Official weigh-ins for Bellator 56 were held Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT at the Argosy Casino in Riverside, Missouri. All fighters on the main card met their required weight, including each of the four heavyweight tournament semifinalists -- Eric Prindle (264.2), Ron Sparks (264.4), Thiago Santos (264.6), and Neil Grove (264.6). Welterweight championship headliners Ben Askren (169.6) and Jay Hieron (169.8) also met their required weight. Their title bout is now rendered official after the results of the weigh-ins.
Unfortunately, a slew of undercard participants missed their target. Kelvin Tiller (0.4 pounds), E.J. Brooks (1.0 pound), Jeimeson Saudino (0.8 pounds), and Aaron Ely (4.0 pounds) will each receive an additional three hours to shed the remaining weight.
For more results and analysis, follow Shaun Al-Shatti (@shaun_alshatti) and MMA Nation (@MMANation) on Twitter. Bellator 56 weigh-in results are listed below.
Main card (MTV2 & EPIX):
Welterweight Championship: Ben Askren (169.6) vs. Jay Hieron (169.8)
Heavyweight Semifinal: Eric Prindle (264.2) vs. Ron Sparks (264.4)
Heavyweight Semifinal: Thiago Santos (264.6) vs. Neil Grove (264.6)
Preliminary card (Spike.com):
Heavyweight: Daniel Gallemore (247) vs. Derrick Ruffin (242.6)
Welterweight: Rudy Bears (169.6) vs. Marcio Navarro (169.8)
Featherweight: Adam Schindler (145.8) vs. Jeremy Spoon (145.4)
Light Heavyweight: Kelvin Tiller (206.4)* vs. Dan Spohn (205.6)
Lightweight: Willian De Souza (155.8) vs. E.J. Brooks (157)**
Featherweight: Jeimeson Saudino (136.8)*** vs. Jacob Aiken (131.4)
Bantamweight: Aaron Ely (140.4)**** vs. Owen Evinger (135)
* Tiller has 3 hours to drop .4 pounds.
** Brooks has 3 hours to drop 1 pound.
*** Saudino has 3 hours to drop .8 pounds.
**** Eli has 3 hours to drop 4.4 pounds.