FRESNO, Calif. – Feb. 12, 2015 – Fighters took to the scales and successfully hit their targeted weights Thursday afternoon at the Save Mart Center, the site of tomorrow’s highly anticipated “Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko” event, which airs LIVE and FREE on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.
“Bellator: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko” is headlined by an epic middleweight matchup between two of the most dangerous strikers in all of mixed martial arts with former Bellator MMA champ Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (50-9) facing fellow knockout artist Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (29-12-1). The event also features a sure-to-be-thrilling featherweight co-main event between former championPat Curran (20-6) and tournament winner Daniel Weichel (34-8).
Melvin Manhoef (186 lbs.) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (186 lbs.)
Pat Curran (146 lbs.) vs. Daniel Weichel (145 lbs.)
Julia Budd (145 lbs.) vs. Gabrielle Holloway (145.5 lbs.)
Chris Honeycutt (170.5 lbs.) vs. Clayton MacFarlane (170.5 lbs.)
Art Arciniega (146 lbs.) vs. Emilio Chavez (146 lbs.)
Blake Watkins (185.5 lbs.) vs. George Zuniga (185 lbs.)
Paul Ruiz (135.5 lbs.) vs. Nicolas Sperling (133 lbs.)
Nick Bustamante (156 lbs.) vs. Luis Jauregui (154 lbs.)
John Paul Elias (205 lbs.) vs. Cody Sons (205 lbs.)
Jonathan Contrestano (155 lbs.) vs. Ryan Tobar (155 lbs.)
Andrew Ramm (160.5 lbs.) vs. Adam Piccolotti (160 lbs.)
Mason Fowler (169 lbs.) vs. Marko Damiani (170 lbs.)
PRE-FIGHT QUOTES:
Alexander Shlemenko:
“Melvin [Manhoef] is a fast and strong fighter. He’s the best kickboxer in all of MMA.
“I’m ready for this fight because I think I have great striking and grappling ability. In this training camp I sparred a lot with muay thai guys back home in Omsk, Russia and i also changed my diet to gain more muscle mass to feel much better and stronger.
“I am absolutely looking for the knockout. Any kind of win is a success, but I really want the knockout.”
Melvin Manhoef:
“I’m going to fight Alexander [Shlemenko] hard and aggressively. The accuracy of my punches is what will make me win this fight.
“I’m not looking for the knockout, I want to do three rounds of five minutes of hard fighting. If the knockout comes, then it will come.
“He [Shlemenko] has a lot of speed and back-kicks. He has very good agility and is very well-rounded, but so am I. I think my striking, speed and kicking is better than his.
“I don’t mind if he is too confident going into this fight. He has stepped between me and my goal, and the goal is to become Bellator champion.”
Pat Curran:
“A fights a fight. Everything can go out the window with one punch.
“I’m looking to getting back to being my old self. I am humbled and hungry, you are going to see the old Pat Curran in there with a couple new tricks up his sleeve.
“I’m always looking for the knockout or submission, but i’m ready to go three rounds. I’m prepared for any finish in any situation.
“He [Daniel Weichel] is very hungry right now. He’s a submission specialist and I have a feeling he’s going to come out hard and quick. I’m ready for anything and no matter what it’s going to be an exciting fight, I can’t wait to get back in there.
“I feel him out and bring him into my game. If he comes out strong I’m ready for that and we will match fire with fire.”
Daniel Weichel:
“This fight means a lot to me, like every fight here in Bellator. I will make a statement tomorrow night and will make everyone remember my name.
“I’m well-rounded and my biggest strength is that I can put the pressure for all 15 minutes.”
Main Card on Spike TV (9 p.m. ET)
Bellator Middleweight Main Event: Melvin Manhoef (29-12-1) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (50-9)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-6) vs. Daniel Weichel (34-8)
Bellator Women’s Featherweight Feature Fight: Julia Budd (6-2) vs. Gabrielle Holloway (4-1)
Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Chris Honeycutt (5-0) vs. Clayton MacFarlane (4-0)
Preliminary card on Spike.com (8 p.m. ET)
Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Art Arciniega (14-4) vs. Emilio Chavez (7-5)
Bellator Middleweight Prelim Fight: Blake Watkins (4-0) vs. George Zuniga (3-0)
Bellator Flyweight Prelim Fight: Paul Ruiz (5-2) vs. Nicolas Sperling (3-2)
Preliminary card on Spike.com (Following Manhoef vs. Shlemenko)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Nick Bustamante (2-0) vs. Luis Jauregui (2-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Prelim Fight: John Paul Elias (2-0) vs. Cody Sons (0-1)
Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Jonathan Contrestano (4-0) vs. Ryan Tobar (3-1)
Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Ray Cervera (8-2) vs. Adam Piccolotti (4-0)
Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Mason Fowler (1-0) vs. Marko Damiani (0-1)
About Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
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