Bellator’s 170-Pound Champ, Ben Askren Meets Nick Thompson in a Non-Title Affair at Bellator 40

MMA Junkie Reports:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22500/bellator-champ-ben-askren-meets-nick-thompson-in-non-title-fight-at-bellator-40.mma

Ben Askren

– 7-0-0 MMA/ 4-0 Bellator Record

– 1 TKO, 3 Sub, 3 Decision Victories

– Notable Wins: Ryan Thomas (x2), Dan Hornbuckle, Lyman Good

Nick Thompson

– 38-13-1 MMA/ Bellator Debut

– 3 Fight Losing Streak

– Notable Wins: Paul Daley, Eddie Alvarez, Chris Wilson

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Bellator’s newly-crowned welterweight champion, Ben Askren will met Nick ‘The Goat’ Thompson in a non-title bout at Bellator 40. The event is expected to take place on April 9th at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma.

Ben Askren’s road to the title started during season two’s welterweight tournament, running through Ryan Thomas twice then Dan Hornbuckle in the finals to earn a shot at Lyman Good the next year. He made the most of his opportunity, earning a one-sided unanimous decision over Good in October of last year.

Nick Thompson has seen better times in his long MMA career, currently on a three-fight losing streak. He last suffered a vicious knockout loss against Taisuke Okuno at Sengoku Raiden Championships 14 last August. Thompson’s last victory came in February of 2009, when he defeated current Strikeforce title contender, Paul Daley by unanimous decision at Maximum Fighting Championships 20.

 

Sengoku Raiden Championship 14 Quick Results

Champ Jorge Santiago def. Kazuo Misaki via TKO (corner’s stoppage) – Round 5, 4:31 (retains middleweight title)

Jadamba Narantungalag def. Akihiro Gono via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-29, 30-28)

Hatsu Hioki def. Jeff Lawson via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:09

Leonardo Santos def. Sotaro Yamada via DQ (illegal groin shots) – Round 1, 3:56

Taisuke Okuno def. Nick Thompson via KO (punch) – Round 3, 0:27*

Yasubey Enomoto def. Kenta Takagi via submission (bulldog choke) – Round 2, 0:53*

Takuya Sato def. Motoki Miyazawa via unanimous decision#

Shintaro Ishiwatari def. Kil Woo Lee via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:20^

Shoko Sato def. Takuya Eizumi via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 1:38^

Wataru Takahashi def. Tatsuya So via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:34^

Jae Hyun So def. Hirokazu Nishimura via unanimous decision

 

Sengoku Raiden Championships 14 Card Takes Shape

Champ Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki (for Sengoku middleweight title)

Taisuke Okuno vs. Nick Thompson (welterweight GP first round)

Yasubey Enomoto vs. Kenta Takagi (welterweight GP first round)

Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Kil Woo Lee (bantamweight GP second round)

Takuya Eizumi vs. Shoko Sato (bantamweight GP second round)

Tatsuya So vs. Wataru Takahashi (bantamweight GP second round)

Hirokazu Nishimura vs. Jae Hyun So (bantamweight GP second round)

 

Shine Fights III Card Takes Shape

MMA Junkie Reports:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/18078/shine-fight-iii-takes-shape-with-rua-vitale-thompson-pamplona-estima-others.mma

For now, the full Shine Fight III card includes:

• Ricardo Mayorga vs. Din Thomas
• Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Falaniko Vitale*
• Eduardo Pamplona vs. Nick Thompson*
• Braulio Estima vs. Rick Hawn*
• Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira vs. Jamal Patterson*
• Luiz Azeredo vs. Luiz “Buscape” Firmino*
• Luciano Azevedo vs. TBA*
• Tim Boetsch vs. TBA*
• Danillo Villefort vs. TBA*