Tag Archives: Bellator

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

Injury forces Georgi Karakhanyan out of featherweight title fight – Champion Patricio Pitbull now faces Daniel Weichel at “Bellator: Unfinished Business”

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Easy Tweet: “NEW FIGHT: @danielweichel to face @PatricioPitbull for #Bellator featherweight championship on June 19 #UnfinishedBusiness”

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 28, 2015) – Due to a knee injury sustained by title challenger Georgi Karakhanyan, Bellator MMA Featherweight World Champion Patricio Pitbull (23-2) will now face German submission ace Daniel “The Weasel” Weichel (35-8) in the co-main event of “Bellator: Unfinished Business,” which takes place Friday, June 19 at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center.

 

Featuring one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock, “Bellator: Unfinished Business” also features Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14) and Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4), with a fifth and final featured bout to be announced shortly.

 

The 27-year-old “Pitbull,” of Natal, Brazil, is a 13-time veteran of the promotion who captured the Bellator MMA Featherweight World Title with a September win over then-champion Pat Curran. “Pitbull” then defended his belt in January with a thrilling submission win over former champion Daniel Straus. In 24 career appearances, “Pitbull” has only lost two fights, and both were the result of razor-thin, split-decisions.

 

“Pitbull” now meets Germany’s Weichel, who at just 30 years of age already boasts more than 35 professional wins. In his last fight, Weichel earned a hard-fought victory over former champion Pat Curran bringing his record to 12-1 in his past 13 outings. Weichel is a Bellator MMA tournament winner, racking up victories over Desmond Green, Matt Bessette and Scott Cleve in the process. Of those 35 wins, an incredible 21 of them have come by way of submission.

 

The 5-fight televised card airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, with preliminary fights streaming on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.

 

Tickets for “Bellator: Unfinished Business,” which start at just $30, are currently on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

 

“Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business” – Friday, May June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

 

Main Card

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15-2)

Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Champ Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Daniel Weichel (35-8)

Bellator Featured Heavyweight Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Bellator Featured Lightweight Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Justin Guthrie (17-8) vs. Steven Mann (10-1)

Bellator Strawweight Prelim Fight: Miles McDonald (0-1) vs. Dan O’Connor (5-4)

Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Malcolm Smith (4-4) vs. Luke Nelson (2-1)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Kain Royer (1-1) vs. Enrique Watson (1-0)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” gets touch of local flavor with Malcolm Smith vs. Luke Nelson and Kain Royer vs. Enrique Watson

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 27, 2015) – June’s blockbuster “Bellator: Unfinished Business” event is getting a little local flavor, as two new preliminary contests feature fighters from “The Show Me State.”

 

The new all-Missouri contests include lightweights Malcolm Smith (4-4) vs. Luke Nelson (2-1) and middleweights Kain Royer(1-1) vs. Enrique Watson (1-0).

 

Featuring one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock, “Bellator: Unfinished Business” takes place Friday, June 19, at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center and airs live on Spike.

 

Tickets for “Bellator: Unfinished Business,” which start at just $30, are currently on sale at Ticketmaster.com

 

Additional contests will be announced shortly.

 

A five-time Shamrock FC veteran, Smith makes his Bellator MMA debut as he looks to rebound from a split-decision loss to Cory Hunter in March. Prior to the disappointing result, Smith was 4-1 in his previous five fights – a run that included two TKO victories and one submission.

 

Smith now meets three-time Shamrock FC fighter Nelson, who turned pro in December 2013 and also competes under the Bellator MMA banner for the first time. Nelson has earned both of his career wins to date via first-round stoppage, while his lone career loss went the distance, when he came up just short via split decision.

 

Royer and Watson have also spent the early stages of their professional careers competing exclusively under the Shamrock FC banner.

 

A submission specialist, Royer built an impressive amateur record fighting on Missouri’s regional scene before turning professional in 2013. An action-first fighter, both of his pro contests have ended in the first round.  Royer now meets Watson, who made his professional debut this past June with a first-round TKO victory.

