Askren vs. Thompson headlined Bellator 40 event complete with eight fights

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's Bellator 40 event from the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla. is complete with eight fights, three of which are set for the night's broadcast on MTV2.

Headlined by the welterweight non-title fight between Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren and longtime MMA veteran Nick "The Goat" Thompson, the card will also feature two season four tournament semifinal bouts, one each in the welterweight and lightweight divisions.

"Ben hasn't been in the cage since winning the Bellator title, and I can't wait to see him back in action this Saturday LIVE on MTV2," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Nick comes in with a ton of experience, so this should be a great fight."

"I come to fight every single time," said Askren. "Whether you're good or you're bad, I still want to smash you, and it's going to be the same thing when I fight Nick Thompson. It doesn't matter what his record is, I'm going to be looking to kick his ass no matter what."

The full card for the night's event is below:

Main Televised Card

* Champ Ben Askren (7-0) vs. Nick Thompson (38-12-1) (Welterweight Super Fight)

* Brent Weedman (19-5-1) vs. Jay Hieron (20-4) (Welterweight Semifinal Fight)

* Lloyd Woodard (11-0) vs. Michael Chandler (6-0) (Lightweight Semifinal Fight)

Local Feature Fights

* Nate James (11-6-1) vs. Tyler Stinson (19-7)

* Josh Burns (5-3) vs. Eric Prindle (6-1)

* David Rickles (4-0) vs. Dylan Smith (7-1)

* Cody Carrillo (6-4) vs. Michael Osborn (2-3)

* Mike Winters (4-0) vs. Ryan Quinn (4-2)

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_9006.shtml

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