Category Archives: Spike TV

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

DEREK CAMPOS-BRANDON GIRTZ MEET FOR TRILOGY REMATCH DURING MAIN EVENT OF BELLATOR 181TOMORROW NIGHT

July 14, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

THACKERVILLE, OKLA. — The official weigh-ins for Bellator 181: Campos vs. Girtz 3 took place this evening at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, OKLA. The competitors are now ready for action tomorrow, with the event airing LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

Main Card: (Live on SPIKE – 9 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT)

Catchweight Main Event: Derek Campos (155.4) vs. Brandon Girtz (157.7)

Welterweight Co-Main Event: Kendall Grove (185.7) vs. John Salter (185)

Women’s Flyweight Feature Bout: Emily Ducote (124.4) vs. Jessica Middleton (125.9)

Bantamweight Feature Bout: Joe Warren (135.9) vs. Steve Garcia (134.5)

Preliminary Card: (Bellator.com – 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Will Florentino (170.9) vs. Jonathan Gary (169.1)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Aaron Rodriguez (184.8) vs. Romero Cotton (185.1)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Kemmyelle Haley (170.1) vs. Logan Storley (170.3)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Andre Fialho (169.9) vs. A.J. Matthews (169.9)

Women’s Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Brittney Elkin (146) vs. Amanda Bell (144.2)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: E.J. Brooks (170.9) vs. Guilherme Bomba (169.2)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Rhodes (185.2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (185.6)

Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Treston Thomison (145.9) vs. Justin Lawrence (145.6)

Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Valentin Moldavsky (234.8) vs. Carl Seumanutafa (263.6)

Women’s Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Katy Collins (124.2) vs. Bruna Vargas (125)

Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Jordan Howard (135) vs. Johnny Marigo (135.1)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Guillermo Gomez (169.4) vs. Fernando Trevino (170.5)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BELLATOR MMA SIGNS TOP-RANKED MIDDLEWEIGHT GEGARD MOUSASI TO EXCLUSIVE MULTI-FIGHT CONTRACT

July 11, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

PROMOTIONAL DEBUT TO BE ANNOUNCED IN COMING DAYS

LOS ANGELES — Bellator MMA is proud to announce the signing of perennial top contender Gegard Mousasi to an exclusive, multi-fight contract.

Long-considered to be one of the elite two-division threats in MMA, Mousasi joins Bellator currently riding a five-fight win streak that includes recent knockout victories over two former world champions in Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. Prior to his UFC tenure, Mousasi captured the STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight title, as well as the DREAM light heavyweight and middleweight titles in Japan. The signing sees Mousasi rejoin Bellator President Scott Coker following his successful run with STRIKEFORCE from 2009-2013.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Gegard to the growing Bellator family,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “He’s one of the most well-rounded fighters in all of MMA and can compete in multiple divisions, so that really opens up some exciting matchmaking opportunities for us and for the fans. We’re looking forward to having him compete on Spike very soon.”

“I am looking forward to fighting in Bellator,” added Mousasi. “I have a long-standing relationship with Scott Coker that goes back many years. Be ready, I am coming after the Bellator middleweight championship.”

The Iranian-born Mousasi, who currently trains out of The Netherlands, has amassed an overall career record of 42-6-2 and has earned victories over some of the sports’ biggest names, including Dan Henderson, “Jacare” Souza, Mark Hunt, Ovince Saint-Preux, Melvin Manhoef, Hector Lombard and “Babalu” Sobral. The addition of Mousasi adds depth to an ever-growing Bellator roster, which has recently seen free agents Rory MacDonald, Lorenz Larkin, Michael McDonald and current Bellator light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader join the Viacom-owned promotion.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

‘SMOOTH’ BENSON HENDERSON RETURNS TO FACE PATRICKY ‘PITBULL’ AT BELLATOR 183 ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 IN SAN JOSE

June 29, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

PLUS, THE DEBUT OF ROY ‘BIG COUNTRY’ NELSON VS. JAVY AYALA IN HEAVYWEIGHT CO-MAIN EVENT

ALSO, BELLATOR KICKBOXING 7 HEADLINED BY WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT BETWEEN CHAMP KARIM GHAJJI AND

RAYMOND DANIELS

LOS ANGELES – Bellator returns home to SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, September 23 for Bellator 183 and Bellator Kickboxing 7, which features the return of former world champ “Smooth” Benson Henderson (24-7) taking on the always-dangerous Patricky “Pitbull” (17-8), while current Bellator welterweight kickboxing champ Karim Ghajji (97-13-1) defends his title against the flashy Raymond Daniels (11-3).