 

“Bellator MMA: Unfinished Business” – Friday, May June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

 

Main Card

 

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15-2)

Bellator Featherweight Title Fight: Champ Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4-1)

Bellator Featured Heavyweight Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Bellator Featured Lightweight Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

 

Preliminary Card

 

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Justin Guthrie (17-8) vs. Steven Mann (10-1)

Bellator Strawweight Prelim Fight: Miles McDonald (0-1) vs. Dan O’Connor (5-4)

Bellator Lightweight Prelim Fight: Malcolm Smith (4-4) vs. Luke Nelson (2-1)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Kain Royer (1-1) vs. Enrique Watson (1-0)

Bellator, mixed martial arts

Welterweight clash pitting undefeated Michael “Venom” Page against Rudy “Bad News” Bears added to “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov”

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TICKETS ON SALE TODAY!

Easy Tweet: “BAD NEWS! British superstar @Michaelpage247 returns against Rudy “Bad News” Bears at #Bellator140, live and free on @Spike!”

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 24, 2015) – Michael “Venom” Page (7-0) will look to keep his unbeaten streak alive when he meets 29-fight veteran Rudy “Bad News” Bears (16-13) in a welterweight tilt at “Bellator: Lima vs. Koreshkov,” which takes place Friday, July 17, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

 

The July 17 event is shaping up to be a tremendous showcase of welterweight talent, already featuring previously announced bouts between Bellator MMA Welterweight World Champion Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (26-5) and Russian knockout artist Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov (17-1), as well as Chris Honeycutt (6-0), who takes on Paul Bradley (22-6).

 

The two 170-pounders meet on the main card of “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov,” which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT.

 

Tickets for the event are on sale now, and are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster.com.

 

Page is undoubtedly one of the fastest-rising stars in all of mixed martial arts. Showcasing blazing speed and pinpoint accuracy, “Venom’s” unorthodox striking style has been built over a lifetime of study in a variety of standup disciplines. The 28-year-old already owns three Bellator MMA victories, including a decision win over Nah-Shon Burrell this past October, as well as knockout wins over Ricky Rainey and Ryan Sanders. Six of Page’s seven career wins have come via first-round finish.

 

A 36-year-old Missouri native, Bears began his combat sports training in high school. Fighting professionally since 2007, Bears has appeared seven times previously under the Bellator MMA banner and now returns to the promotion after racking up back-to-back victories on the regional stage. Bears has competed against MMA notables the likes of Zak Cummings, Paul Daley, Jason High, Ryan Jensen, Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Tyron Woodley, amongst others.

 

Additional contests for “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” will be announced shortly.

 

“Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” – Friday, July 17, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.

 

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Champ Douglas Lima (26-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (17-1)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Michael Page (7-0) vs. Rudy Bears (16-13)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” gets another clash between welterweight standouts as Chris “The Cutt” Honeycutt meets Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley

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Easy Tweet: .@ChrisTheCutt and @PaulBradley184 set for welterweight war at #Bellator140 live & free on @spike”

 

 

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 22, 2015) – Undefeated welterweight prospect Chris “The Cutt” Honeycutt (6-0) gets the toughest test of his career, as he meets fellow former All-American wrestler and nine-year MMA veteran Paul “The Gentleman” Bradley (22-6).

 

Featuring Bellator MMA World Champion Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (26-5) putting his title on the line against Russian knockout artist Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov (17-1), “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” takes place Friday, July 17, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

 

The two decorated grapplers meet on the main card of “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov,” which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT.

 

Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, April 24th at 10 a.m. ET, and are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster.com. Bellator Nation presale is currently taking place. Join the Bellator Newsletter list or follow us on social media (Twitter / Facebook) to gain access to the presale code and details.

 

The 26-year-old Honeycutt is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler out of Edinboro University. Following his collegiate wrestling career, which ended with a runner-up finish in the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship, Honeycutt enlisted the help of fellow Edinboro wrestler Josh Koscheck and now trains at the longtime MMA veteran’s Dethrone Base Camp in Fresno, Calif.

 

Honeycutt made his Bellator MMA debut in September 2014, scoring a TKO victory over Aaron Wilkinson. He picked up his second win for the promotion in February, scoring a TKO win over Clayton MacFarlane.

 

The 31-year-old Bradley is an Iowa native who also earned a pair of NCAA Division I All-American honors while competing at the famed University of Iowa. Bradley turned to MMA in 2006 and earned 11 consecutive victories to open his career, picking up the Ring of Combat middleweight title along the way.

 

Bradley made his way to the Bellator MMA cage in 2013, and in three appearances to date, he has picked up decision victories over Josh Neer and Karl Amoussou. While Bradley’s base is firmly entrenched in wrestling, he’s developed into a complete martial artist during his time in the sport and now owns seven of his career wins by knockout with another seven coming by way of submission.

