Latest Wilson Reis Stories

It's been almost a year since Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard stood in a Bellator cage, but upon his return, he didn't stay long.

Lombard scored the fastest knockout in the promotion's short history, requiring only six seconds to knock out UFC veteran Jay Silva in a non-title, 190-pound catch weight fight at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La.

"Everybody knows I'm the middleweight champion," Lombard said after Bellator announced the official time of the KO as 6.12 seconds. "They have to respect me. This guy didn't respect me. He said he didn't know me? Come on."

One week after his controversial loss, Ryan Thomas got a second chance in the Bellator tournament due to an unexpected geothermal event thousands of miles away, and he seized the opportunity.

Thomas capitalized on his re-entry into the Bellator welterweight bracket, stopping the unbeaten Jacob McClintock in 4:01 of the first round at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Incredibly, the win could set up a rematch with the man who seemingly ousted him in the first round, Ben Askren.

"There's a loss on my record that doesn't belong there," Thomas said after his win. "Ben, you know you didn't beat me, I know you didn't beat me. You're running your mouth. I want you in the second round of the tournament."

CHICAGO -- Ben Askren, Wilson Reis, Pat Curran and Toby Imada all won Thursday night at Bellator 14 to advance to the semifinals of their respective tournaments.

The biggest fight was also the most controversial, as Askren, a former Olympic wrestler who's widely regarded as one of the best prospects in MMA, won by first-round submission -- even though his opponent, Ryan Thomas, didn't submit. While Askren had Thomas in a neck crank on the ground the referee apparently thought Askren had choked Thomas out, but Thomas immediately popped up and said he was fine. There was nothing that could be done once the fight stopped, though, so Askren advances in Bellator's welterweight tournament.

CHICAGO -- This is the Bellator live blog for Wilson Reis vs. Shad Lierley, a featherweight tournament quarterfinal bout on tonight's Bellator 14 card.

Last year's favorite Reis (9-1) returns to give it another shot at the tournament and he faces former IFL standout Lierley (5-2).

The live blog is below.

Joe Soto, who was an unknown before his Bellator run, put himself on the map last year by winning Bellator's season one tournament and championship.

Seven new featherweights and one returning favorite will aim to gain the same recognition under the national spotlight as they enter this year's tournament for a chance at a six-figure prize and instant No. 1 contender status.

Check out my preview below along with MMAFighting.com staff predictions of this year's Bellator featherweight tournament.

Former WEC contender Jeff Curran, UFC veteran Ryan Thomas and Fight Girls' Felice Herrig are the latest additions to the Bellator roster and are part of five matchups official for Bellator 14 on April 15 in Chicago.

Thomas, who lost in his UFC appearances to Ben Saunders and Matt Brown, will face 2008 Olympic wrestler Ben Askren as part of Bellator's welterweight tournament.

Nick Denis will return to Sengoku as a replacement for Wilson Reis against Cage Force featherweight champion Yuji Hoshino at Sengoku 12 on March 7, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Also, King of Pancrase titleholder Marlon Sandro will face Tomonari Kanomata in a featherweight bout.

Former EliteXC 140-pound champion Wilson Reis will enter Bellator's season two featherweight tournament for another chance at the promotion's title and six-figure prize.

In an interview below with MMA Fighting, Reis of BJJ United and Tri-State Martial Arts talks about his upset loss in the semifinals last season to eventual champion Joe Soto, his next fight in April and his plans later in the year to fight for Sengoku.

Wilson Reis (9-1) will first look to capture the Bellator featherweight title before he makes his MMA debut in Japan.

Bellator made the announcement Monday that Reis would again be entering the promotion's featherweight tournament, beginning in April. But last week, it appeared Reis was headed to Japan on March 7 to face Cage Force featherweight champion Yuji Hoshino.

World Victory Road's announcement of the Reis-Hoshino fight at Sengoku 12 was apparently premature.

Wilson Reis, the former EliteXC 140-pound champion who was upset by eventual champion Joe Soto in the second round of Bellator's 2009 Season 1 featherweight tournament, will return for the promotion's Season 2 featherweight tournament.

Bellator announced Monday that Reis is back as the sixth confirmed participant in the eight-man featherweight tournament, a tournament whose winner will fight Soto for Bellator's featherweight title in Season 3.

Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago will meet Mamed Khalidov in a rematch at Sengoku 12 -- this time with the belt on the line.

The title bout was one of three bouts announced Wednesday for Sengoku 12 happening March 7 in Tokyo. The other bouts made official are Shigeki Osawa vs. Kyung Ho Kang and Yuji Hoshino vs. Wilson Reis.

Last week Bellator brought us one of the sickest submissions in recent years when Toby Imada finished Jorge Masvidal with an inverted triangle choke. This time around, the upstart promotion brings us a crazy KO.