GLERISTONE ‘TONINHO FURIA’ SANTOS MAKES PROMOTIONAL DEBUT AGAINST JOHN ‘MACAPA’ TEIXEIRA
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (August 13, 2015) – Two featherweight contests pitting Henry “OK” Corrales (12-1) against Emmanuel “El Matador” Sanchez (10-2) and Gleristone Santos (27-4) making his Bellator MMA debut against John Teixeira (18-1-2) have been added to “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis” at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas on September 25.
Corrales versus Sanchez will take place during the main card of “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Meanwhile, Santos versus Teixeira will stream on Spike.com at5:30 p.m. CT during the stacked preliminary portion of the card.
Tickets for “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” which start at just $20, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com and the State Farm Arena box office. Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place 30 minutes later.
The two previously confirmed fights feature Joe Warren (12-4) taking on L.C. Davis (23-6) in main event bantamweight action, while the Bellator 143 co-main event will pit Joey Beltran (16-11, 1 NC) against top middleweight Kendall Grove (21-15). Additional bouts will be announced shortly.
Corrales was one half of an exciting back-and-forth fight against Daniel Straus at “Bellator 138: Unfinished Business.” The former King of the Cage titlist has finished 10 of his 12 victories as a professional before reaching the judges’ scorecards and has an extensive background when the fight hits the mat, learning the ways of Brazilian jiu-jitsu under famed practitioner, John De La O.
Following a hard fought battle against Pat Curran at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov” in June, “El Matador” returns to the Bellator MMA cage three months later with revenge on his mind. A short notice injury replacement against Curran, the 24-year-old Roufusport standout impressed in his third bout under the Bellator banner. Now, the Milwaukee native will look to bounce back at the expense of Corrales on September 25.
Long considered one of Brazil’s top prospects, the 26-year-old Santos debuted in 2005 when he was just 16 years old and earned victories in his first nine professional bouts. Born in Campina Grande, Paraiba, Santos currently boasts a nine-fight winning streak and is an incredible 16-1 in his past 17 appearances.
Best known as “Macapa,” the 28-year-old will be making his third appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, and his second in 2015. The submission specialist, who trains at the world renown Nova Uniao camp, has been on the winning end of two consecutive closely contested split decision wins. The lone loss of Teixeira’s promising MMA career came against Hugo Viana in the UFC back in 2012.
Are these two contests a look at the future of the 145-pound division? Tune into “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis” on Spike to find out.
Updated “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis” Card
Main Card:
Bellator Bantamweight Feature Fight: Joe Warren (12-4) vs. L.C. Davis (23-6)
Bellator Middleweight Feature Fight: Joey Beltran (16-11) vs. Kendall Grove (21-15)
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Henry Corrales (12-1) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (10-2)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Gleristone Santos (27-4) vs. John Teixeira (18-1-2)