jim Wallhead | 3 | Rick Hawn | SD | | |
| | | Lyman Good | 3 | | |
| Lyman Good | SD | Lyman Good | 3 | | |
| Chris Lozano | 3 | | | | |
^ 1: Anthony Lapsley replaced Steve Carl after Carl was forced to withdraw due to a foot injury.

### Lightweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Michael Chandler | SUB | | | | |
| Marcin Held | 1 | | | | |
| Marcin Held | 1 | Michael Chandler | UD | | |
| | | Lloyd Woodard | 3 | | |
| Lloyd Woodard | TKO | Lloyd Woodard | 3 | | |
| Carey Vanier | 2 | | | | |
| Carey Vanier | 2 | | | Michael Chandler | UD |
| | | | | Patricky Freire | 3 |
| Patricky Freire | TKO | | | | | Patricky Freire | 3 |
| Rob McCullough | 3 | | | | |
| Rob McCullough | 3 | Patricky Freire | TKO | | |
| | | Toby Imada | 1 | | |
| Toby Imada | SUB | Toby Imada | 1 | | |
| Josh Shockley | 1 | | | | |
^ 1: Josh Shockley replaced Ferrid Kheder after Kheder refused to weigh-in.

### Featherweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Patricio Freire | KO | | | | |
| Georgi Karakhanyan | 3 | | | | |
| Georgi Karakhanyan | 3 | Patricio Freire | KO | | |
| | | Wilson Reis | 3 | | |
| Wilson Reis | SUB | Wilson Reis | 3 | | |
| Zac George | 1 | | | | |
| Zac George | 1 | | | Patricio Freire | UD |
| | | | | Daniel Straus | 3 |
| Daniel Straus | UD | | | | | Daniel Straus | 3 |
| Nazareno Malegarie | 3 | | | | |
| Nazareno Malegarie | 3 | Daniel Straus | SUB | | |
| | | Kenny Foster | 3 | | |
| Kenny Foster | SUB | Kenny Foster | 3 | | |
| Eric Larkin | 1 | | | | |

## Bellator 46

Bellator 46 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on June 25, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured opening round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man featherweight tournament to be held over the Summer Series.
David Baggett missed the middleweight limit allowance of 186 for non-title fights, weighing in at 191.5 lb, and his bout with Moyses Gabin was scrapped from the card.
The event drew an estimated 185,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Featherweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 47

Bellator 47 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on July 23, 2011, at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. The card featured semi-final fights in the Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event was to feature Joe Warren's first defense of his featherweight title against season four tournament winner Patricio Freire. Freire, however, pulled out of the fight in early July due to a broken hand.
This was Bellator's first event in Canada. Bellator 4 was set to take place in Canada, but was moved due to the promotion unable to come to terms with the Quebec Boxing Commission.
Ben Saunders was expected to fight at this event, but had to pull out due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training.
Bantamweights Bo Harris and Bryan Goldsby were originally announced to be facing each other, but the bout did not materialize in the days leading up to the event as Harris failed to complete his medical requirements in a timely fashion.
The event drew an estimated 277,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Featherweight semifinal.
* ↑ Featherweight semifinal.
* ↑ This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Horodecki vs. Saunders bout.

## Bellator 48

Bellator 48 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on August 20, 2011, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card was part of Bellator's inaugural Summer Series and featured the final round fights in the Summer Series Tournament. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the final round of an eight-man featherweight tournament that was held over the Summer Series.
John Clarke was expected to face Dan Cramer, but an injury forced Clarke out of the bout. Jeff "The Wolfman" Nader stepped in as Clarke's replacement.
The event drew an estimated 226,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Featherweight tournament final.
* ↑ This bout aired on the MTV2 broadcast following the Rodriguez vs. Petruzelli bout.

### Featherweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Pat Curran | SUB | | | | |
| Luis Palomino | 1 | | | | |
| Luis Palomino | 1 | Pat Curran | UD | | |
| | | Ronnie Mann | 3 | | |
| Ronnie Mann | KO | Ronnie Mann | 3 | | |
| Adam Schindler | 1 | | | | |
| Adam Schindler | 1 | | | Pat Curran | KO |
| | | | | Marlon Sandro | 2 |
| Marlon Sandro | SD | | | | | Marlon Sandro | 2 |
| Genair da Silva | 3 | | | | |
| Genair da Silva | 3 | Marlon Sandro | UD | | |
| | | Nazareno Malegarie | 3 | | |
| Nazareno Malegarie | SUB | Nazareno Malegarie | 3 | | |
| Jacob DeVree | 3 | | | | |

## Bellator 49

Bellator 49 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 10, 2011, at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card was the debut of the promotion's fifth season and distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man welterweight tournament to be held over the duration of Bellator's fifth season.
Rick Hawn was expected to face Ben Saunders at this event but Hawn was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury. Hawn was replaced by Bellator newcomer Chris Cisneros.
The Ultimate Fighter 12 competitor, Andy Main, was set to fight Kenny Foster on the undercard of this event. However, after an undisclosed injury, Main was pulled from the bout.
On September 6, 2011, it was announced Bellator's Season 5 "Local Feature Fights" would be streamed live on Spike.com, starting with this event.
The event drew an estimated 235,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Welterweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 50