 

Additional contests for “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” will be announced shortly.

 

“Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” – Friday, July 17, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.

 

Bellator Welterweight Title Fight: Champ Douglas Lima (26-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (17-1)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Fight: Chris Honeycutt (6-0) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

International knockout artists Cheick Kongo and Alexander Volkov clash on June 26 in headlining bout of “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov”

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Easy Tweet: “.@kongo4real and @AlexDragoVolkov set to headline #Bellator139 at the @KansasStarArena on June 26. http://bit.ly/1GfVzbx”

 

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 21, 2015) – French striking specialist Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-5) will stand toe-to-toe in the Bellator MMA cage on June 26.

 

The two sluggers clash in the five-round main event of “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov,” which takes place at Kansas Star Event Center Arena in Mulvane, Kan.

 

The heavyweight slugfest joins previously announced matchups of lightweights Dave “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3) vs. John “The Natural” Alessio (35-17) and former Bellator MMA featherweight champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2) on the event’s featured portion.

 

The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.

 

Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov,” which start at just $17 and include cageside seats for just $97, are currently available at Ticketmaster.com.

 

Kongo, a 6-foot-4 Frenchman, is a striking ace who boasts black belts in both Karate and Kendo. A multiple-time world champion in kickboxing, Kongo now focuses solely on MMA and has built a 4-2 record under the Bellator MMA banner. One of the most imposing figures in all of MMA, Kongo boasts 12 career knockout victories, including the sport’s 2011 “Knockout of the Year.”

 

The 26-year-old Volkov is an eight-time Bellator MMA veteran who rose to the promotion’s highest rank in 2012 as the Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion. Though he would eventually cede the belt to current title holder Vitaly Minakov, Volkov bounced right back with three-consecutive stoppage wins. In his 24 career victories, Volkov has scored 17 by knockout.

 

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” – Friday, June 26, Kanas Star Event Center Arena, Mulvane, Kansas

 

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (24-5)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Rickels (16-3) vs. John Alessio (35-17)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2)

Easy Tweet: “.@kongo4real and @AlexDragoVolkov set to headline #Bellator139 at the @KansasStarArena on June 26. http://bit.ly/1GfVzbx”

 

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 21, 2015) – French striking specialist Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) and former Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-5) will stand toe-to-toe in the Bellator MMA cage on June 26.

 

The two sluggers clash in the five-round main event of “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov,” which takes place at Kansas Star Event Center Arena in Mulvane, Kan.

 

The heavyweight slugfest joins previously announced matchups of lightweights Dave “The Caveman” Rickels (16-3) vs. John “The Natural” Alessio (35-17) and former Bellator MMA featherweight champion Pat “Paddy Mike” Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2) on the event’s featured portion.

 

The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.

 

Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for “Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov,” which start at just $17 and include cageside seats for just $97, are currently available at Ticketmaster.com.

 

Kongo, a 6-foot-4 Frenchman, is a striking ace who boasts black belts in both Karate and Kendo. A multiple-time world champion in kickboxing, Kongo now focuses solely on MMA and has built a 4-2 record under the Bellator MMA banner. One of the most imposing figures in all of MMA, Kongo boasts 12 career knockout victories, including the sport’s 2011 “Knockout of the Year.”

 

The 26-year-old Volkov is an eight-time Bellator MMA veteran who rose to the promotion’s highest rank in 2012 as the Bellator MMA Heavyweight World Champion. Though he would eventually cede the belt to current title holder Vitaly Minakov, Volkov bounced right back with three-consecutive stoppage wins. In his 24 career victories, Volkov has scored 17 by knockout.

 

“Bellator MMA: Kongo vs. Volkov” – Friday, June 26, Kanas Star Event Center Arena, Mulvane, Kansas

 

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Cheick Kongo (22-10-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (24-5)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Dave Rickels (16-3) vs. John Alessio (35-17)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Fight: Pat Curran (20-7) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (18-2)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

Bellator MMA Welterweight World Champion Douglas Lima meets Russian knockout artist Andrey Koreshkov on July 17 at Mohegan Sun Arena

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 20, 2015) – Bellator MMA Welterweight World Champion Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (26-5), one of the most talented and well-rounded 170-pound fighters on the planet today, puts his title on the line against Russian knockout artist Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov (17-1) on Friday, July 16, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

 

“Douglas Lima is an incredible champion who is in for one of the toughest fights of his life against Koreshkov,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “When the rest of this card is announced, we’ll have put together one of the greatest showcases of welterweight talent ever assembled on one night.”