In addition, Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull will also feature the promotional debut of Roy “Big Country” Nelson (23-14) who meets California’s own Javy “Eye Candy” Ayala (10-5) in an explosive heavyweight showdown. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App. Tickets for the event go on sale Thursday, June 29 at 10:00 a.m. PST and are available at Ticketmaster.com.

Following what many considered to be 2016’s “Fight of the Year” against Michael Chandler, Henderson took time off to deal with nagging injuries. Now, the 33-year-old is back to 100-percent and ready to take on the other “Pitbull” brother, following a victory against Bellator’s current featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull”at Bellator 160 in August of last year. With wins against Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez and Jorge Masvidal already in his nearly 11 years as a professional, “Smooth” is healthy again and looking for another championship run in his already-impressive career.

Patricky “Pitbull” comes into this bout seeking revenge against Henderson following his TKO win over younger brother, Patricio. The Rio Grande Do Norte, Brazil product steps inside the Bellator cage for the18th time in his professional career and will be looking to build on an impressive start to his 2017 campaign. Having won seven of his last 10 bouts, including a second-round finish of Josh Thomson at Bellator 172 in February, the 31-year-old has seen 11 of his 12 career finishes come by way of knockout.

The inaugural Bellator welterweight kickboxing champion, Ghajji, traded victories with Zoltan Laszak on his road to meeting Daniels on September 23. The 36-year-old, known to many by the nickname “Gadjetboy,” will be making his fifth appearance under the Bellator Kickboxing umbrella, and will look to successfully defend his title for the first time since reclaiming the belt in April at Bellator Kickboxing 6 in Hungary.

Hailing from Los Angeles, Daniels will bring his aggressive, one-of-a-kind karate style to Northern California for the first time since debuting with Bellator last year. Undefeated with the promotion — earning three stoppages in four outings — “The Real Deal” will look to punish the body of Ghajji when Daniels competes to claim his first world kickboxing title.

Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nelson makes his Bellator debut following an eight-year, 19-fight run with UFC that saw him earn wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, “Bigfoot” Silva and Cheick Kongo. With 19 of his 22 career wins coming by way of knockout or submission, “Big Country” is ready to make his return to Spike, where he memorably defeated the late Kimbo Slice and later went on to win season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Ayala will enter the Bellator cage against Nelson looking for another shocking upset following his last outing against Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 163, where Ayala stole the show against Kharitonov by stopping the Russian heavyweight with a powerful punch a mere 16-seconds into the first round. Now, given the opportunity to formally welcome Nelson to the Bellator fray, “Eye Candy” is looking to stun the crowd once again and firmly establish himself as a threat to the entire heavyweight division. With all five of Ayala’s wins in Bellator coming by way of stoppage, the matchup with Nelson is sure to produce fireworks.

Updated Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull Fight Card

Lightweight Main Event: Benson Henderson (24-7) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (17-8)

Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Roy Nelson (23-14) vs. Javy Ayala (10-5)

Updated Bellator Kickboxing 7: Ghajji vs. Daniels Fight Card

Welterweight Kickboxing World Title Main Event: Karim Ghajji (97-13-1) vs. Raymond Daniels (11-3)

****

About Bellator:

Bellator is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 1 billion people worldwide in over 160 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SPIKE, the combat sports television leader. Bellator 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 Hollywood, Calif. 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.

About Spike:

Spike  is available in 98.7 million  homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is  www.spike.com  and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at  http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter  @spiketvpr  for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

FANS INVITED TO BELLATOR NATION RALLY AND BELLATOR NYC: SONNEN VS. SILVA WEIGH-INS INSIDE THE THEATER AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ON FRIDAY, JUNE 23

June 19, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

PLUS, A CHANCE TO WIN CAGESIDE TICKETS

Los Angeles – Ahead of Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva, fans are invited to the first ever Bellator Nation Rally on Friday, June 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Members of the Bellator Nation will have the opportunity to meet with MMA legends Randy Couture and Dan Henderson, current Bellator heavyweight Cheick Kongo, as well as Bellator personalities, including Mike Goldberg and the Bellator Ring Girls. The event is FREE and OPEN to the public. Space is limited, so fans are encouraged to arrive early.

Additionally, prizes, including two cageside tickets to Bellator NYC, will be given away to fans in attendance.

At 6 p.m. ET, fans are also invited to be a part of the Bellator NYC and Bellator 180 weigh-ins inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden, as the fighters take the scale and square off for the final time prior to entering the cage on Saturday night. The event is FREE and OPEN to the public.

