RAFAEL CARVALHO SET TO DEFEND MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST MELVIN MANHOEF AT ‘BELLATOR 155’ ON MAY 20

PAT CURRAN RETURNS AGAINST GEORGI KARAKHANYAN IN FEATHERWEIGHT ACTION

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (February 26, 2016) – Rafael Carvalho (12-1) will make his first defense of the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship against heavy-handed Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (30-12-1) in the main event of “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” on May 20 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.

 

In the co-main event, former Bellator MMA Featherweight Titlist Pat Curran (21-7) will return to action for the first time since June, when he faces the always-dangerous Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1).

 

Tickets for “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” start at just $25 and go on sale next Friday, March 4 at Bellator.com, the CenturyLink Arena Box Office, CenturyLinkArenaBoise.com or by phone at 208-331-TIXS.

 

“Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Carvalho’s second-round body kick knockout of Brandon Halsey at “Bellator 144: Halsey vs. Carvalho” was the third biggest oddsmaker upset in 2015, and extended his current winning streak to 12. The 29-year-old will be making his fourth appearance under the Bellator MMA banner and has an impressive finishing rate of 83 percent.

With a resume of knockouts as violent as Manhoef, it’s no surprise the Dutch competitor has been given the nickname of “No Mercy.” Known for his relentless striking style, the former K-1 and Strikeforce competitor is fresh off his emphatic knockout of Hisaki Kato at “Bellator 146: Manhoef vs. Kato” in November. Now the 39-year-old is in position to lay claim to the Bellator 185-pound MMA title, before returning to kickboxing competition in the newly founded Bellator Kickboxing league.

 

It’s hard to find a Bellator MMA fighter with as many memorable moments for the Scott Coker-led promotion as Pat Curran. The former featherweight kingpin has been involved in wars with fighters the likes of: current champion Daniel Straus, Patricio Freire, Daniel Weichel, and Joe Warren. Now “Paddy Mike” sets his sights on “Insane,” in a bout that surely has future title implications at stake.

 

Karakhanyan made a splash in his return to Bellator MMA in 2015, choking out Bubba Jenkins in his first fight for the Viacom-owned promotion since 2011. Now, the Millenia MMA standout will put his knack for submitting opponents (14x) to the test against Curran, a fighter who has only been submitted once in 28-fights.

“Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” Updated Fight Card

 

Bellator MMA Middleweight World Title Fight: Rafael Carvalho (12-1) vs. Melvin Manhoef (30-12-1)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Co-Main Event: Pat Curran (21-7) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-5-1)

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