 

The two elite combatants headline the newly announced “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” event, which airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT.

 

Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, April 24th at 10 a.m. ET, and are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster.com. Bellator Nation presale begins this Tuesday.  Join the Bellator Newsletter list or follow us on social media (Twitter / Facebook) to gain access to the presale code and details.

 

Additional information, including ticketing details and the night’s full lineup of world-class MMA action, will be announced shortly.

 

The 27-year-old Lima is a Brazilian-born athlete who now makes his home in Atlanta. Fighting under the Bellator MMA banner since 2011, Lima is an impressive 8-1 in the promotion and an incredible 14-1 in his past 15 overall appearances. Lima earned his way to the Bellator MMA Welterweight World Title with an eight-man tournament victory that included knockout wins over Ben Saunders, Bryan Baker and Michail Tsarev. Lima then claimed the title with an April 2014 knockout win over Rick Hawn. Overall, Lima boasts five consecutive knockout victories and now looks to defend his belt for the first time.

 

Koreshkov is also fresh off an eight-man tournament win, claiming a decision victory over Adam McDonough after previously registering knockouts of Justin Baesman and Nah-Shon Burrell. The 24-year-old Koreshkov is a Russian national medalist in both pankration and hand-to-hand combat and has lost just once in 18 professional MMA appearances.  He owns 10 wins by knockouts and three by submission and also owns a 2012 victory over former Bellator MMA Welterweight World Champion Lyman Good.

 

Expect fireworks when Lima and Koreshkov collide.

 

Additional contests for “Bellator MMA: Lima vs. Koreshkov” will be announced shortly.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” finalizes action-packed 13-fight lineup with additions of A.J. Jenkins vs. Arlene Blencowe, Shawn Bunch vs. Rolando Perez and John Yoo vs. Albert Morales

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 16, 2015) – A thrilling 13-bout lineup for May’s “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” is now complete with the addition of women’s featherweights A.J. Jenkins (17-5) vs. Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe (5-4), bantamweights Shawn “Bunch the Great” Bunch (3-1) vs.Rolando Perez (7-4) and John Yoo (0-0) vs. Albert “The Warrior” Morales (1-0) to the evening’s preliminary card.

 

The three new additions finalize a nine-fight preliminary card scheduled in support of “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” four main card contests.

 

The night’s featured matchups include undefeated Bellator MMA World Middleweight Champion Brandon “Bull” Halsey (8-0) against towering Hawaiian scrapper Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (21-14), former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike “The Marine” Richman (18-5), welterweights Fernando “The Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez (23-13) vs. “Curtious” Curtis Millander (7-1) and bantamweightsDarrion “The Wolf” Caldwell (6-0) vs. Rafael “Morcego” Silva (22-4).

 

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” takes place on Friday, May 15, at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The night’s main card airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT local time), while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.

 

Tickets for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove,” which start at just $50, are currently on sale at Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office.

 

Doors for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” open at 4 p.m. PT local time, and the first contest takes place 45 minutes later.

 

Jenkins, of Oceanside, Calif., is one of the most experienced competitors in women’s MMA. Fighting professionally since 2004, Jenkins now makes her Bellator MMA debut. The 33-year-old boasts past tussles with MMA notables Shayna Baszler, Tonya Evinger, Jan Finney, Kelly Kobold and Sarah Schneider, among others.

 

An Australian native, Blencowe is a world-class athlete and former Women’s International Boxing Association World light welterweight champion. After turning her attention to MMA in 2013, Blencowe initially garnered only mixed results as she adjusted to life in the sport. However, she has racked up three-consecutive stoppage wins as of late, and that run earned her a call from Bellator MMA.

 

Bunch is one of MMA’s most elite-level wrestlers as a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and two-time U.S. Olympic Team alternate. He now trains with the famed American Kickboxing Academy banner and has spent his entire professional MMA career under the Bellator MMA banner.

 

Meanwhile, Alliance MMA product Perez is a 10-year veteran of the sport who made his Bellator MMA in November and fought to a rarely-seen split draw. Still, Perez is unbeaten in his past four contests and now looks to get his first win in the promotion.

