The main event saw former middleweight champ Rich Franklin earn a knockout of UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell in their 205-pound fight. The two fighters were landing effective strikes of their own throughout the first round. As the round was coming to a close, Franklin landed a punch that knocked Liddell out.

In the co-headliner, heavyweights Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Pat Barry fought in a back-and-forth battle that ended with Filipovic submitting Barry in the third round. Also, Martin Kampmann earned a unanimous decision over Paulo Thiago in their welterweight contest.

Here are the official results:

MAIN CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Rich Franklin def. Chuck Liddell via KO (strikes) – Round 1 at 4:55
Heavyweight:: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Pat Barry via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3 at 3:40
Welterweight: Martin Kampmann def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell def. Gilbert Yvel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – Round 3 at 5:00
Welterweight: Carlos Condit def. Rory MacDonald via TKO (strikes) – Round 3 at 4:53

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight: Evan Dunham def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) – Round 3 at 5:00
Lighteight: Matt Wiman def. Mac Danzig via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1 at 1:45
Middleweight: Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau via TKO (strikes) – Round 2 at 4:07
Welterweight: James Wilks def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Welterweight: Claude Patrick def. Ricardo Funch via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2 at 1:48
Welterweight: Mike Pyle def. Jesse Lennox via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 3 at 4:44

All 22 fighters successfully made weight for the event.

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, at the same venue as the weigh-ins. The card is headlined by a light heavyweight match between UFC Hall of Famer and former 205-pound champ Chuck Liddell and former UFC 185-pound champ Rich Franklin.

In the co-headliner, heavyweights Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Pat Barry will square off. Also on the card, Paulo Thiago faces Martin Kampmann in a welterweight fight.

The preliminary card will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Spike TV. The main card then airs live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Pay-Per-View.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Chuck Liddell (205) vs. Rich Franklin (205)
Heavyweight:: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (235) vs. Pat Barry (248)
Welterweight: Paulo Thiago (170) vs. Martin Kampmann (170)
Heavyweight: Ben Rothwell (264) vs. Gilbert Yvel (243)
Welterweight: Carlos Condit (170) vs. Rory MacDonald (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Lightweight: Tyson Griffin (154) vs. Evan Dunham (155)
Lighteight: Mac Danzig (156) vs. Matt Wiman (156)
Middleweight: David Loiseau (185) vs. Mario Miranda (186)
Welterweight: James Wilks (170) vs. Peter Sobotta (171)
Welterweight: Ricardo Funch (170) vs. Claude Patrick (170)
Welterweight: Mike Pyle (170) vs. Jesse Lennox (170)

Curran’s win headlined another great night of fights from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Florida, roughly 30 miles south of the high school that Curran represented in the state wrestling finals just four years ago.

On Thursday, with dozens of his friends and family looking on, the 22-year-old impressed the judges with an athletic takedown defense and a series of powerful blows to the head that opened two cuts around Imada’s right eye. With the win, Curran earned the Season 2 Championship and the right to fight reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion and 20-2 MMA star Eddie Alvarez

Alvarez, who watched the fight cageside with his son, Eddie Jr., called Curran’s performance “tough” and “impressive.”

“The guy’s powerful and he hits hard,” Alvarez said as Curran (12-3) was presented with a check for $100,000. “I’m looking forward to fighting him.”

Curran, who was inspired to begin a career in MMA by his cousin, UFC, WEC and Strikeforce veteran Jeff Curran, said afterwards that Bellator “changed my life.” It was his third consecutive upset victory along with a quarterfinal KO of Georges St.-Pierre training partner Mike Ricci and a semifinal decision win against UFC veteran and early tournament favorite Roger Huerta.

“What Pat Curran accomplished tonight is exactly what Bellator is all about,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He proved to himself and to the world that he deserves this championship and he deserves a fight with Eddie Alvarez thanks to three straight outstanding wins against three very tough opponents.”

Imada, who helped put Bellator on the map during its inaugural season with his now-famous inverted triangle choke submission of Jorge Masvidal, accepted the defeat graciously, congratulating Curran and saying “that’s what I get for leaving it up to the judges.”

The night also featured an impressive statement from Megumi Fujii, the consensus No. 1-ranked female fighter in the world, who improved her pro MMA record to an impressive 20-0 with a third round TKO of Missouri-based jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah Schneider in the evening’s “Female Showcase Fight.”

Schneider turned in a gutsy performance to survive the first two rounds but Fujii took the fight to the ground early on in Round 3, moved quickly to full mount and unleashed a rapid-fire ground-and-pound that forced the stoppage at 1:58. It was Fujii’s first-ever TKO and she admitted afterwards that she was “very surprised” not to have won via submission.

The win cemented Fujii’s position as the overwhelming favorite in Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 women’s tournament, despite the inclusion of a bevy of the world’s top 10 female fighters including 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the world’s No. 1-ranked 125 lbs. female), 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward and 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene.

“I will show my skills and I will be the champion,” Fujii told Bellator TV commentator Jimmy Smith after her fight, which also marked her first appearance on national television in the U.S.

