Ward, Vega and Oleinik Moves Forward in Bellator Semifinals

Lisa Ward, Jose Vega and Alexey Oleinik all advances to the semifinals of their respective tournaments in the Season 3 of Bellator Fighting Championships. Oleinik and Mike Hayes slugged for 15 minutes in a bloody mess of a fight. Though it’s not an easy fight, two of the three judges scored 29-28 in favor of Oleinik. He will face Neil Grove in one semifinal night, while it’s Cole Konrad versus Damian Grabowski in the other heavyweight tournament.

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Bellator: The Final Heavyweight Tourney Roster

The final list of fighters in the first heavyweight tournament on Bellator includes: Eddie Sanchez, Cole Konrad, Damian Grabowski, Mike Hayes, Scott Barrett, Neil Grove, Rogent Lloret and Alexey Oleinik (pictured). The latest enlistment of Oleinik Thursday finalized the roster. The season opener Bellator 24 showcased the first heavyweight bout between Grove and Sanchez on Thursday (update: Grove defeated Sanchez).

Next week’s following match-up, the Bellator 25 in Chicago, will pit Barrett against Grabowski and Konrad against Lloret. Of course, the final fight to watch out for will be the clash between Oleinik and Hayes on an upcoming card. Since the names have been rattled off, here are some fast facts about the eight brawlers that you can check out:

* Alexey Oleinik, who is fighting out of Russia’s Red Devil Sports Club, has gained expertise in sambo and can execute a dangerous hell choke.
* UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez has accumulated four-time winning streak after going out of the UFC.
* Cole Konrad has two collegiate title records to boot, plus a UFC heavyweight champion of a training partner in Brock Lesnar.
* Polish Damian Grabowski sets an undefeated 12-0 record in the sport.
* Mike Hayes debuted triumphantly in his matchup against Steven Banks in Bellator last June.
* Scott Barrett also celebrated a victorious Bellator debut through a first-round TKO against Ty Lee.
* UK’s Neil Grove is a one-time UFC fighter and a Cage Rage professional.
* Rogent Lloret is an undefeated M-1 Challenge veteran since July 2007.

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