While Frankie Edgar was defending his title against Gray Maynard, the finalists of Bellator's latest welterweight tournament were determined at Bellator 53 in Miami, Okla. After defeating their semifinal opponents, Douglas Lima and Ben Saunders will now meet in the finals.

The winner of the bout between Lima and Saunders, which will be scheduled at a later date, will meet Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren in a title fight sometime in 2012. Askren, who won his belt in October 2010, has not yet been given the opportunity to defend the strap.

In his semifinal bout against Chris Lozano, Lima came out aggressive and opened up a cut under the right eye of his opponent in the first round. Lima kept up the pressure in the second frame, which led to a brutal knockout from a right hook.

The following fight saw Saunders frustrate Luis Santos on the ground. As soon as the two fighters went to the canvas, "Killa B" began threatening with triangle chokes and omoplatas. Finally, Saunders was able to force Santos to tap via keylock in the third round.

Nothing has been confirmed, but it seems likely that Lima and Saunders will now meet at Bellator 57, which will take place on Nov. 12 in Rama, Canada.

 

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com, LowKick.com and TheMMACorner.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.