 

Yoo, of Irvine, Calif., makes his professional debut. He meets Morales, of Carson, Calif., who picked up a submission victory in the Bellator cage in his first professional contest.

 

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” – Friday, May 15, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Calif.

 

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Middleweight Title Fight: Champ Brandon Halsey (8-0) vs. Kendall Grove (21-14)

Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Eduardo Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike Richman (18-5)

Bellator Featured Welterweight Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (23-13) vs. Curtis Millender (7-1)

Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Darrion Caldwell (6-0) vs. Rafael Silva (22-4)

 

Preliminary Card (7:45 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Middleweight Prelim Fight: A.J. Matthews (7-3) vs. Ben Reiter (14-0)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Virgil Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (12-4)

Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Joe Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio Duarte (18-5)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Jordan Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-0)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky Rainey (10-3)

 

Dark Fights (approx. 11 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: John Yoo (0-0) vs. Albert Morales (1-0)

Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Shawn Bunch (3-1) vs. Rolando Perez (7-4)

Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Steve Kozola (5-0) vs. Ian Butler (1-1)

Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: A.J. Jenkins (17-5) vs. Arlene Blencowe (5-4)

 

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

Three-for-one, Wednesday Matinee

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“Bellator MMA: Uncut” returns with a focus on this past week’s “Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen” card. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the main card competitors before and after they go to war inside the cage. The eight minute video showcases all the hard work and personal sacrifice these individuals put into their craft.

 

Arguably one of the best fights on the “Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen” card didn’t air on television, but instead took place during the preliminary portion of the event. Joey Beltran shined in his middleweight debut against Brian Rogers in a fight that featured a little bit of everything including a ferocious slugfest, a comeback as well as a showcase of toughness and will all rolled into one.

 

In addition, our post-lims featured Chad George’s finish of Mark Vorgeas with a Von Flue choke, making it only the second time in Bellator history this technique was used to end a fight.

The two fights took place on the Spike.com-streamed preliminary card of “Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen,” which aired this past Friday night during a Spike telecast that peaked with over 900K viewers.

EASY TWEETS:

Relive the oohs and aahs from last Fridays #BellatorMMA event with #BellatorUncut https://youtu.be/e26WvI7Eczk

.@Mexicutioner760 looked to be the first fighter to win in 3 different weight classes. In his way: @BRogthePredator! #Bellator136 https://youtu.be/l6L_acDCNd8

Watch hometown scrapper @Savage135’s rare Von Flue choke win from last Friday’s #Bellator136! https://youtu.be/XttOuAopLRA

 

Click on the images below to view the videos

 

 

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” adds top bantamweights Darrion “The Wolf” Caldwell vs. Rafael “Morcego” Silva to evening’s Spike-televised main card

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EASY TWEET: #BellatorMMA adds @morcego_mma and @thewolf_mma to the May 15 Event headlined by @BrandBullHalsey & @kendallgrovemma

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 15, 2015) – A four-fight Spike-broadcast main card for May’s “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove” has received another thrilling contest, as undefeated bantamweight prospect Darrion “The Wolf” Caldwell (6-0) takes on Rafael “Morcego” Silva (22-4).

 

The new addition finalizes the four-bout main card for “Bellator MMA: Halsey vs. Grove,” which includes undefeated Bellator MMA World Middleweight Champion Brandon “Bull” Halsey (8-0) against towering Hawaiian scrapperKendall “Da Spyder” Grove (21-14), former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike “The Marine” Richman (18-5), and welterweights Fernando “The Menifee Maniac” Gonzalez (23-13) vs.“Curtious” Curtis Millander (7-1).

 

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” takes place on Friday, May 15, at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The night’s main card airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT local time), while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.

 

Tickets for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove,” which start at just $50, are currently on sale at Pechanga.com and the Pechanga Resort & Casino box office.

 

Doors for “Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” open at 4 p.m. PT local time, and the first contest takes place 45 minutes later.

 

Two new bouts have also been added to the night’s preliminary card, with middleweights A.J. “The Mercenary” Matthews (7-3) vs. Ben “The Hunter” Reiter (15-0) and lightweights Steve “Thunderbeast” Kozola (5-0) vs. Ian Butler (1-1).

 

Additionally, a light heavyweight matchup of Virgil “Rezdog” Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. “Razor” Razak Al-Hassan (12-4) that was initially announced as a main-card matchup will now be featured on the night’s preliminary card, instead.