Bellator 50 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 17, 2011, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

The event hosted the opening round of the middleweight tournament in Bellator's fifth season.
Veteran welterweight fighter Ailton Barbosa won Bellator's open tryouts in Hollywood, Florida in June 2011 to earn his spot on the card.
R.J. Goodridge was scheduled to fight J. P. Reese, but after suffering an undisclosed injury Goodridge pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Martin Brown. Also, Ryan Hodge was scheduled to fight Valdir Araujo, but was pulled from the bout with an injury, and replaced with Brett Cooper.
On September 15, 2011, Luis Palomino suffered an injury in training and was pulled from his scheduled bout with James Edson Berto. Berto was later pulled from the card as well, and the fight was scratched altogether; The two then met at W-1: Reloaded in which Palomino defeated Berto.
A scheduled lightweight bout between Dietter Navarro and Marcelo Goncalves was changed into a 156 lb catchweight bout after both fighters missed weight.
The event drew an estimated 114,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Middleweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Middleweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Middleweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Middleweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 51

Bellator 51 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on September 24, 2011, at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the first round of an eight-man bantamweight tournament to be held over the course of Bellator's fifth season.
Joe Soto was originally scheduled to face Eduardo Dantas in the opening round of the bantamweight-tournament. However, he was pulled from the bout after losing to Eddie Yagin at Tachi Palace Fights 10 and replaced by Wilson Reis.
The Jessica Eye-Casey Noland bout was changed from 125 lb to a 127 lb catchweight after Noland failed to make weight./
The event drew an estimated 158,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Bantamweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Bantamweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Bantamweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Bantamweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 52

Bellator 52 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on October 1, 2011, at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Louisiana. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the opening round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament.
Blagoy Ivanov was originally scheduled to face Thiago Santos. Santos, however, was unable to travel from Brazil for the event and was replaced by Zak Jensen.
The event drew an estimated 269,000 viewers on MTV 2.

### Results

* ↑ Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Heavyweight quarterfinal.
* ↑ Heavyweight quarterfinal.

## Bellator 53

Bellator 53 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 8, 2011, at the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament.
The event drew an estimated 103,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Welterweight semifinal.
* ↑ Welterweight semifinal.
* ↑ Heavyweight tournament reserve bout.

## Bellator 54

Bellator 54 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 15, 2011, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Bellator bantamweight champion, Zach Makovsky, competed in a non-title bout at this event. He faced one-time UFC competitor Ryan Roberts.
This event hosted the second round of the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament.
Eddie Alvarez was scheduled to make his second title defense of his lightweight championship against Michael Chandler on this card; however, on September 20, it was announced that Alvarez suffered an injury and the match has been pushed back to Bellator 58.
Karl Amoussou was expected to make his welterweight debut at this event against Joey Kirwan. However, for unknown reasons, Amoussou was pulled from the bout and replaced by Lewis Rumsy.

### Results

* ↑ Middleweight semifinal.
* ↑ Middleweight semifinal.

## Bellator 55

Bellator 55 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships on October 22, 2011, at Cocopah Resort and Casino in Somerton, Arizona. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament.
Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu fought Travis Wiuff in a non-title bout. M'Pumbu become the first Bellator champion to lose in a non-title bout.
Despite a close split decision loss, main eventer Marcos Galvão was awarded a "win" bonus.
The event earned an average of 168,000 viewers on MTV2.

### Results

* ↑ Bantamweight semifinal.
* ↑ Bantamweight semifinal.

## Bellator 56

Bellator 56 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on October 29, 2011, at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the second round of Bellator's second heavyweight tournament.
Mike Hayes was expected to face Blagoi Ivanov at this event, However Hayes was issued a 60-day medical suspension by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission due to a fractured orbital bone sustained during his fight with Neil Grove at Bellator 52. Thiago Santos stepped in for the injured Hayes. Ivanov subsequently had to pull out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Neil Grove.

### Results

* ↑ For the Bellator Welterweight Championship.
* ↑ Heavyweight semifinal.
* ↑ Heavyweight semifinal.
* ↑ This bout aired on MTV2 following the Prindle/Sparks match.

## Bellator 57

Bellator 57 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 12, 2011, at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. The event was distributed live in primetime by MTV2.

### Background

This was the second time that Bellator has come to Canada. Previously, Bellator 47 was also held in Rama, Ontario.
This event hosted the final rounds of Bellator's Season Five Welterweight Tournament and Bellator's Season Five Middleweight Tournament.
Bellator's Women's champion, Zoila Gurgel, was scheduled to compete in a non-title bout against Carina Damm. However, an injury forced her off the card.

### Results

* ↑ Welterweight tournament final.
* ↑ Middleweight tournament final.

