Bellator 26 Fight Card & Results

Bellator Fighting Championships put on their third event of season #3 with Bellator 26 which took place on August 26, 2010 and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net. The Bellator FC 26 fight card is listed below, and be sure to check back for the official Bellator 26 fight results once the fights have become official.

Tyler Stinson vs. Steve Carl

Missouri-based Tyler Stinson came into this welterweight tourney qualifying bout with U.S. Army veteran Steve Carl with a huge power advantage. However, Carl used his wrestling and submission skills advantage to offset Stinson and earn the victory over his friend to secure his place in next season’s 170-pound tourney.

After a few strikes from their feet, Carl shot in and converted on his first takedown attempt. From the bottom, Stinson remained active and came within fraction a fraction of a second of converting a triangle choke submission. Somehow Carl escaped, and found his way to his feet, it was there that he found an opening and began his standing guillotine attempt. The attempt showed promise, so he dropped down and made the choke even tighter and when the referee saw Stinson go limp, he stepped in and called an end to the fight.

The official technical submission finish came at 2:30 of the 1 st round with Carl over Stinson. With the victory, Steve Carl puts his name in the running for the season 5 170-pound tourney. He has won nine of his last ten bouts overall and now holds an 11-2 career mark which includes a 2-1 mark in Bellator action. Stinson falls to 19-7 overall and 1-2 under the Bellator banner, he has his two-fight winning streak stopped with the loss.

Aisling Daly vs. Lisa Ward

Ireland’s Aisling Daly came into her women’s 115-pound opening round tournament bout with an undefeated record and looking to play the role of “bully” against Washington-native Lisa Ward. Her plan didn’t exactly play out the way that she would have liked; Ward used her superior wrestling skills to dominate Daly and advance into the semi-final round of the 115-pound tourney.

Ward was able to consistently dump Daly on her back throughout the three-round affair. When Daly was able to work her way back to her feet, she didn’t get much time before she found her way to the ground once again. For a short time during the end of the 2nd round, Daly landed a few shots, but nothing significant. Ward had her chance at the end of the 3rd round to sink in a rear naked choke; however the bell ended that and allowed the fight to go to a decision.

When the official decision was read, it was Ward who dominated the scorecard with (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) numbers and the Unanimous Decision victory. She improves to 14-5 overall and 2-0 under the Bellator banner; she will advance to the semi-final round and continue her quest to capture the women’s 115-pound tournament crown. Daly suffers her first career loss and falls to 9-1 overall and 0-1 with the Bellator organization.

Jose Vega vs. Danny Tims

The Bellator bantamweight tournament quarterfinal bout featured wrestler Jose Vega from Team Grindhouse against another skilled wrestler from Missouri, Danny “Executioner” Tims. The two bantamweights met back in August 2008 under the IFC banner with Vega coming out on top. This time the result was the same, however it took him a decision to earn it.

Tims came out in a flurry, catching Vega and even dazing him temporarily. Vega however came back and dropped Tims with a quick and short left hand. The 1st round was a back and forth affair, however the remainder of the fight was dominated by Vega. He neutralized Tims’ striking and ended up taking him to the ground and controlling his position for much of the fight.

Vega came out with scores of (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) and the Unanimous Decision victory. The victory not only advances him into the bantamweight tournament’s semi-final round, but also improves his record to 9-3 overall and 2-0 for Bellator. Tims is now down two bouts to Vega, falls to 9-3-1 overall and 1-1 under the Bellator banner.

Mike Hayes vs. Alexey Oleinik

The final televised bout featured an opening round heavyweight tournament bout between Mike “300” Hayes and Ukraine-born Alexey Oleinik. The question prior to the bout was if Hayes would bring his “A” game and challenge Oleinik. Although Hayes was very competitive, it wasn’t enough as M-1 veteran Oleinik squeezed out a split decision victory and moves onto the semi-final round.

Coming out into the 1 st round, Oleinik handled his own with his stand-up, but didn’t remain on his feet for long. Oleinik pulled guard when he could and tried to take advantage on the ground. He would immediately go for the armbar or another submission and try to finish Hayes as quick as he could. Hayes, surprisingly enough, showed solid submission defense and was able to take his opponent’s back. The 2 nd and 3 rd rounds saw Hayes on his back and defending from Oleinik’s submission attempts. In the end, Oleinik provided much of the night’s offense and was awarded for it.

For the official decision, the judge’s scores read (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in favor of Oleinik. With the victory, he advances into the semis of the heavyweight tournament, and will likely face former UFC vet Neil “Goliath” Grove. He improves his overall record to 28-5-1 and 1-0 for Bellator. Hayes falls to 12-4-1 overall and 1-1 for the Bellator organization.

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer

Bellator 26 Fight Card & Results:

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Main Bellator 26 Fight Results:

• Alexey Oleinik defeats Mike Hayes by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) - Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinals

• Jose Vega defeats Danny Tims by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) - Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinals

• Lisa Ward defeats Aisling Daly by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) - Bellator Women's 115-pound Tournament Quarterfinals

• Steve Carl defeats Tyler Stinson via Technical Submission (Guillotine) - Round 1, 2:30

Preliminary Bellator 26 Fight Card Results:

• Zak Cummings defeats Rudy Bears via Submission (D'arce Choke) – Round 1, 1:27

• Kevin Croom defeats Brian Davidson via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) - Round 2, 3:22

• John Ott defeats Brian Imes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Jeb Chiles defeats Demetrius Richards via Submission (Kimura) – Round 2, 3:51