Bellator releases rules for next week's 'Dynamite' light heavyweight tournament

http://mmajunkie.com/2015/09/bellator-releases-rules-for-next-weeks-dynamite-light-heavyweight-tournament-in-san-jose


It’s going to be a long night for one Bellator light heavyweight, but one that could lead to gold.

Bellator MMA has announced the rules for a four-man, single-night light heavyweight tournament slated to take place at the promotion’s hybrid MMA-kickboxing event, “Bellator 142: Dynamite,” next week in California.

The competition is overseen by the California State Athletic Commission, which conducted a random draw for the opening-round matchups and shaped the rules.

Bellator 142 takes place Sept. 19 at SAP Center in San Jose. The main card airs live on Spike following prelims that will stream on MMAjunkie. It will feature both MMA and kickboxing bouts with a cage and ring set up in the same arena.

The first tournament fights see Phil Davis (13-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) face off against ex-champ Emanuel Newton (25-8-1 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) while Muhammed Lawal (15-4-1 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) vs. Linton Vassell (15-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) rounds out the field. A reserve bout between Francis Carmont (23-10 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Roy Boughton (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is in place in case one of the four men in the tourney field can’t advance.

As Coker recently told MMAjunkie, the winner will get a Bellator tournament belt as well as the right to face off with the winner of a headliner between champ Liam McGeary and UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz.

“It’s going to be an exciting show,” Coker said.

Here are the plans for the tournament:

* Two semifinal bouts and one tournament reserve bout will be contested over two five-minute rounds with a one-minute rest period. If any of the bouts are scored a draw, the bout is officially declared a draw, but the judges overseeing the fight will each cast a ballot on who they think should advance to the finals “by merit of his performance.”

* A minimum of 30 minutes will separate the end of the semis and the beginning of the finals

* The tournament final will be contested the same as a non-title fight, with three five-minute rounds and two one-minute rest periods. A draw will trigger the same process as the semifinals, only the fighter who gets the most votes will be declared the tournament’s winner.

* If a semifinal winner cannot advance due to injury, a “survivor” rule will put his opponent into the finals. If that opponent can’t advance, however, the winner of the tournament reserve bout will advance. To advance, all tournament participants need medical clearance.

* Fouls that end bouts will be addressed depending on whether the infraction was intentional or accidental. If an accidental foul renders the semifinal winner unable to continue, the uninjured fighter will advance, and the tournament reserve winner will remain on standby.

* If an intentional foul ends a semifinal bout, the fouling fighter will be disqualified and the fouled fighter will be “medically eliminated.” Then the tournament reserve winner will advance.

* If an accidental foul ends the finals before two rounds have been completed, the tournament is over without a winner. After two rounds, the bout gets judged on the completed rounds.

* Any additional circumstances not addressed by the rules will resolved by “the senior (CSAC) representative in conjunction with the Bellator regulatory affairs director.”

i love 1 night tournament style fighting..

props to bellator and these fighters. in todays MMA world this is really big..

I hope this is the future for bellator

im so pumped to see how this goes down.