Bellator 52 Results: Hayes, Ivanov, Prindle, Sparks Advance To Heavyweight Semi-Finals

Read More: bellator results, mma news, bellator 52 results, grove vs hayes, bellator heavyweight tournament, Neil Grove (MMA), Abe Wagner (MMA), Blagoi Ivanov (MMA), Eric Prindle (MMA), Mark Holata (MMA), Bryan Goldsby (MMA), Ron Sparks (MMA), Zak Jensen (MMA), Mike Hayes (MMA), Josh Quayhagen (MMA), Nick Nichols (MMA), Matt Van Buren (MMA), Justin Frazier (MMA), Liron Wilson (MMA), Bellator 52, Bellator 56

After suffering a split decision loss in the opening round of last year's Bellator heavyweight tournament, Mike Hayes (16-4-1) wanted to ensure history didn't repeat itself. The American shocked the field by defeating season-five tournament favorite Neil Grove (11-4-1) in the main event of Bellator 52 on Saturday night, stifling Grove on the mat while landing in volume on the feet to emerge on the right side of a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). The win was Hayes' fourth in a row, and eighth out of his last nine. He now moves to the tournament semi-finals where he will take on Bulgarian sambo champion Blagoi Ivanov.

In the evening's co-headlining bout, Ivanov (5-0) put on the most dominant performance of the night, smashing last-minute replacement Zak Jensen (10-8) for seven minutes before putting him to sleep with a standing guillotine midway through the second round. With his startling victory, the 24-year-old maintains his undefeated record while firmly establishing himself as the tournament's darkhorse.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Eric Prindle (8-1) endured a three-round slugfest to claim a unanimous decision victory over "The Ultimate Fighter 10" veteran Abe Wagner (10-5) on three 29-28 scorecards. The 35-year-old Prindle fought back from a harrowing first round to reclaim control of the fight, edging out the final ten minutes with a vicious ground and pound assault for his sixth straight victory.

Lastly, Ron "The Monster" Sparks (8-0) held true to his namesake, demolishing Mark Holata (11-3) with a brutal two-punch combination in just 84 seconds to claim the seventh first-round knockout of his career and maintain his perfect record. He will now face Prindle in the tournament semi-finals, tentatively scheduled for October 29th on Bellator 56 at the Kansas Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

Bellator 52 results:

Main Card:
Mike Hayes def. Neil Grove via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Balgio Ivanov def. Zak Jensen via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:35 of round 2.
Eric Prindle def. Abe Wagner via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Ron Sparks def. Mark Holata via KO (punches) at 1:24 of round 1.

Preliminary Card:
Genair da Silva def. Bryan Goldsby via submission (brabo choke) at 3:51 of round 1.
Josh Quayhagen def. Cosmo Alexander via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Justin Frazier def. Liron Wilson via TKO (punches) at 1:50 of round 1.
Matt Van Buren def. Nick Nichols via TKO (punches) at 2:29 of round 2.