In the evening’s first televised bout, a “Heavyweight Showcase Fight,” Seattle-area native Mike “300” Hayes (12-3-1) overcame a 30-pound weight disadvantage to win a unanimous decision victory over former Arena Football League player Steve Banks (4-3). The southpaw Banks used his size to claim the center of the cage and control the fight during Round 1, but he began showing signs of serious fatigue early on in Round 2. Hayes used his superior conditioning to control the fight the rest of the way and earn his fourth straight victory.

Later, in a “Bantamweight Feature Fight,” Philadelphia brawler Zack Makovsky (9-2) defeated local fan favorite and American Top Team product Eric Luke (4-3) with a crafty kimura submission at 4:28 into Round 2. With the win, Makovsky earned a spot in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament.

The event also played host to four Local Feature Fights, a sampling of which will be aired at Bellator.com beginning this Sunday as part of Bellator’s ongoing “Sunday Night Fights” promotion. The results of the local fights were:

- Brian Eckstein def. Mitchell Chamale via unanimous decision
- Moyses Gabin def. Chris Boffil via rear-naked choke submission (4:41)
- Sabah Homasi def. Frank Carrillo via TKO (13:36)
- Luis Palomino def. Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Kansas City Power & Light District, where former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren faces MMA rising star Dan Hornbuckle in the championship round of Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

Bellator 21 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

MAIN CARD:

Pat Curran (155.5 lbs.) vs. Toby Imada (155.5 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.
Megumi Fujii (118.5 lbs.) vs. Sarah Schneider (119.5 lbs.) @ 120 lbs.
Mike “300” Hayes (235 lbs.) vs. Steve Banks (265.25 lbs.) @ 265 lbs.
Eric Luke (137.5 lbs.)* vs. Zach Makovsky (135.5 lbs.) @ 135 lbs.

LOCAL FEATURE FIGHTS:

Jose Figueroa (155.5 lbs.) vs. Luis Palomino (153.75 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.
Sabah Homasi (174.5 lbs.) vs. Frank Carrillo (175 lbs.) @ 175 lbs. (previously negotiated CW)
Chris Boffil (184 lbs.) vs. Moyses Gabin (184.5 lbs.) @ 185 lbs.
Brian Eckstein (136 lbs.) vs. Mitchell Chamale (136 lbs.) @ 135 lbs.

*Eric Luke will be given 60 minutes to cut weight.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

The main event featured the much-anticipated grudge match between The Ultimate Fighter 10 coaches Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans. The fight started off with Evans landing a punch that staggered Jackson, who quickly regained his composure. Most of the first and second rounds were spent in the clinch position up against the fence, with Evans being able to secure a few takedowns. In the third round, Jackson caught Evans with an uppercut while he was shooting in for a takedown. However, Jackson was unable to finish the fight. Evans then got back up and got a few more takedowns. After three rounds, the judges declared Evans the winner by unanimous decision.

In the co-main event of the night, middleweights Michael Bisping and Dan Miller squared off in a fight that lasted all three rounds. Bisping inflicted most of the damage and outclassed Miller on the feet with his superior striking skills. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Bisping by unanimous decision.

Here are the official results:

MAIN CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evans def. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Middleweight:: Michael Bisping def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – Round 3 at 5:00
Heavyweight: Mike Russow def. Todd Duffee via KO (strikes) – Round 3 at 2:35
Light Heavyweight: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Jason Brilz via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) – Round 3 at 5:00
Welterweight: John Hathaway def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Welterweight: Dong Hyun Kim def. Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Lightweight: Efrain Escudero def. Dan Lauzon via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Lightweight: Melvin Guillard def. Waylon Love via TKO (strikes) – Round 1 at 3:28
Light Heavyweight: Cyrille Diabate def. Luiz Cane via TKO (strikes) – Round 1 at 2:13
Lightweight: Aaron Riley def. Joe Brammer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – Round 3 at 5:00
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Jensen def. Jesse Forbes via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1 at 1:06

Nick Diaz, the current Strikeforce welterweight champion, went up against Hayato Sakurai in the headliner of the night. It took Diaz less than four minutes to lock in a submission, forcing Sakurai to tap out and giving Diaz a submission win.

Ralek Gracie avenged some of the losses of his Gracie family members to Kazushi Sakuraba. Ralek managed to take down Sakuraba in each of the three rounds and was able to control him on the ground. The judges gave Ralek the victory by unanimous decision.

Here are the official results:

MAIN CARD:

Welterweight: Nick Diaz def. Hayato Sakurai via submission (armbar) – Round 1 at 3:54
Middleweight: Ralek Gracie def. Kazushi Sakaruba via unanimous decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Featherweight: Hiroyuki Takaya def. Joachim Hansen via KO (strikes) – Round 1 at 4:27
Bantamweight: Norifumi Yamamoto def. Fedrico Lopez via KO (strikes) – Round 1 at 1:41
Featherweight: Akiyo Nishiura def. Hideo Tokoro via TKO (strikes) – Round 1 at 2:51
Featherweight: Kazuyuki Miyata def. Takafumi Otsuka via split decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Bantamweight: Kenji Osawa def. Yoshido Maeda via split decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Openweight: Ikuhisa Minowa def. Imani Lee via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1 at 4:16

All 22 fighters hit the scales and successfully made weight for the event.

