Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino on Friday with championship fights in the middleweight and lightweight divisions.

At 185 pounds, Cuba's Hector Lombard (20-2-1) squares off against unbeaten Jared Hess (8-0-1) in the middleweight tournament finale in what promises to be an entertaining affair.

Lombard, known as "Shango", has not tasted defeat in three years and expects the backing of the Cuban fans in attendance.

"I'm happy to be fighting in South Florida," Lombard said. "If I get the support from the crowd that's great, it's exciting. If I don't it's all good too. I'm there to make a name for myself, but I believe the crowd will have my back."

Lombard trains in Coconut Creek's American Top Team, a haven for some of the top fighters in the sport. The ATT stable includes WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves, contenders Wilson Gouveia, Marcus Aurelio, Thiago Silva and the list goes on. Lombard feels honored to be part of this tight-knit group.

"American Top Team is the best and if I want to be the best I need to train with the best," Lombard said. "I give all my thanks to the American Top Team for the job they've done in training me. I'm ready."

The Lombard-Hess winner will be the first middleweight champion in the young organization's existence. Lombard says there's no doubt he'll come out on top.

"I feel like I'm the best and I will win," Lombard said. "It's exciting that I'll be the first middleweight champion in Bellator. That belt will be mine."

In the 155-pound tournament final, one of the best lightweights in the world (UFC and WEC included) in Eddie Alvarez (17-2) takes on L.A.'s Toby Imada.

When the Bellator lightweight tournament began the experts believed it would be Alvarez versus Miami's Jorge Masvidal in the final, but Imada had something to say about that, choking out Masvidal in the semifinal. The 29-year old has a record of 22 wins and 12 defeats, but has won his last eight fights.

Alvarez, 24, is ranked in the top five by most major MMA publications at lightweight. He's in good company alongside names like B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian.

The Philadelphia native reached the final by dominating Eric Reynolds for three rounds until putting him away with a rear-naked choke.

There are also seven additional fights, including an interesting match-up between Masvidal and Reynolds.

FRANKLIN, VELASQUEZ VICTORIOUS

Over the weekend Rich Franklin and Cain Velasquez won important bouts. Franklin, a former middleweight champion, won a hard-fought five-round decision over one of the world's most renown fighters, Wanderlei Silva.

Velasquez, a Mexican-American heavyweight, survived an early knockdown to win a unanimous decision over highly regarded contender Cheick Kongo.

The 27 year-old Velasquez was rocked early by Kongo, but survived the first-round onslaught, dominating the rest of the fight by taking his opponent to the ground and pounding the Frenchman.

The win was the most impressive in Velasquez's unbeaten six-fight career. The victory sets him up for a possible title fight against the winner of UFC 100's main event between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. There is some improvement needed, but the future is bright for the fighter from Salinas, Calif.

MERCER KNOCKS SYLVIA OUT COLD

Former WBO heavyweight champion and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Ray Mercer knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in nine seconds Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama.

The state's boxing commission did not want to sanction the bout, which was supposed to take place in a boxing ring, instead it took place in a cage where the 48-year old Mercer demolished the 33-year old Sylvia with one right hand to the chin. Sylvia dropped to the canvas out cold and the fight was immediately waved off.

The loss was Sylvia's third in a row. Affliction dropped Sylvia from its August card because it didn't think the California State Athletic Commission would allow Sylvia to fight after such a brutal loss.

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