One of the most recognizable MMA fighters of all time, Hall of Famer Randy Couture transitioned nicely into the entertainment world after his fighting career, starring in several television shows and movies, including The Expendables movie franchise and Dancing with the Stars. Inside the cage, Couture was a fearless underdog, often defeating men with great size advantages. “The Natural” was a multi-time heavyweight and multi-time light heavyweight champion in the UFC.

Dan Henderson, known simply as “Hendo,” is one of the most feared one-punch strikers in all of MMA and put away many opponents with his “H-Bomb” overhand right. A former PRIDE and STRIKEFORCE champion, Henderson owns notable wins over Michael Bisping, Fedor Emelianenko, “Shogun” Rua and Wanderlei Silva. Now retired, Henderson also represented the U.S. during the 1992 and 1996 Olympics as a member of the Greco-Roman wrestling teams.

Since joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2013, Cheick Kongo, a French-born kickboxer, has strung together an impressive run that has seen him emerge victorious in nine of 11 contests, including five consecutive victories. With 39 career fights under his belt, “The Darkness” has tallied 27 wins as a professional, including 12 by way of knockout. Kongo most recently handed Augusto Sakai the first loss of his professional career at Bellator 179 in London.

Mike Goldberg, set to make his Bellator broadcast debut at Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, is best known for his 20 plus years of play-by-play work in professional MMA and trademark calls that made him popular with fans around the globe. In addition to his two decades in mixed martial arts, he has broadcast every major sport at the network level, most notably his 900 games in the NHL, both nationally and with the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings. He has also hosted entertainment shows, including Shaq Vs. A graduate of Miami (Ohio) University, Goldberg now resides in Phoenix, Ariz.

Please visit Bellator.com and BellatorNYC.com for upcoming event information.

Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva Card (Pay-Per-View):

Light Heavyweight Main Event: Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) vs. Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC)

Heavyweight Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) vs. Matt Mitrione (11-5)

Welterweight World Title Bout: Douglas Lima (28-6) vs. Lorenz Larkin (18-5, 1 NC)

Lightweight World Title Bout: Michael Chandler (16-3) vs. Brent Primus (7-0)

Lightweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (Debut) vs. Zach Freeman (8-2)

Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader Card (SPIKE):

Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Phil Davis (17-3, 1 NC) vs. Ryan Bader (22-5)

Featherweight Bout: James Gallagher (6-0) vs. Chinzo Machida (5-2)

Welterweight Bout: Neiman Gracie (5-0) vs. Dave Marfone (5-2)

Women’s Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Heather Hardy (Debut) vs. Alice Yauger (4-5)

Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader Preliminary Card (Bellator.com):

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ryan Couture (10-5) vs. Haim Gozali (7-3)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jerome Mickle (2-1) vs. Anthony Giacchina (1-1)

Catchweight Preliminary Bout (168 1bs.): John Salgado (4-7-1) vs. Hugh McKenna (0-1)

Catchweight Preliminary Bout (130 1bs.): Matt Rizzo (9-2, 1 NC) vs. Sergio da Silva (6-8)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Nate Grebb (3-1) vs. Bradley Desir (9-5)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BELLATOR ANNOUNCES BROADCAST DUTIES FOR HISTORIC EVENT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ON SATURDAY, JUNE 24

June 19, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

LOS ANGELES – With the recently announced additions of veteran commentators Mauro Ranallo and Mike Goldberg to the current Bellator broadcast team, fight night roles have been determined for the biggest evening in the promotion’s history when Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva and Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader air live on Saturday, June 24 from Madison Square Garden in New York.

Bellator’s stacked pay-per-view event, Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva, will see play-by-play analyst Mauro Ranallo join longtime Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith for the first time live at 10 p.m. ET/7p.m. PT, while Mike Goldberg will anchor the desk for the historic broadcast.

Earlier that evening, Goldbergis set to call the play-by-play action alongside Smith, with Ranallo set to hostBellator 180: Davis vs. Bader from the desk live on SPIKE at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. Goldberg and Smith will alsocall the additional preliminary match-ups on Bellator.com at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Jenn Brown will host SPIKE’s live pre-show during preliminary action, where she will be joined by popular MMA personality Brendan Schaub and Bellator lightweight Josh Thomson, who will offer unique insight and analysis leading into the historic event. Schaub and Thomson will later join Ranallo at the desk duringBellator 180. The voice of Bellator, Michael C. Williams, will take his familiar position inside the cage as the evening’s ring announcer.

