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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
More bouts are set for Bellator Fighting Championships' second season, as the organization announced the matchups for the welterweight tournament on Friday.
The first round will open up on the second event of the season on April 15th, as Ben Askren (3-0) will face off against by far his most experienced opponent in former UFC fighter Ryan Thomas (10-3). The rest of the opening round bouts take place on this season's third event the following week on April 22nd.
One of the favorites to win the tournament, Dan Hornbuckle (19-2) draws Sean Pierson (9-4) in the first round, while Jacob McClintock (6-0) faces "Judo" Jim Wallhead (18-5) and Steve Carl (12-1) takes on Brett Cooper (12-5).
Bellator airs live every Thursday nights for twelve weeks beginning on April 8th on Fox Sports Net.
Penick's Analysis: These are some very interesting first round matchups for this tournament, the most intriguing of which is the Askren-Thomas matchup on the 15th. Askren, the former NCAA D-1 Wrestling Champion, is the least experienced fighter in the tournament, and he's facing the fighter who has faced some of the stiffest competition of any of the eight fighters in Thomas. A win over Thomas would be huge for Askren, and would build even more intrigue for him going forward in the tournament. All of the fights should be competitive, but that one definitely should raise some eyebrows.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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