Bellator 35 Aftermath: Welterweight Quarter-Finals Highlights and Recap

Bellator Season 4 kicked off with their debut on the MTV2 network and start of their Season 4 welterweight tournament.

Jimmy Smith, a former fighter and host of "Fight Quest," returns to his Bellator broadcast duties and does a good job analyzing the fights.

The Bellator welterweight champion, waiting in the wings for the tournament winner, is wrestling freak Ben "Funky" Askren.

Fighters are very excited for the tournament format and for their chance to work to the top.

The Fighters 

Brent Weedman

Dan Hornbuckle

Jim Wallhead

Rick Hawn

Anthony Lapsley

Jay Hieron

Chris Lozano

Lyman Good

Brent Weedman Wins Debatable Decision

Hornbuckle is an experienced fighter with a previous victory over Weedman. Many expected Hornbuckle to make it deep into the tournament.

Weedman was riding a nine-fight win streak heading into the match and had different ideas.

The first two rounds were very closely contested, with Hornbuckle appearing to get the edge in the third round.

Weedman got the unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board.

The crowd booed the decision and Weedman conceded that Hornbuckle is the toughest fight that he has ever had.

He better be getting ready for the next round because things do not get any easier.

Rick Hawn Edges Veteran Jim Wallhead

In just his 10th MMA bout, former Olympian Hawn fought seasoned vet, and fellow judo black belt, Jim "Judo" Wallhead.

Hawn seems a little undersized for the division, but can make up for it with his incredible judo techniques. 

Even though a fellow judo player, Wallhead knew he could not match the technical levels of Hawn.

This led to the match turning into a mostly kickboxing match.

Hawn is newer to the sport, but still has the athleticism and world class trainers like Mark DellaGrotte to give him an edge.

Wallhead was in the fight the whole time and even won the second round on two scorecards (and my own), but ultimately Hawn mixed it up more and continues to be a prospect to watch.

Jay Hieron Looks Good, Wins Controversially

Hieron, a favorite to win the tournament, looked impressive against a dangerous opponent in Lapsley.

Hieron was able to dictate everything that happened in the fight and seemingly outclassed his opponent until the fight was called at 3:39 of the first round.

Unfortunately, the fight-ending, rear-naked choke had not done it's job.

Although in clear danger, Lapsley neither tapped nor was rendered unconscious.

The premature stoppage was unfortunate, but Hieron looked every bit the superstar he was hyped up to be going into the tournament.

Referee Josh Rosenthal clarified that he grabbed Lapsley's arm and he did not respond, thus forcing the stoppage. Lapsley claims his arm was trapped and thus unable to let the referee know that he was still conscious. 

Lyman Good Outclasses Undefeated Chris Lozano

In his last fight, Good lost to Ben Askren for the championship and suffered his first defeat in the process.

Good rebounded well by defeating the dangerous Lozano.

Lozano had won all six of his previous fights by KO/TKO and had beaten UFC vets Jason Dent and Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

Perhaps never facing a striker his equal, Lozano winged dangerous strikes, but Good landed the better strikes and was able to control the action up close with his size and strength.

By the end of the fight, a game Lozano was completely nullified and left with a battered face.

A star who is still on the rise, Good made the other tournament fighters take notice.