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, at the same venue as the weigh-ins. The card is headlined by light heavyweights Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans in a match taht will determine the next challenger for the 205-pound title.

In the co-headliner, Michael Bisping and Dan Miller square off in a middleweight bout. Also on the card, Antonio Rogerio Negueira goes up against Jason Brilz in a light heavyweight contest.

Select preliminary fights will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Spike TV. The main card then airs live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Pay-Per-View.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (205) vs. Rashad Evans (206)
Middleweight:: Michael Bisping (186) vs. Dan Miller (185)
Heavyweight: Todd Duffee (253) vs. Mike Russow (253)
Light Heavyweight: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Jason Brilz (205)
Welterweight: Diego Sanchez (171) vs. John Hathaway (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Welterweight: Amir Sadollah (171) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (171)
Lightweight: Efrain Escudero (156) vs. Dan Lauzon (155)
Lightweight: Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Waylon Love (155)
Light Heavyweight: Luiz Cane (205) vs. Cyrille Diabate (205)
Lightweight: Aaron Riley (156) vs. Joe Brammer (156)
Light Heavyweight: Jesse Forbes (186) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)

All 16 competitors stepped on the scales and weighed-in for their fights.

DREAM.14 is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event features a main event between welterweights Nick Diaz and Hayato Sakurai.

Also featured is a middleweight match between Kazushi Sakuraba and Ralek Gracie, along with a featherweight fight between Joachim Hansen and Hiroyuki Takaya.

HDNet will be broadcasting the card live starting at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT. An encore presentation will then air on Friday, June 4, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD:

Welterweight: Nick Diaz (167.5) vs. Hayato Sakurai (168.6)
Middleweight: Kazushi Sakaruba (192.6) vs. Ralek Gracie (190.6)
Featherweight: Joachim Hansen (143.3) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (143.3)
Bantamweight: Norifumi Yamamoto (131.8) vs. Fedrico Lopez (132.2)
Featherweight: Hideo Tokoro (138.4) vs. Akiyo Nishiura (138.8)
Featherweight: Kazuyuki Miyata (141.9) vs. Takafumi Otsuka (141.5)
Bantamweight: Yoshido Maeda (133.8) vs. Kenji Osawa (134.4)
Openweight: Ikuhisa Minowa (194) vs. Imani Lee (330.6)

Here are the official results:

MAIN CARD:

Middleweight Sem-Final: Bryan Baker def. Eric Schambari via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1 at 2:29
Middleweight Semi-Final: Alexander Shlemenko def. Jared Hess via TKO (due to knee injury) – Round 3 at 2:20
Heavyweight: Eddie Sanchez def. Wayne Cole via TKO (strikes) – Round 3 at 0:23
Bantamweight: Nik Mamalis def. Mark Oshiro via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2 at 3:18

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Aaron Rosa def. Robert Villegas via unanimous decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Welterweight: Andrew Chappelle def. Cedric Marks via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2 at 3:18
Lightweight: Adam Schindler def. Brian Melancon via unanimous decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Flyweight: Jimmy Flick def. Humberto Deleon via unanimous decision – Round 3 at 5:00
Lightweight: Fernando Rodriguez def. Kenneth Battle via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2 at 1:28

All 18 fighters successfully made weight for the event except for Brian Melancon, who missed the 156-pound limit by 5.2 pounds.

Bellator 20 is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, at the same venue as the weigh-ins. The card features the semi-finals of the welterweight tournament, as Bryan Baker goes up against Eric Schambari, and Alexander Shlemenko faces Jared Hess.

FOX Sports Net will be televising the main card live beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Highlights of the fights will then air on Saturday, May 29, on NBC, Telemundo, and mun2.

Here are the official weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD:

Middleweight Sem-Final: Bryan Baker (186) vs. Eric Schambari (185)
Middleweight Semi-Final: Alexander Shlemenko (184.8) vs. Jared Hess (185.2)
Heavyweight: Eddie Sanchez (234.4) vs. Marcus Sursa (219.2)
Bantamweight: Nik Mamalis (135.2) vs. Mark Oshiro (135.4)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Light Heavyweight: Robert Villegas (205.2) vs. Aaron Rosa (205.2)
Welterweight: Cedric Marks (166.8) vs. Andrew Chapelle (174.8)
Lightweight: Brian Melancon (161.2)* vs. Adam Schindler (154.8)
Flyweight: Humberto Deleon (124.6) vs. Jimmy Flick (124.6)
Lightweight: Kenneth Battle (154.8) vs. Fernando Rodriguez (153.8)

*Brian Melancon came in 5.2 pounds over the 156-pound limit.