 

Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

 

A New Jersey native now fighting out of Arizona, Caldwell was a Division I wrestler at North Carolina State. Caldwell made his MMA debut in 2012 and has kept his record perfect through the first six fights of his career, including Bellator MMA wins over Anthony Dizy, Joe Pingitore and Lance Surma. Previously competing as a featherweight, the 27-year-old Caldwell now moves down to the bantamweight division.

 

He now faces “Morcego” Silva, a battle-tested 30-year-old fighter with championship-level experience in the Bellator MMA cage. With nearly a decade of professional fights to his name, Silva is an incredible 14-1 in his past 15 overall appearances. His only loss during that run was a 25-minute decision against former Bellator MMA Bantamweight World Champion Joe Warren. Seventeen of Silva’s 22 career wins have come by stoppage, including eight knockouts and nine submissions.

 

A former cast member on Bellator MMA’s “Fight Master” series, Matthews fought most recently in November, earning a decision win over Kyle Bolt. He now meets undefeated prospect Reiter, an intriguing individual who left Wall Street to pursue a career in MMA and now fights for the second time under the Bellator MMA banner after spending much of his early career in Peru.

 

Kozola, of San Diego, Calif., fights for the second time under the Bellator MMA banner after debuting with a knockout victory over Jonathan Rivera in January. He now meets Butler, who returns to the promotion after a November Bellator MMA debut that saw him suffer a submission loss to Joao Paulo Faria.

 

“Bellator: Halsey vs. Grove” – Friday, May 15, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Calif.

 

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Middleweight Title Fight: Champ Brandon Halsey (8-0) vs. Kendall Grove (21-14)

Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Eduardo Dantas (16-4) vs. Mike Richman (18-5)

Bellator Featured Welterweight Fight: Fernando Gonzalez (23-13) vs. Curtis Millender (7-1)

Bellator Featured Bantamweight Fight: Darrion Caldwell (6-0) vs. Rafael Silva (22-4)

 

Preliminary Card (7:45 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Middleweight Prelim Fight: A.J. Matthews (7-3) vs. Ben Reiter (14-0)

Bellator Light Heavyweight Prelim Fight: Virgil Zwicker (13-4-1) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (12-4)

Bellator Bantamweight Prelim Fight: Joe Taimanglo (20-6-1) vs. Antonio Duarte (18-5)

Bellator Featherweight Prelim Fight: Jordan Parsons (10-1) vs. Julio Cesar Neves Jr. (30-0)

Bellator Welterweight Prelim Fight: Jesse Juarez (22-9) vs. Ricky Rainey (10-3)

 

Dark Bouts (approx. 11 p.m. ET)

 

Bellator Lightweight Dark Prelim: Steve Kozola (5-0) vs. Ian Butler (1-1)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV, UFC

No. 6 Light Heavyweight in the World Phil Davis joins Bellator MMA

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 Phil Davis Signing

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 15, 2015) – Bellator MMA is pleased to announce the signing of the sixth* ranked Light Heavyweight in the world, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (13-3, 1 NC), to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

 

“I can’t wait to be fighting in Bellator and wreck shop on everyone,” said Davis. “I am the absolute best and most dominant grappler to ever fight in MMA and I’m excited to get in there and compete at my new home.”

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Phil attended college close to home at Penn State University, where he became a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler for the Nittany Lions.

 

Davis had his first professional MMA fight in 2008 and accrued nine wins in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including victories against the likes of Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Lyoto Machida, Alexander Gustafsson, Brian Stann and Glover Teixeira.

A member of Alliance MMA in San Diego, Calif., where he trains alongside Bellator stars like Michael Chandler and Joey Beltran, “Mr. Wonderful” joins the promotions Light Heavyweight division, which is currently upheld by champion Liam McGeary.

 

“Phil is a world class Mixed Martial Artist and we are very happy to be adding him to OUR roster of some of the best Light Heavyweights in the world,” said the promotion’s president, Scott Coker.  “Bellator remains fully committed to building its world-class roster by signing top free agents like Davis, as well as grooming up-and-coming stars. We’ve got some amazing matchups in mind for ‘Mr. Wonderful’ that we will be announcing in the weeks to come.”


Bellator’s Light Heavyweight division is one of the deepest in the promotion, with stars like McGeary, Tito Ortiz, “King Mo” Lawal, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Emanuel Newton and Linton Vassell.

 

*Ranking according to www.sherdog.com