Headlined by the long-awaited bout between two of the biggest names in mixed martial arts history, Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) and Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC), Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva airs live on pay-per-view beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Emanating from Madison Square in New York City, the mecca of combat sports, this blockbuster event includes a heavyweight bout between MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and hard-hitting Matt Mitrione, along with two championship bouts, including Douglas Lima (28-6) defending his 170-pound strap against Lorenz Larkin(18-5, 1 NC) and current lightweight champion Michael Chandler (16-3) putting his world title on the line against the undefeated Brent Primus (7-0).

Prior to the pay-per-view, SPIKE will air Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader LIVE and FREE on both coasts beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between current champ Phil Davis (17-3, 1 NC) and top contender Ryan Bader (22-5). Additionally, Bellator 180 prelims will air exclusively on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Please visit Bellator.com and BellatorNYC.com for upcoming event information.

Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva Card (Pay-Per-View):

Light Heavyweight Main Event: Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) vs. Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC)

Heavyweight Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) vs. Matt Mitrione (11-5)

Welterweight World Title Bout: Douglas Lima (28-6) vs. Lorenz Larkin (18-5, 1 NC)

Lightweight World Title Bout: Michael Chandler (16-3) vs. Brent Primus (7-0)

Lightweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (Debut) vs. Zach Freeman (8-2)

Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader Card (SPIKE):

Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Phil Davis (17-3, 1 NC) vs. Ryan Bader (22-5)

Featherweight Bout: James Gallagher (6-0) vs. Chinzo Machida (5-2)

Welterweight Bout: Neiman Gracie (5-0) vs. Dave Marfone (5-2)

Women¹s Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Heather Hardy (Debut) vs. Alice Yauger (4-5)

Bellator 180: Davis vs. Bader Preliminary Card (Bellator.com):

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Ryan Couture (10-5) vs. Haim Gozali (7-3)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jerome Mickle (2-1) vs. Anthony Giacchina (1-1)

Catchweight Preliminary Bout (168 1bs.): John Salgado (4-7-1) vs. Hugh McKenna (0-1)

Catchweight Preliminary Bout (130 1bs.): Matt Rizzo (9-2, 1 NC) vs. Sergio da Silva (6-8)

VOW Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Nate Grebb (3-1) vs. Bradley Desir (9-5)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

BELLATOR NATION INVITED TO EXCLUSIVE FAN FEST DURING BELLATOR NYC FIGHT WEEK

June 18, 2017 FNU47 Leave a comment

MEET MMA LEGENDS TITO ORTIZ AND ROYCE GRACIE ON FRIDAY, JUNE 23 AT DAVE & BUSTER’S TIMES SQUARE

Los Angeles – Prior to the biggest event in Bellator history, Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva, fans have the opportunity to meet MMA legends Tito Ortiz and Royce Gracie during an exclusive Fan Fest on Friday, June 23 beginning at 8 p.m. ET at the Dave & Buster’s Times Square location.

Dave & Buster’s, a season-long partner of Bellator MMA, is offering Bellator Nation members the chance to meet two of the biggest names in the sport. Fan Fest is free for Bellator Nation Members with RSVP, who can sign up at www.Bellator.com/fan-fest.

Known as one of the toughest competitors in MMA, Tito Ortiz is a fan-favorite across the world. Utilizing his wrestling background, Ortiz was a punishing competitor who defended his title an impressive five times. Always with a flair for the dramatic, Ortiz engaged in several intense rivalries over his career with the likes of Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell. Under the direction of Bellator MMA, the 42-year-old Ortiz claimed a trio of victories that included a pair of first-round finishes over Alexander Shlemenko and Chael Sonnen.

The name Gracie is synonymous with MMA, and that is in large part to Royce Gracie, the man who is considered to have invented the sport as we know it today. The winner of the first several UFC events, Gracie dismantled multiple opponents in a single night, many of which were much larger than him. For many years, there was no answer for the Gracie jiu-jitsu technique that he brought to the cage. Today, it’s difficult to find an MMA fighter who has not trained in the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu that his father invented. In February of 2016, Gracie headlined Bellator 149, an event that shattered company viewership records.

Headlined by the long-awaited bout between two of the biggest names in mixed martial arts history, Chael Sonnen (29-15-1) andWanderlei Silva (35-12-1, 1 NC), Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva airs live on pay-per-view beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Emanating from Madison Square in New York City, the mecca of combat sports, this blockbuster event includes a heavyweight bout between MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and hard-hitting Matt Mitrione, along with two championship bouts, including Douglas Lima (28-6) defending his 170-pound strap against Lorenz Larkin(18-5, 1 NC) and current lightweight champion Michael Chandler (16-3) putting his world title on the line against the undefeated Brent Primus (7-0).