Bellator 10: In-Depth Fight Analysis and Results
Bellator 10 was held on June 5, 2009, at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. In the featherweight title fight, Joe Soto submitted Yahir Reyes with a rear-naked choke at 4:11 of round two, becoming Bellator’s first champion. Other results included Wilson Reis’s split decision over Roberto Vargas and Bryan Baker’s unanimous decision over Matt Horwich.
Soto completed the featherweight tournament
The championship bout was the final of Bellator’s inaugural featherweight tournament. Soto had advanced by defeating Ben Greer and Wilson Reis, then finished Reyes in the second round to complete his run.
The victory also preserved Soto’s unbeaten professional record, moving him to seven wins without a defeat. His result is significant both as a tournament victory and as the moment Bellator awarded its first championship belt.
Other results in Ontario
The supporting card included unanimous-decision wins for Jesse Juarez over Mikey Gomez and Travis Browne over Mychal Clark. Diego Garijo submitted Saad Awad with a rear-naked choke at 4:45 of round one, and Israel Giron used the same technique to defeat Phillip Brown at 2:42.
Those submissions joined Soto’s title-winning choke, while the Reis and Baker bouts required the judges. The variety gives the event more depth than the championship result alone: some contests ended through grappling finishes, while others tested the competitors across three rounds.
Bellator 10 belongs to the promotion’s first season, when tournament winners established the earliest champions. Revisiting the card in that setting explains why Soto’s final carried lasting historical importance beyond one individual win.
Selected Bout Results
- Joe Soto defeated Yahir Reyes by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); round 2, 4:11.
- Wilson Reis defeated Roberto Vargas by Decision (Split); round 3, 5:00.
- Bryan Baker defeated Matt Horwich by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
- Diego Garijo defeated Saad Awad by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); round 1, 4:45.
- Israel Giron defeated Phillip Brown by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); round 1, 2:42.
- Travis Browne defeated Mychal Clark by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
- Jesse Juarez defeated Mikey Gomez by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
- Nick Moghaddam defeated Lamar Jiles by Disqualification (Illegal Knee); round 2, 4:14.
Sources
Article Tags
Bellator 10, Bellator, Mixed Martial Arts, Event Results
