BELLATOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 53 was held Saturday, October 8, 2011, at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. The event featured the semifinals of the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament.
Former UFC fighter Ben "Killa B" Saunders and former MFC fighter Douglas "The Phenom" Lima advanced to the finals of the 170-pound tourney, which will be held at
Bellator 57 in Rama, Ontario, Canada. Saunders submitted veteran Brazilian fighter Luis "Sapo" Santos (husband of
Carina Damm) and Lima knocked out Chris "The Cleveland Assassin" Lozano, whose C-town assassin skills were weakened in Oklahoma.
Ronnie "Kid Ninja" Mann triangle choked Kenny "The Tooth Fairy" Foster to qualify for next season's featherweight tournament. Thiago "Big Monster" Santos earned the right to fill-in for Mike "300" Hayes in the current heavyweight tournament, should Hayes not be able to continue due to an eye injury he suffered against Neil Grove in the quarterfinals. Giva "The Arm Collector" Santana collected yet another arm, this time from the downtrodden Darryl Cobb.