BELLATOR NEWS: Welterweight semis begin with Good vs. Hawn at Bellator 39; Hieron vs. Weedman at a later event

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator's first event of season four is in the books, and with the four welterweight semifinalists now set, the organization also announced the pairings for the semifinal fights following the Bellator 35 event on MTV2.

According to Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, Lyman Good will meet Rick Hawn at Bellator 39, while Jay Hieron and Chris Weedman will face off at a later date.

Bellator officials originally planned for both semifinal bouts in the welterweight tournament to come at Bellator 39, but a facial laceration suffered by Weedman must be cleared before his bout with Hieron can be scheduled.

Good and Hawn each earned clear unanimous decision victories in their first round matchups on Saturday night, which aired live on MTV2 from the Tachi Palace Casino and Hotel in Lemoore, Calif. Weedman's win over Dan Hornbuckle was much more closely contested, and Hieron won his bout in a controversial early stoppage as he was working for a rear naked choke.

Season four continues this Saturday on MTV2 with the season four lightweight tournament quarterfinals.

Penick's Analysis: Both should be good matchups, but Weedman's cut showcases the problems that can come with their tournament structure, and why they do not allow elbows on the ground in the opening two tournament rounds. But as soon as he's healed up, he'll have an even tougher task ahead of him in Hieron. Whichever fighters make it to the finals, it should provide a very good fight in the division.

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