JUSTIN ‘THE BIG PYGMY’ WREN RETURNS TO ACTION IN EVENT’S FEATURED PRELIMINARY BOUT

Santa MONICA, Calif. (February 2, 2015) –An injury to Mike Bronzoulis has shifted things during the SPIKE-televised main card of "Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie " i runga i Feb. 19 i Center Toyota i Houston, Texas. Na, the lightweight contest will pit Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) ki Derek Āpure (15-6).

 

I tua atu, Justin “The Big Pygmy Viking” Wren (11-2) returns to action in what will be his second appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, ina tutaki ia Juan Torres (4-4) in heavyweight fisticuffs.

 

The fights join a card that already features a double main event — Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) tutaki Royce Gracie (14-2-3) mo te toru o te taime, me te Kimbo Poro (5-2) ka whawhai te tangata kua oti nei te te karanga ia ia i roto i mai mutu to ratou auhoaraa matahiti i ma'iri a'e, Dhafir Harris, pai ake mohiotia rite "Chest 5000" (2-0). In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11) and former light heavyweight titlist Emanuel Newton (25-9) whawhai Linton Vassell (15-5).

 

Tikiti mo tenei tīmatanga aru'i toi hōia whakauru i tika $50 a kei runga i te hoko i Bellator.com inaianei, me te HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.

 

"Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie " Tags ora me te utu i runga i te Koi i 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, ia ka awa pāngia tuatahi ora i runga i Bellator.com a Te Bellator Mobile App.

 

Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz mua i tenei tau. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Texas native with plenty to prove. Of Guillard’s 32 toa ano he ngaio, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

 

Known as “The Stallion” to those familiar with his mixed martial arts career, Campos will come into his meeting with Guillard riding a two-fight skid. During his eight-fight tenure with Bellator MMA, the 27-year-old Texan has faced a plethora of top lightweight talent, going up against names the likes of: Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Brandon Girtz (2x), and Estevan Payan.

 

You would be hard-pressed to find a better story in all of MMA than the one that Wren can tell. The two-time National High School Wrestling Champion generated massive amounts of media attention on the road to his promotional debut at "Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Whitiki,” where he defeated Josh Burns. His story begins several years earlier, i roto i te 2010, when Wren confronted an opponent tougher than any he could face in combat sports: addiction.

 

With an opportunity to continue fighting on the table, Wren left the sport and began his recovery process. A chance meeting with a friend led Wren on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he came across and developed a deep connection with the Mbuti Pygmies, many of whom were enslaved, living on only the scraps the slave masters would pay them with. Wren found his calling there and wanted to do everything in his power to help the Pygmies. With multiple visits to the Congo, including a stint that lasted a year, Wren started a foundation called “Fight for the Forgotten.” Through his efforts, Wren and his staff of 17 have systematically bought the land of the slave owners, and have thus far legally given 2,740 acres of rainforest to the Pygmies, effectively freeing them from slavery.

 

Partnering with other groups like Shalom University and joining forces with Water4.org, Wren and his charity are responsible for drilling 26 water wells to help provide both the Pygmies and the former slave masters with clean water, and have plans to drill hundreds more. I tua atu, the team has begun a sustainable farming project to benefit and provide food to both the Pygmies and non-Pygmies of the community.

 

Take a look below at the complete 19-fight "Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie " card and be sure to tune into SPIKE on February 19 i 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT for an event that has something for every fight fan.

Completed “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Fight Card

Bellator MMA Takahanga Main Openweight: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)

Bellator MMA Takahanga Main taumahamaha: Kimbo Poro (5-2) vs. “Dada 5000” (2-0)

Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Emanuel Newton (25-5) vs. Linton Vassell (15-5)

Bellator MMA Āhuahira Kōmāmā a'ee: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Derek Āpure (15-6)

Bellator MMA mā Āhuahira a'ee: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)

 

Kāri hukihuki:

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Justin mātuhi (11-2) vs. Juan Torres (4-4)

Bellator MMA whā tuatahi a'ee: Davis Sylvester (5-3) vs. Jeremy Mahon (5-4)

Bellator MMA Welterweight tuatahi a'ee: Charlie Ontiveros (6-4) vs. James Christopherson (2-2)

Bellator MMA whitu kë ngä a'ee: Ruben Esparsa (1-0) vs. C.J. Hancock (Tuatahi)

Bellator MMA whitu kë ngä a'ee: Adrian Yanez (3-1) vs. Daniel Santos (3-0)

Bellator MMA whitu kë ngä a'ee: Isaac Villanueva (9-7) vs. Richard Knepp (3-3)

Bellator MMA Kōmāmā tuatahi a'ee: Mike Trinh (2-3) vs. Angel Zamora (2-2)

Bellator MMA Kōmāmā tuatahi a'ee: Jason Langellier (2-0) vs. Anthony Ivy (1-0)

Bellator MMA whā tuatahi a'ee: Manny Lozoya (Tuatahi) vs. Jacob Norsworthy (1-5)

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Amateur Bout: Leomana Martinez (2-0) vs. Casey Jones (2-0)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Chris Solis (2-0) vs. Alex Macedo (2-0)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Amateur Bout: Jonathan Davis (2-0) vs. Shawn Solis (1-0)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Amateur Bout: Hunter Scott-Gregg (1-0) vs. Ricardo Deluque (1-0)