Hieron-Carl Slated for March 5, Bellator Welterweight Draw Set

MMA News

Posted by Brett Atchley on the 17 January 2011 | View Comments

Strikeforce veteran Jay Hieron (Pictured) will square off with Steve Carl in a welterweight tournament quarter-final at a to-be-named Bellator Fighting Championships event on March 5.

Neither the bout nor the show has been officially announced by the promotion, and the venue remains unknown. MMAJunkie.com on Saturday was first to report the Hieron-Carl matchup, and Sherdog subsequently confirmed it with sources close to the negotiations.

With the inclusion of Hieron and Carl, the tournament field is now full, with eight competitors vying for a shot at Ben Askren’s welterweight title. The pair joins Dan Hornbuckle, Rick Hawn, Brent Weedman, Chris Lozano, Jim Wallhead and former champion Lyman Good in the Season 4 talent pool.

The last International Fight League welterweight champion, Hieron has won his last seven bouts, including a two-fight stint in Strikeforce in 2010. The 34-year-old performed twice in the UFC, losing in both outings to Georges St. Pierre and Jonathan Goulet, respectively. Hieron’s last three performances have seen him best the likes of Jason High, Jesse Taylor and Joe Riggs. A veteran of 23 professional bouts, the New York native has finished 11 of his career victims by either knockout or submission. The Extreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts product has been finished only three times in his seven-year career.

A three-time Bellator competitor, Carl has won nine of his last 10 contests. The Iraq War veteran debuted for the promotion in Season 2, earning a split decision victory over Brett Cooper in the welterweight tournament quarter-finals at Bellator 15. Carl did not find the same success in the semis, however, as he was submitted by a Hornbuckle kimura just a month later at Bellator 19. The Iowa native bounced back in his most recent fight, qualifying for the Season 4 tournament by finishing Tyler Stinson with a guillotine choke at Bellator 26 in August.