## Bellator 58

Bellator 58 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 19, 2011, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

Shooto's 183-pound South American champion, Carlos Alexandre Pereira, was expected to make his Bellator debut at this event.
Bellator Middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, was expected to compete in non-title, light heavyweight fight against UFC and Strikeforce veteran, Renato Sobral, at this event. However, for unknown reasons, Sobral was replaced by Trevor Prangley.
The event drew a season high 269,000 viewers with the immediate repeat also drawing 160,000 viewers.

### Results

* ↑ For the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship.

## Bellator 59

Bellator 59 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. It took place on November 26, 2011, at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.

### Background

This event hosted the final round of Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament as well as the Bellator's Season Five Heavyweight Tournament.
Michael Costa pulled out of his fight with Lyman Good due to an injury, which led the organization to scrap Good from the event all together. The lightweight bout between Phillipe Nover and Marcin Held was promoted to the main card.
The final of the Heavyweight tournament was ruled a No Contest after an accidental groin kick by Thiago Santos rendered Eric Prindle unable to continue. Following the event Santos failed to make weight for a scheduled rematch causing the bout to be cancelled, and Prindle to be awarded the tournament win by default.

### Results

* ↑ Heavyweight tournament final. The bout was ruled a No Contest after Santos kicked Prindle in the groin.
* ↑ Bantamweight tournament final.

## Tournaments
### Heavyweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Eric Prindle | UD | | | | |
| Abe Wagner | 3 | | | | |
| Abe Wagner | 3 | Eric Prindle | KO | | |
| | | Ron Sparks | 1 | | |
| Ron Sparks | KO | Ron Sparks | 1 | | |
| Mark Holata | 1 | | | | |
| Mark Holata | 1 | | | Eric Prindle | D/Q |
| | | | | Thiago Santos | N/A |
| Mike Hayes | SD | | | | | Thiago Santos | N/A |
| Neil Grove | 3 | | | | |
| Neil Grove | 3 | Thiago Santos | SUB | | |
| | | Neil Grove | 1 | | |
| Blagoy Ivanov | SUB | Neil Grove | 1 | | |
| Zak Jensen | 2 | | | | |
^ 1: Thiago Santos replaced Mike Hayes after Hayes was forced out due to a broke orbital bone. He defeated Josh Burns at Bellator 53 to earn the reserve spot. ^ 2: Neil Grove was brought back into the tournament, replacing Blagoi Ivanov, after Ivanov was forced out due to an unspecified injury. ^ 3: The final was officially ruled a No Contest after Santos kicked Prindle in the groin and Prindle was unable to continue. ^ 4: Prindle was awarded the tournament title after Santos missed weight for the rematch.

### Middleweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Alexander Shlemenko | SUB | | | | |
| Zelg Galesic | 1 | | | | |
| Zelg Galesic | 1 | Alexander Shlemenko | TKO | | |
| | | Brian Rogers | 2 | | |
| Brian Rogers | TKO | Brian Rogers | 2 | | |
| Victor O'Donnell | 1 | | | | |
| Victor O'Donnell | 1 | | | Alexander Shlemenko | UD |
| | | | | Vitor Vianna | 3 |
| Vitor Vianna | SD | | | | | Vitor Vianna | 3 |
| Sam Alvey | 3 | | | | |
| Sam Alvey | 3 | Vitor Vianna | TKO | | |
| | | Bryan Baker | 1 | | |
| Bryan Baker | TKO | Bryan Baker | 1 | | |
| Jared Hess | 3 | | | | |

### Welterweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Douglas Lima | UD | | | | |
| Steve Carl | 3 | | | | |
| Steve Carl | 3 | Douglas Lima | KO | | |
| | | Chris Lozano | 2 | | |
| Chris Lozano | UD | Chris Lozano | 2 | | |
| Brent Weedman | 3 | | | | |
| Brent Weedman | 3 | | | Douglas Lima | KO |
| | | | | Ben Saunders | 2 |
| Ben Saunders | TKO | | | | | Ben Saunders | 2 |
| Chris Cisneros | 3 | | | | |
| Chris Cisneros | 3 | Ben Saunders | SUB | | |
| | | Luis Santos | 3 | | |
| Luis Santos | UD | Luis Santos | 3 | | |
| Dan Hornbuckle | 3 | | | | |

### Bantamweight tournament bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Eduardo Dantas | TKO | | | | |
| Wilson Reis | 2 | | | | |
| Wilson Reis | 2 | Eduardo Dantas | SD | | |
| | | Ed West | 3 | | |
| Ed West | UD | Ed West | 3 | | |
| Luis Nogueira | 3 | | | | |
| Luis Nogueira | 3 | | | Eduardo Dantas | UD |
| | | | | Alexis Vila | 3 |
| Alexis Vila | KO | | | | | Alexis Vila | 3 |
| Joe Warren | 1 | | | | |
| Joe Warren | 1 | Alexis Vila | SD | | |
| | | Marcos Galvao | 3 | | |
| Marcos Galvao | SD | Marcos Galvao | 3 | | |
| Chase Beebe | 3 | | | | |