Bellator 59 lacks magic of last week's event, only delivers single tournament finalist

An immensely entertaining Bellator Season 5 came to a lackluster conclusion tonight when a card appropriately stacked with talent was without any of the great fights and finishes the last few months had delivered. Live from Atlantic City, New Jersey, Bellator 59 featured two tournament finals, as well as a pair of UFC veterans making their promotional debuts and appearances from apt adversaries like LeVon Maynard and Karl Amoussou.

The event was headlined by Thiago Santos scrapping with Eric Prindle in a fight that was likely to last less than five minutes as soon as it was made given the heavyweights’ past performances with their polar opposites, bantamweights, filling the co-main event slot in a bout pitting Cuban Olympian Alexis Vila against rising youngster Eduardo Dantas.

Prindle vs. Santos did last less than a single round but ended on a sour note after the Brazilian illegally kicked a down Prindle in the groin. The blow resulted in Prindle’s inability to recover within the allotted time meaning a “No Contest” was ruled since the shot was considered to be inadvertent. A rematch will be scheduled for Bellator Season 6.

Comparably, Dantas’ dance with Vila was far less controversial with Vila being handed his first loss after a competitive clash. Dantas will now face champ Zach Makovsky at an event in Spring 2012.

Other match-ups included Kurt Pellegrino vs. Patricky Freire, a fight featuring a premature stoppage and Pellegrino’s re-retirement, as well as Phillipe Nover vs. Marcin Held with a Split Decision outcome many felt was wrongfully awarded to Held.

Read below for a full list of results:

Gregory Milliard def. Brandon Saling via Unanimous Decision
Scott Heckman def. Brylan Van Artsdalen via Submission Round 1 (Standing Guillotine Choke)
Lucas Pimenta def. Doug Gordon via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
LeVon Maynard def. Chris Wing via Unanimous Decision
Karl Amoussou def. Jesus Martinez via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Marcin Held def. Phillipe Nover via Split Decision
Eduardo Dantas def. Alexis Vila via Unanimous Decision
Patricky Freire def. Kurt Pellegrino via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos ruled No Contest (Accidental Blow to Groin)