Bryan Baker, Jared Hess Win Bellator Middleweight Tourney Openers

By MMAEdition on Dec 31, 1969 with Comments 0

Bryan Baker headed into Bellator’s eight-man middleweight tournament field as the favorite, and he did little to dissuade any believers, needing just 2:34 to earn a first-round TKO stoppage over Sean Loeffler.

Baker used an inside leg trip to take the fight to the ground just a minute in, and that’s where it stayed the rest of the way as “The Beast” opened up Loeffler’s defenses with a left to the body before going with more conventional strikes to the head. Loeffler eventually turned to his stomach and ate a few more punches before the referee called a halt to the action.

It was the sixth straight win for Baker, who raised his record to 12-1 in advancing to the semifinals.