Bellator XVIII Results: Hector Lombard vs. Jay Silva, Others

Bellator XVIII was geared towards promoting two featherweight fighters to the finals, where they will fight for a title shot against the featherweight champ Joe Soto.

Along the way, we got to see a middleweight superfight, and the fights were more decisive than many of the quarterfinal matches ended up being. We now have answers for who will fight in the finals.

Featherweight semifinal match: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Joe Warren

Karakhanyan and Warren immediately started off on the ground. Karakhanyan had two submission attempts: a heel hook and an omoplata. Warren was able to get out of both, and the remainder of the round took place on the ground with neither fighter really doing damage.

Karakhanyan caught Warren with a heavy knee, but Warren had enough heart to keep his momentum going, scoring the takedown and continuing the dominant ground and pound. Karakhanyan landed another good strike and had a tight guillotine, but Warren got out of it.

Throughout the duration of the fight, Warren found himself in submissions, but he was able to brute his way out of them. On the whole, Warren was the aggressor.

Warren showed a lot of heart in the match. He was caught in a few nasty submissions and caught some heavy strikes, but despite the blood pouring out over his forehead, he pulled through and outwrestled Karakhanyan.

Warren wins by unanimous decision. Karakhanyan will have to wait until next season to have a chance since he’s now out of the competition.

Featherweight semifinal match: Patricio "Pitbull" Freire vs. Wilson Reis

In the beginning of the fight, both fighters stood and boxed for a bit. Reis seemed more focused on kicking Pitbull, but Pitbull was patient and took his time.

When the fight went to the ground, Reis started out as the aggressor on top. However, Pitbull’s guard was solid, and he took the opportunity to scramble to his feet and he began to bring strikes of his own.

Pitbull landed a couple of knees, and this might have been the determining factor of the fight. On the whole, the fight was a strategic stand-up battle that occasionally hit the ground, but Pitbull slightly bested Reis on most of the trades.

Pitbull wins by unanimous decision. Warren is now scheduled to face Pitbull in the Bellator featherweight finals, and the winner will face Joe Soto for the featherweight championship.

Middleweight superfight: Hector Lombard vs. Jay Silva (catchweight at 190 lbs)

Hector Lombard knocks Jay Silva out in 6 seconds. Silva bragged about having trained with Rampage. Either he didn't train enough, or Lombard is that much of a beast.

Lombard just beat Todd Duffee's UFC KO record of 7 seconds. This fight wasn't even a joke.

Lombard is a different caliber fighter. After this performance, one can't help but think he would destroy Strikeforce and UFC competition, you name it: Jake Shields, GSP and Anderson Silva.

Lombard by KO in round 1.

Fighters, watch out. Lombard is in a league of his own, and Bellator is here to stay.