By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

Bellator Fighting Championships 39 took place this weekend at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was hands down one of the best in Bellator’s short history, as two fantastic lightweights, Toby Imada an Patricky Freire competed in this season’s first lightweight semifinal bout, UFC exile Ben Saunders made his promotional debut against the well-traveled Matt Lee, Lymon Good returned to the cage to square off against judo master Rick Hawn, and lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez took to the cage to defend his title against deserving challenger Pat Curran.

With a main card lineup of such nature one would expect an explosive evening of fights. And, to the delight of many, that’s exactly what MTV2 viewers received: a legit display of high quality mixed martial arts that surpassed the billed hype.

In the evenings opener Ben Saunders outclassed the tough veteran Matt Lee, who himself has faced some of the best in the business (including current champ Alvarez). From the opening bell Saunders pushed the pressure, landing crisp straight punches and a plethora of devastating knees from the clinch, an area Saunders is gradually mastering.

While Lee hung tough, Saunders was just far too overwhelming in his attack, as he opened multiple cuts on the face of Lee. By the end of the second round, things looked as though the cage-side physician would call a halt to the bout as a result of the facial damaged sustained by Lee, but he was allowed to continue into the final frame of the fight. Less than 90 seconds later and another cut was opened on the face of Lee, whose blood flowed freely; mercifully the fight was waved off, rewarding Ben Saunders the TKO victory.

While Ben’s debut took place at a catchweight of 175 pounds, Saunders has comfortably made the welterweight limit in the past. Given his experience (Saunders fought for the UFC seven times, earning four victories, including a knockout win over the ultra-durable Marcus Davis) abnormally large frame and ever improving skill set, Ben is a legitimate threat to anyone in Bellator’s welterweight division, current champion Ben Askren included. For the time being, a bout with the incredibly dangerous Dan Hornbuckle could be a fantastic “super fight” for Bellator.

Patricky Friere and perennial Bellator lightweight contender Toby Imada kept the action rolling, though it didn’t last long. From the opening bell Friere’s powerful leg kicks and crisp punches overwhelmed Imada. Midway through the first round Friere caught Imada with a brutal knee as he waded in. Imada’s knees buckled, and Patricky pounced, landing a clean hook that left Imada an unconscious heap on the canvas.

With the win, Friere now finds himself in the tournament’s final. Having now defied the odds twice consecutively (he upset Rob McCullough at Bellator 36 just one month ago) we may be eyeing the next big challenge for Eddie Alvarez.